Research on the Development of Wood-based Panel Machinery

The wood-based panel industry is an important industry that makes efficient use of wood or other plant fiber resources and eases the contradiction between wood supply and demand. It is an important means for achieving sustainable forestry development strategies and a pillar industry of the world's forest industry. By the end of the last century, according to the FAO, the world production of wood-based panels (including veneer, plywood, decorative panels, and fiberboards) was nearly 190 million cubic meters in 2000 (including 30.1% for plywood and 44.1% for particleboard). Fiberboards accounted for 17.3%), an increase of more than 57% from a decade ago. In the past decade, the rapid development of the world's wood-based panel industry has been attributed to the transformation of wood resources from the use of natural forest resources to the use of artificial forests. On the other hand, it has benefited from the progress of wood-based panel technology. The widespread adoption of new technologies and technological advances in host equipment.

China's wood-based panel industry has also been developing rapidly over the past decade. Taking 2005 as an example, the output of man-made boards nationwide was 63.93 million cubic meters, of which 25.15 million cubic meters were plywood and 12.41 million cubic meters were other types of wood-based boards. The 2005 output was 2.18 times that of 2002. The annual output of wood-based panels in China is increasing at a rate of about 20%, which is much higher than the average growth rate of the national economy. The domestically-made panel equipment has played an extremely important support and basic role.

It can be said that the demand of the wood market has provided a broad space for the development of the wood-based panel industry. The development of the wood-based panel industry has also led to technological advances in the relevant host equipment, control and inspection technologies and production processes of the wood-based panel production line.

The foreign wood-based panel woodworking machinery industry is expanding its use of grouping, large-scale, automation, numerical control, and high-tech, expanding the scope of raw materials, increasing its utilization rate and product quality, saving energy, developing new energy, and focusing on environmental protection. .

(1) Grouping and Restructuring Rapidly Enhancing Core Competence Since the 1990s, the foreign wood-based panel industry has developed rapidly. To face the fiercely competitive international market, foreign wood-based panel machinery manufacturers have further realized large-scale and group-based restructuring. . The three giants of the current international wood-based panel machinery industry have formed: Siempelkamp, ​​Metso, and Dieffenbacher. The great successes achieved by the three major group companies in implementing the product differentiation strategy have enabled them to have stronger development capabilities and marketing capabilities, higher product visibility and reputation, and rapidly increased their core competitiveness. It is reported that in the three major group companies, the total sales of man-made board machinery in 2001 reached 1.275 billion euros; the three major group companies have delivered more than 80% of the total production capacity of the world's total manuf global. All this shows that the success of the three major group companies in the field of wood-based panel machinery is inseparable from their successful implementation of the strategy of group restructuring. At the same time, in order to facilitate the adoption of new technologies, it is inseparable that the continuity of production and the corporate reorganization strategy can be achieved. At the same time, in order to better adopt new technologies, achieve continuous production, automation, increase labor productivity, save investment in unit production capacity, reduce product costs, improve product competitiveness, and increase the scale of production of man-made boards. The wood-based panel machinery used is also growing. For example, the MDF production line with the largest single-line output currently operating in the world is installed at KUNZ Wood-based Panel Company. The line hot-grinding machine is supplied by the Austrian company and the main line equipment is provided by the German company.

(2) The degree of automation and numerical control has been continuously improved In the past two decades, the man-made board mechanized production lines provided by the developed countries have basically adopted computerized automatic control systems. Through the field bus system, the entire control room has completed the entire line of testing and control. Only 7-8 production personnel are required. All operations are completed through the man-machine interface; the optimal production process is achieved through continuous monitoring and constant adjustment, and economical production is enhanced through high automation and high flexibility. The degree of mechanization, automation, and numerical control of wood-based panel production is getting higher and higher. Stand-alone machines and production lines are being developed toward full automation and numerical control. Various high-tech technologies are widely used, such as infrared, high-frequency, ultrasonic, isotope, laser, and microelectronics. High-tech technologies, such as industrial television, and especially the universal application of electronic computers, have realized automatic detection, automatic signal chaining, automatic protection, and automated management, thereby improving labor productivity, equipment utilization, and product quality. Spindle rotation speed and feeding speed of the man-made board machine are also generally improved, which greatly accelerates the production and processing speed of the equipment and the transportation and transmission speed, thereby greatly improving the production capacity of the machinery and equipment. According to statistics, the overall labor productivity of the German woodworking machinery industry in 2005 was 7.66 times that of China in 2003, and the total labor productivity of the Italian woodworking machinery industry in 2005 was 8.44 times that of China in 2003.

(3) Increase the utilization rate of raw materials and product quality In order to cope with the shortage of wood resources, the continuous improvement of timber utilization rate and product quality, the utilization of crop straw resources, “three remainings” and the use of sub-, small- and salaried resources, the variety of wood-based panel products continues to increase. With the requirements of the ever-changing product structure, some new types of wood-based panel machines have been developed abroad. The performance, manufacturing precision, and product quality of the equipment have been continuously improved and the structure has been continuously improved. For example, at present, the world attaches great importance to the disposal of waste wood. Technically, mechanical sorting, regrind, and hot water separation technologies are generally used; in the production of wood-based panels using waste wood, Germany, Italy, and other countries generally use numerically controlled mechanical slicing, crushing, and quality inspection equipment, making it easy to waste. The wood is broken into wood chips, and the metal solids are separated and discharged outside the crusher.

(4) Emphasis on environmental protection and development of new energy In recent years, as energy supply becomes more and more intense, foreign countries have increasingly paid attention to the conservation of energy and the development of new energy sources. The foreign wood-based panel industry generally adopts dedicated energy factories to provide thermal energy and continuously improve. The efficiency of the equipment. For example, adopting an energy plant can increase efficiency and digest plant residues, allowing the factory to achieve “zero emissions” and make the production line more environmentally friendly. Hot presses are heated by using saturated steam or hot water and are more commonly heated by hot oil, not only increasing Thermal efficiency, and the plate surface temperature of the hot platen is more uniform and stable.

The problems existing in the wood-based panel machinery industry in China Since the reform and opening up, China's wood-based panel machinery industry has developed rapidly. From research, development, production, inspection, and sales, a complete system has been established and become a major producer of man-made board machinery. There are more than 800 types of products such as plywood, particleboard, and medium-density fiberboard produced in China, which are sold to the United States, Europe, South America, Russia, Southeast Asia, Africa and other countries and regions. The total industrial output value in the year amounts to more than 6 billion yuan. The data shows that the production capacity of domestically-made artificial board complete sets of equipment has accounted for more than 80%. In terms of the total production capacity of the wood-based panel equipment, domestically produced equipment occupies a dominant position, but overall, the scale of enterprises in China's wood-based panel machinery manufacturing industry is not large enough, and the mechanical innovation design and process research and development capabilities are not strong, especially the host equipment and the key. The technological innovation capability is not enough, and it has been at the level of tracking and imitation for a long time. The automatic control, monitoring services and environmental protection measures of the production line have lagged behind, and the gap with the international advanced level is even greater.

Specifically in:

(1) Violent competition Independent research and development capability is poor At present, China's man-made board machinery manufacturing industry has a business model of “strong imitation, incapable of innovation, small but complete, and scattered”. The domestic original man-machine board production line in the mid-1980s needs maintenance. And technology updates. However, due to price disputes and low profits, the vicious competition among the manufacturers of wood-based panel machinery has led to a low level of stand-alone machines. The economic and technological constraints have also resulted in a decrease in the technological level of stand-alone machinery and production lines for man-made boards, making it difficult to catch up with the world. Advanced level.

(2) Low degree of automation and numerical control The current level of mechanization, automation, and numerical control of wood-based panel production is becoming higher and higher, but the single-machine and production line of domestic-made wood-based panel machinery has a low starting point for automation and numerical control, and it is similar to foreign products. Compared with the large gaps, it is impossible to fully realize automated management, and it is even more difficult to achieve accurate processes and production, which greatly reduces the production capacity of mechanical equipment and thus seriously affects labor productivity, utilization of mechanical equipment, and product quality.

(3) Product design and production process disjoint In the production of artificial board, the machinery must meet the technological requirements, and the technology determines the level of mechanized strength. Some problems cannot be solved by machinery and can be solved by improving the process. However, in the domestic wood-based panel machinery plant, while studying the new products of the artificial panel machinery, there is a lack of understanding of the theory of the panel-making process of artificial panels. The products designed and manufactured cannot meet the requirements of the system in terms of structure, use adjustment, and automatic control. The requirements of the process, product development and technological transformation are out of step with the technological research. The backwardness of the process has also directly affected the innovative development of the wood-based panel mechanical products.

(4) "Big problems" with "big problems"

At present, the technical level of some electromechanical basic parts in China is still relatively backward, "run, run, leak" phenomenon is serious, especially hydraulic and pneumatic components, electrical components, valves, pipe joints, automatic control of primary and secondary instruments, deceleration, The reliability and service life of mechanical and electrical products such as transmissions have affected the improvement of the technical level of domestic-made panel machines in various degrees, which directly affects the labor productivity and product quality of the wood-based panel industry.

(5) Shortage of resources Lack of comprehensive utilization of wood The shortage of raw materials for man-made boards has led to low comprehensive utilization of wood resources. The high energy consumption of domestic man-made board machinery has severely restricted the development of the wood-based panel industry. Due to the low starting point and limited investment, dust, sewage, harmful volatiles, and noise generated in the production of wood-based panels from the process and equipment of domestic wood-based panel production lines are currently an urgent issue for the development of wood-based panel machinery manufacturing enterprises.

To develop sound and rapid measures to be adopted. Based on the absorption of advanced foreign experience, China's wood-based panel machinery industry should follow the road of self-development. We must adhere to the combination of independent innovation and technology introduction, and closely track the world's man-made board machinery and equipment manufacturing technology. The development trend, the introduction of technology and equipment as a new starting point for independent innovation, combined with national conditions to cultivate China's wood-based panel machinery's own brand and core competitiveness. China's wood-based panel machinery industry has developed a good and fast way to take measures:

(1) The combination of strengths and strengths should complement each other in a truly modern enterprise system. The establishment of two or three large-scale enterprise groups should be carried out in order to rapidly enhance the company’s ability to innovate and enhance its core competitiveness, improve its market financing capabilities, and consolidate domestic Markets, to seize the international market; to upgrade the technological upgrading of old companies to an important position, to improve product quality and maintain profitability through technological improvements to old companies and to strengthen modern technical services; to accurately position products, give full play to their own advantages, and expand Our own economic and technological forces, combined with the introduction of innovation and independent innovation, have changed and are committed to gradually solving problems existing in the wood-based panel machinery industry in China and producing high-quality brand-name products. For example, a combination of Shanghai's wood-based panel machinery plant and Austrian Kono company, Xinyang Woodworking Machinery Co., Ltd. and Yantai Wanhua listed company has made a useful attempt.

(2) Adhering to scientific and technological progress to follow the path of sustainable development We must strengthen our awareness and ability to keep pace with the development of advanced technologies in the world, and make great progress in auto control, monitoring services, energy utilization and environmental protection of domestic wood-based panel production lines. Establish a scientific concept of development, adhere to scientific and technological advancement, strengthen the automation and numerical control of stand-alone machinery and production lines, achieve accurate production, increase the labor productivity of all employees, improve the quality of wood-based panel machinery products, and strive to narrow the gap with advanced countries; Research and development and promotion of energy-saving equipment and technologies, wastewater treatment technologies and efficient dust removal devices, fully understand the constraints of wood resources on the production of wood-based panels in China, research and development of applicable biomass materials (crop stalks, etc.), shrubs, and forest areas. The use of wood-based panels for the use of materials and “secondary salary” materials resources will increase resource utilization and take the path of resource-saving, environment-friendly and sustainable development.

(3) Strengthen the combination of machinery and process technology to strengthen the research and development of host equipment and key process technologies. The man-made board machinery factory should cooperate with domestic universities, research institutes or set up a dedicated artificial board process research institution to strengthen the The study of wood-based panel technology has completely changed the current state of technological research and machinery development by improving the design and manufacture of machinery, focusing on the development of industrialized technology and equipment for the production of artificial panels with Chinese characteristics and independent intellectual property rights, and increasing the domestic market share; Enterprises should build high-level auxiliary equipment and key components with special features, produce related supporting products for large-scale auxiliary equipment, draw on the "Wenzhou Lighter" and "Qingdao Qianchuan" models, and diversify the production of external parts and components; use of various specialized plants. Advantages, to do a good job of each small parts, components, form a multi-batch, high-precision production, reduce the cost of machinery, improve the level of technology. For example, China has initially formed artificial auxiliary machinery (roller tables, silos) such as Harbin and Chaoyang, Liaoning Province; Kunshan's hot plate processing and other small-scale high-level processing and production groups, supporting large-scale production lines. If there are still more small businesses, making great efforts to develop small products and developing high-quality and high-level products will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the development of China's wood-based panel machinery.

(4) Strengthen international support to improve the overall level China's wood-based panel machinery manufacturing companies, in addition to improving the quality of their own processed parts, must also extensively develop international support, improve the intrinsic quality and reliability of domestically produced machinery, and increase the operating rate and products of the production line. Quality, effective occupation of small and medium-sized international markets; due to China's accession to the WTO, tariffs decline, which is conducive to the adoption of international large-scale methods to adopt the internationally-supported methods, and use foreign-level matching parts with the same level as foreign advanced wood-based panel machinery manufacturing enterprises. Machines, electronic control technology, hydraulic and pneumatic components, and on-line inspection equipment, together with high-level manufacturing and processing of professional spare parts, take advantage of low labor costs and management costs in China, and participate in competition at a low price; supporting the selection of foreign key equipment Improving the overall technology level of the wood-based panel production line, reducing equipment investment, promoting the upgrading of the wood-based panel industry, expanding the growth space of the wood-based panel industry, enhancing international competitiveness, and achieving high value-added development of the wood-based panel industry. For example, Shanghai Mfg. Co., Ltd. develops an MDF production line with an annual output of 80,000 cubic meters. The heavy group provides Russia's MDF production line, which is based on the selection of foreign equipment for key equipment such as hot mills and sanders, and provides production lines. This not only ensures the level of the production line, but also reduces the cost of the production line.

In short, based on the status quo of China's wood-based panel machinery industry, we must strive to surpass the world's advanced level, improve our independent innovation capacity and international competitiveness, and increase the production capacity of our wood-based panel machinery stand-alone machines and production equipment in the direction of artificial panels. Production process automation, numerical control, precise production quality, safe production operation, environmental protection of work environment, development of standardization of mechanical products, and our due contribution to the sound and rapid development of China's wood-based panel machinery industry .