WPC - wood-plastic composite material with good outdoor resistance

I know, it's not wood, and many of you probably don't like it. Yet it has wood in its composition, even if it's all waste. The fact that wood gets to be used down to the last speck of dust is a good thing and we should have more and more of it to turn waste into useful material. That's why I'm going to tell you more about Wood Plastic Composite, or WPC: what it is, where it can be used, the advantages of using it and the disadvantages you may encounter.

What is Wood Plastic Composite

It is a hybrid material created from the combination of wood fibres or dust (wood waste) and various plastics. Several types of plastics are used, each resulting in materials with different properties. The most commonly used plastics are polyethylene, polypropylene, high or low pressure polyethylene, PVC, etc.

Attempts at combinations of plastics and wood have been around since the advent of the plastics industry, but materials such as WPC and the development of this branch of industry has taken place over the last 20-25 years. The first notable attempts were made in Italy in 1972 for Fiat car components and in Sweden in 1973 when the first PVC and wood fibre floor panels were produced.

As a composite material, WPC combines the qualities of both materials, but unfortunately also takes from their weaknesses. Interestingly, even at a percentage of 70% wood in the composition, the properties of the new material are more similar to plastic. The product loses some of the strength and stiffness of wood and becomes temperature dependent, like plastic.

He is now considered the best and most promising replacement for the tackle.

How to get. Properties

How to get it is simple. The two components are mixed, the temperature is raised so that the plastic becomes soft and easy to process. The whole mixture is then processed by extrusion, i.e. it is passed under pressure through a die to give it a certain shape. The best known of these is that board used in decking that looks like a milled wooden plank.

The new material is much more resistant to moisture and weathering than wood. It is also more resistant to rot, decay and insect attack. Unlike wood, it is thermoplastic and can be moulded, bent or twisted very easily and without the risk of cracking. Due to the additives incorporated it is more fire resistant than wood, except that it becomes soft at higher temperatures (thermoplastic).

It is lighter compared to a solid piece of wood of the same size.

Where to use

Because of its properties it has many uses, but it is mostly used for outdoor applications where resistance to moisture and weathering is very important. WPC panels are used for decking and garden landscaping, garden furniture, house cladding, for making fences.

The same increased outdoor resistance has led to its introduction into the door and door manufacturing industry. window. The combination is more durable than plastic or PVC, with window frames holding up much better over time.

The ease of processing and the possibility of being obtained in various colours and patterns made it a suitable material for interior floors, even for furniture and interior cladding. Variants with increased mechanical strength are used for kitchen worktops.

It can be used to obtain pallets or cable ducts.

Advantages and disadvantages

I have attempted a comparison between wood and WPC, even though many of you will say that wood cannot be compared to any derived material. I don't want to argue with you because I like wood a lot too. It's just that there are situations when it is more appropriate to use a derived material, leaving wood for uses that make it stand out more.

The main advantages of WPC panels are:

• increased resistance to moisture and weathering
• there is no risk of cracking
• highly resistant to attack by insects and algae and marine organisms
• increased fire resistance (some variants are even flame retardant)
• can be easily machined with the same tools and machinery as used for woodworking
• is lighter than wood
• easy to maintain and clean

Their use also has some disadvantages:

• it is not wood - it lacks the beauty, warmth and originality of wood
• like any plastic, ages over time. Depending on the plastic used, it will last for a shorter or longer period, but at some point it will still lose its properties.
• its temperature dependence makes it behave like a thermoplastic material that becomes soft at high temperatures
• high-strength materials can be priced at a premium
• after use it becomes a more difficult waste to recover than the separate components

I know, wood is perfect. But even such materials should not be ignored

Wood is a great material and that's why it should be used to achieve great things. In addition, we should try to recover all waste and make new materials out of it that can be used, not burnt.

WPC is not wood and will never have the warmth and beauty of wood. But it can be used where the difference between it and wood is not so visible. Decks, house cladding, fences weather better if they are made of WPC and an outsider will never see the difference.

In addition, the idea of obtaining a useful product using waste from two sources is commendable. Unfortunately the new product also comes with the problem of waste recovery, being more difficult to recover than each individual component. However, unlike materials such as concrete, it can be reused to make other composite materials based on wood and plastic.

It is also good to look at the use of these derived materials as a way of protecting the wood that we use only when its uniqueness will not go unnoticed.