We present to your attention the project "Production of laminate and woodworking".
The business plan is developed on the basis of the actual data of the operating enterprise.
Highly qualified employees with experience in the industry took part in the creation of the project.
The business plan complies with international and Russian standards (UNIDO, TACIS, EBRD, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Agriculture) and will adequately present your project in Russian and international banks, as well as government agencies at all levels.
If necessary, the specialists of our company will make adjustments to the financial calculations and the descriptive part of the project in a short time in order to ensure that the business plan fully complies with your parameters.
The project is provided in the format of working files, in which you can make changes yourself or by qualified employees: a financial model (based on Excel) and a Word (Powerpoint) file.
Main parameters of the project:
Quantitative indicators: Volume of production - 900 thousand sq.m. in year
Investment size:- in dollars 3 500 000
- in euros 2 911 407
- in rubles 99 970 967
Payback period of the project, years: 1,3
Basic document settings
- Number of pages - 43
- Number of charts - 17
- Number of tables - 19
1 PROJECT SUMMARY
1.1 Goals and objectives of the project
Project initiator: XXXXX. The initiator plans to register a company, which will subsequently buy out a 100% share of the already operating enterprise LLC "ХХХХХ" engaged in timber processing in the city of ХХХХХ.
The company plans to produce the following types of products:
- laminated parquet;
- furniture board;
- timber;
- skirting boards, platbands, boxes and other products.
In addition, within the framework of the project, it is planned to receive income from the sale of timber processing waste (trimmings, sawdust, shavings).
To achieve the set goals, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:
- attraction of investments;
- acquisition of an operating enterprise;
- acquisition of a new production line and other machines and equipment (enterprise development);
- launch of the technological line, debugging of business processes.
1.2 Project indicators
The economic efficiency of the project was confirmed by calculating the traditional financial indicators used in the project analysis.
The project calculation horizon is 60 months (5 years).
Table 1. Financial indicators of the project
| № | style="text-align:left;">Name of indicator | Indicator value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Project calculation horizon, years | 5 |
| 2 | Project calculation horizon, months | 60 |
| 3 | The amount of capital invested in the project (LDC), USD | 3 500 000 |
| 4 | Revenue for the project period (SP), USD | 33 235 316 |
| 5 | Net profit for the project period, USD | 12 568 074 |
| 6 | Average profitability for the project period | 37,8% |
| 7 | Discount rate (DR), % | 8,5% |
| 8 | Net present value (NPV), USD | 9 327 463 |
| 9 | Average rate of return on investment (ARR) | 71,8% |
| 10 | Return on invested capital | 359,1% |
| 11 | Profitability Index (PI) | 3,66 |
| 12 | Internal rate of return (IRR) | 326,0% |
| 13 | Modified ext. rate of return (MIRR) | 263,2% |
| 14 | Payback period (PBP), months | 15 |
| 15 | Payback period (PBP), years | 1,3 |
| 16 | Discounted payback period (DPBP), months | 16 |
| 17 | Discounted payback period (DPBP), years | 1,3 |
1 PROJECT SUMMARY
1.1 Goals and objectives of the project
1.2 Project indicators
2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
2.1 General description of the project
2.2 Description of the acquiree
General description of the plant
Product range
Technologies used
Plant equipment
2.3 Description of the laminate production line
general description
Products
Line placement requirements
Equipment list
3 OVERVIEW OF THE LAMINATE PARQUET MARKET IN RUSSIA
3.1 Main goals and objectives of the study
General provisions
Goals and objectives of the study
3.2 Types of parquet
3.3 Demand estimates
3.4 Import of laminated parquet to Russia
3.5 Production of laminated parquet in Russia
general review
XXXX
XXXX
XXXX
3.6 Russian companies selling parquet
3.7 Main manufacturers of laminated parquet abroad
4 INVESTMENT PLAN
5 ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN
5.1 Project management
5.2 Stages of project implementation
5.3 Day-to-day project management
6 PRODUCTION PLAN
6.1 Enterprise products
6.2 Design capacity of the plant
6.3 Structure of finished products and processing volumes
7 COMMERCIAL PLAN
7.1 Types of income received from the project
7.2 Pricing policy
7.3 Structure and volume of income
8 FINANCIAL PLAN
8.1 Conditions for attracting investment resources
8.2 Project income
8.3 Project costs
fixed costs
variable costs
Depreciation
taxes
8.4 Financial indicators of the project
9 PROJECT RISK ANALYSIS
9.1 Factors affecting the company's performance
9.2 Quantitative risk analysis
Sensitivity analysis
conclusions
10 DESCRIPTION OF THE CALCULATION
11 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
11.1 List of tables
11.2 List of figures
APPENDIX 1. SALES PLAN
APPENDIX 2. FINANCIAL RESULTS OF THE PROJECT
Cash flow plan (Cash Flow, BDDS)
Profit and loss plan (Statement of Earnings, Profit and Loss, BDR)
Forecast balance (Balance, Statement of Financial Position)
Calculation of payback and indicators of investment analysis
1 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
1.1 List of tables
Table 1. Financial and investment indicators of the project
Table 2. Investment budget
Table 3. Calendar and financial plan
Table 4. Staffing with salaries
Table 5. Production capacity of the plant
Table 6. Production plan
Table 7. Sales prices of the plant's products
Table 8. Structure of income by areas of activity for the project period
Table 9. Sales plan
Table 10. Loan attraction and repayment schedule
Table 11. Structure of income by areas of activity for the project period
Table 12. Fixed costs
Table 13. Variable costs
Table 14. Taxes
Table 15. Analysis of the cost structure (in relation to revenue)
Table 16. Indicators of investment analysis for the project
Table 17. The impact of changing individual parameters on project performance indicators
Table 18. Project sensitivity analysis
1.2 List of figures
Figure 1. Forecast of the dynamics of the total demand for laminated parquet in the Russian Federation
Figure 2. Producing country of laminated parquet imported for 8 months of XXXX, according to customs statistics
Figure 3. Structure of investment costs
Figure 4. Schedule for financing investment costs
Figure 5. Financing of investment costs on an accrual basis
Figure 6. Organizational structure of the company
Figure 7. Reaching design capacity (laminate production)
Figure 8. Growth in laminate production
Figure 9. Growth in output
Figure 10. Dynamics of sales proceeds and direct costs
Figure 11. Structure of revenue
Figure 12. Structure of fixed costs (to the total amount of fixed costs)
Figure 13. The ratio of fixed and variable costs
Figure 14. Structure of tax payments (over the project period)
Figure 15. Cost structure (in relation to sales revenue)
Figure 16. Cash flows for the project
Figure 17. Payback of the project
Attachments: from 10.2 million rubles
Payback: from 12 months
Among floor materials, laminate is very common today, despite the fact that self-leveling floors and cork are produced. It is the laminate that lies in 60% of offices, apartments and other premises. Why has it not lost its significance in 20 years? The answer is simple: properties, long service life, practicality, appearance elevate it against the background of other materials. Today we will analyze the organization of the production of laminate.
business concept
Before you take on this business idea, you need to understand that you will "fit" into the organization of the whole plant. There will be large investments, large areas, large equipment. Only with the help of impressive components can you achieve good results in this niche.
The whole business scheme in simple terms will sound like this: “We are looking for raw materials (wood), we produce laminate on our equipment in several stages, we sell the finished product either to retail chains, or we work directly with buyers.” It all sounds very simple, but in the very first stages of the launch, you will begin to understand that this is far from being the case. Since you will be establishing an entire manufacturing plant, this scheme will involve a whole staff of employees. They play the most important role in all business.
What is required for implementation?
Any large-scale business requires knowledge and skills. To enter into the production of laminate, first of all, you need to know the manufacturing technology in the smallest detail. This is the foundation on which the choice of equipment, the choice of raw materials and its supplier will be based. The main stages of production:
- production of wood fiber boards;
- impregnation of the upper layers with special substances;
- connection of 4 layers under the influence of presses and high temperature;
- board lining;
- slab cutting;
- milling.
For each stage, you will need to find equipment that costs a lot of money. In addition, you need to find a large room where all the equipment will be located, or you can resort to buying a woodworking plant. And another important skill that you need to have at the start is the ability to manage people, organize their work, be able to motivate and stimulate them. Under your care will be from 15 employees. These are the main provisions that should be a beacon when starting in a given niche.
Step by step start instructions
If there are many nuances, you cannot do without a step-by-step plan. It is very important to do everything step by step. So it will take less time to launch, many pitfalls will be left aside, and the nerves will be safer.
- Obtaining a permit to carry out entrepreneurial activities. At your discretion, an individual entrepreneur or LLC, each has its own advantages and disadvantages over the other. More often for large enterprises, people draw up an LLC.
- This flooring cannot be produced in any underground room. This needs a lot of space. It is worth focusing, first of all, on large-scale production. In our case, the area should be at least 2,000 square meters. Finding one won't be easy. But it is even more difficult to find a room of such an area outside the city limits. Our priority is production outside the city, so as not to disturb people. Otherwise, it will attract the attention of state bodies and various inspectors.
- Choice of equipment. There are 2 ways to develop here: either you buy new equipment, or look for a supported one. Our advice: only new equipment to avoid various problems in the future. The second task: to buy an automatic line or semi-automatic equipment for the production of laminate? In both cases, the cost is equally high. The main components are also similar and perform the same tasks: lamination; cut; milling; package; sometimes cooling is added after lamination. All machines will in any case be made to order. If you can find it in stock from any supplier, then transportation will take from 1 to 3 months.
- Wood supply. In order for the laminate to be of high quality, its components must meet the standards. For the production of laminate, entrepreneurs very often use raw materials from abroad. This is due to poor processing and storage of wood. Therefore, before starting production, you will need to travel to suppliers and independently assess the condition of the wood. You can buy a tree in its original form, or purchase directly to the machine.
- Staff. As we said, all the work will be done by employees with a team of 15 people. Everyone has their own task: working on machines, packing, packing, loading or working in a warehouse. Those who will work on the machines will need to be trained to work.
- Advertising and sale of goods. The best option is the Internet, because there you can find a lot of customer traffic. Your own website will help you with this. As for sales, you can work both in retail and wholesale deliveries. But it will be difficult to enter large retail chains.
Financial calculations
Start-up capital
The financial entry threshold is high, which immediately weeds out lovers of easy money. At the start, you will have to spend on:
- redemption of premises - from 3,000,000 rubles;
- repair, decoration of the premises - from 400,000 rubles;
- purchase of a line or machines - 6,000,000 rubles;
- search for suppliers, purchase of a test batch - from 500,000 rubles;
- IP registration - 4500 rubles;
- creation of information resources and search for clients - from 300,000 rubles.
As a result, the minimum amount for launch is 10.2 million rubles.
Monthly expenses
The easiest way to display monthly expenses is as a table:
Thus, the figure of monthly costs starts from 1,300,000 rubles.
How much can you earn?
It is impossible to talk about the exact number. In a month, such an enterprise can produce from 10,000 square meters of laminate. 1 meter on sale will cost an average of 250 rubles. Monthly revenue in this case will be from 2,500,000 rubles, of which 1 million is net profit. Then we can safely talk about the payback of the business after the first year of operation.
Risks and cons
The disadvantage of this niche is the high entry threshold. And such investments do not guarantee you income, because the competition is very high. There is a risk of remaining an unknown brand forever. It is worth developing and spreading a personal brand so that people know about it.
Raw materials can also let you down, so look for conscientious wood suppliers.
Outcome
To achieve a good result in the production of laminate, you must be a seasoned and skilled entrepreneur. Only a few will be able to fight high competition, the majority will receive a low income. Do you want to be at the top of the Olympus? Produce environmentally friendly, quality laminate. Then the client will be delighted!
Business in the production of laminate: how to open, succeed, and make a profit in this direction?
The most modern and convenient flooring material available in the segment is laminate, which is presented in the form of small sheets with spikes and grooves along the edges of the perimeter for connecting with each other. Due to the ease of installation, excellent technical characteristics and the average price range, it is becoming the most popular flooring.
The modern market of laminated coatings is represented by both domestic and foreign manufacturers. The competition between them is quite high, but despite this, there is still an opportunity to occupy free market segments by searching for some interesting and unexpected design solutions or their own pricing policy.
Profitability and financial aspects in the production of laminate.
According to preliminary estimates, the profitability of this kind of activity is quite high and reaches about 30-35%. A small plant is capable of producing up to 15 million square meters of laminate annually.
At the same time, the cost of the simplest production line will be about 20 million rubles. Now, to this amount, you need to add the cost of renting workshops and paying utility bills, obtaining permits and certification, salaries to staff, and the cost of raw materials. Do not forget to add another 30% to the resulting amount - these will be funds for unforeseen expenses. The amount is quite impressive, but this is not the main difficulty.
Difficulties faced by everyone who wants to open a laminate production
The main difficulty faced by entrepreneurs who decide to open such a serious business is the lack of high-quality raw materials that have to be purchased abroad. You can, of course, find domestic suppliers, but their raw materials will only be suitable for economy class laminate, and finding these suppliers is also a problem: there are not so many of them.
The next problem in organizing a business for the production of laminate flooring is the lack of norms and standards for the production of such materials in Russian legislation. Meanwhile, this issue is very acute, because the production technology involves the use of formaldehydes, which are part of chipboard boards. For this reason, businessmen have to focus on existing standards developed in other states.
Documents required to open a laminate production
In order for the business to begin to fully function, you need to take care of a package of permits in advance, the cost of which can reach up to several thousand dollars. In addition, it can take tens of months to obtain all permits and approvals. Here is a list of organizations you will need to apply to for permits:
- the mayor's office, its land allotment commission, its construction department;
- fire service, sanitary and epidemiological supervision;
- utilities (thermal, gas, water supply, electricians, signalmen).
After acceptance of the workshop into operation, you may also need permission from the labor protection services and the environmental department.
In order not to spend a lot of money and time on paperwork, you can immediately find a place for a workshop in an already finished woodworking workshop and place production in it.
Premises, equipment, raw materials for the production of laminate flooring
You should know that to launch a fully functioning plant, you will need a considerable area - about 2 - 2.5 thousand square meters. Moreover, this room should be dry, well ventilated and heated, because the laminate is a capricious material that does not like moisture. This must be taken into account in order to minimize the number of rejected products.
The equipment you need for production is a production line, which consists of a double-sided profile machine, automatic cleaning, packing machine, automatic feeding / loading and automatic stacking. In addition, you will probably need a forklift to move the product.
The main suppliers of technological lines for the production of laminate flooring are the following companies: Barberan (Spain), Bürkle (Germany), LEDINEK (Russia, Moscow) and others. The list of equipment suppliers is small. There are about 10-15 enterprises in total.
With suppliers of raw materials, things are a little worse. There are only four companies worthy of attention: Elesgo and Homanit (in Germany), Korostensky MDF Plant (Ukraine) and MDF Woodworking Complex (Russia, Tyumen Region).
Personnel required for the production of laminate
The issue of personnel is quite complicated, since it is rather difficult to find qualified personnel today. It is likely that you will have to select the most suitable candidates in order to further train them, because some of them will work with complex equipment.
First of all, you need to hire employees in your company who will service and control the entire process of equipment operation. It is difficult to give specific advice on the number of personnel - it is better to find out from the manufacturer of this equipment how many people are intended to work with the line.
In addition, it is important not to forget to hire an electrician for the repair and maintenance of particularly complex equipment.
Do not forget to organize a warehouse for finished products and take a person responsible for organizing its work. Such an employee can take on the responsibility of receiving, posting goods, issuing products to the buyer and maintaining records. In addition, he could combine these duties with those of a forklift driver.
Another important person on the staff of any manufacturing company is the purveyor.
Do not forget about account managers, as well as accountants. Instead of organizing an accounting department, you can contact any company that provides outsourcing services and conclude an agreement with them for accounting services. In some cases, this turns out to be cheaper than maintaining a staff of accountants.
Again, advice on headcount is difficult to give. You need to evaluate the performance of your enterprise in order to draw some specific conclusions. To begin with, you can hire a minimum of personnel, and then, focusing on the situation, get the missing number.
How to attract customers and increase sales
The easiest way to increase the sales of your own products is to develop your own dealer network. It is recommended to do this even during the organization of the production process, since due to the high competition in this flooring segment, it can take a long time to find distribution channels.
Main distribution channels there may be various hypermarkets that rent their retail space to manufacturers and wholesalers with their own building materials stores. This method of marketing products has its pros and cons.
There is a big risk that your quality product may be lost in a huge variety of competitors' products, but on the other hand, this may be the only opportunity to sell products, especially when the company is young. Here it is important to communicate as closely as possible with wholesalers, who, as a rule, prefer inexpensive goods.
Another method, but it is less effective than the previous one, is mailings, personal meetings of sales managers, “hot” calls, and so on.
Another way to express yourself and your products is to participate in various exhibitions, which not only allow you to acquaint consumers with your products, but also allow you to conclude profitable contracts for the supply of your goods.
Another way is to install various advertising stands and pavement signs in crowded places.
There are, of course, other ways. For example, you can integrate your business into social networks by creating a group and gaining a large number of subscribers - your potential audience. And with the help of various posts to report on your news and thus form a positive opinion about you. This method can be both very effective and failure. Most importantly, it requires a competent approach and the work of a highly qualified specialist.
In order for your laminate flooring business to be profitable, it is not enough just to start it in production and recruit staff. Here an important role is played by market analysis and identification of the needs of your potential consumers, as well as a competent pricing policy.
But the most important thing is clearly and well-thought-out marketing moves and a good business plan, and the rest will follow.
designed to protect against external influences.
This is a special paper that imitates the structure and color of various tree species or ceramic tiles.
Laminate base, high density fibreboard.
designed to protect the HDF board from deformation and protect the laminate from moisture.
With the help of these locks, the laminate panels are tightly fastened together without the use of glue.
From HDF board with impregnation of the upper layers, this is a process consisting of the following steps:
plate lining;
cutting and milling panels;
package.
Impregnation is the impregnation of a material with special compounds. The upper layers of the laminate are impregnated with resins with various additives, which form a durable layer when cured. The strength and wear resistance of the top layer of the laminate, and hence its class, depend on the formulation of the impregnation compositions. Basically, laminate manufacturers do not impregnate the top layers, but buy them ready-made.
manufactures direct compression laminate DPL. With DPL technology, all layers of the laminate are simultaneously pressed at high temperature. This technology of laminate production does not use glue, since layers that have undergone an impregnation process are used, which, when hot pressed (up to 200 ° C), melt and glue the surfaces. After curing, the resin and overlay become a monolithic surface layer of the laminate.
To obtain a laminated board, it is necessary to cover the HDF board with paper-resin films and an overlay.
The last important stage of production is the manufacture of a laminate of the required size. With the help of sawing equipment for laminate, laminate sheets are cut to the required dimensions. Each laminate manufacturer has their own laminate sizes. After cutting into plates, with the help of milling equipment, a tenon and a groove are cut out of the edges of the laminate. Modern HDF boards allow you to cut a tongue and groove of a certain profile, which are called laminate locks. With the help of these locks, the laminate panels are tightly fastened together without the use of glue. The quality, strength and tightness of the connection of laminate panels depends on the quality of the laminate lock and the strength of the HDF sheet.
There is a packaging in a thermoshrinkable polyethylene (PE) film of the finished laminate.
Comprises:
1. ZYX1400 laminating machine; ZYX1600.
2. Laminate sawing machines DP-2700.
3. Line for milling a click lock on FHZ525+FHH625 laminate.
4. TS-200 laminate packing machine.
The productivity of the line per shift (8 hours) is: 700 m2. Required area of the workshop (without a warehouse for finished products): 450 m2.
Automatic consists of the following main units:
1. .
2. Fan cooling line.
3. Laminate sawing line.
4. Laminate lock milling line.
5. Packing line for laminate flooring.
Line capacity per shift (8 hours) is: 1000 m2. Required area of the workshop (without a warehouse for finished products): 900 m2.
It is used in the production of laminate. manufactured for different sizes of HDF boards: 2800×2070 mm, 2440×1220 mm, 2440×2070 mm, 2620×2070 mm. High pressure presses "ZYX" have different productivity and pressing force, they are supplied with infeed and outfeed tables.
| Total pressure (t) | 1400 | 1600 |
| Specific pressure (kg/cm2) | 27,4 | 27,4 |
| Cylinder arrangement |
upper | upper |
| Hydraulic cylinder diameter (mm) |
340 | 380 |
| Number of hydraulic cylinders (pcs) |
6 | 6 |
| Productivity (pcs/day) | 1200 |
1200 |
| Plate size (mm) |
2440x1220 |
2620x2070 |
| Maximum plate opening (mm) | 200 |
200 |
| Boiler power (KW) | 31 | 31 |
| Overall dimensions, mm) | 3300x2000x3500 | 3700x2200x3500 |
| Machine weight (kg) | 17000 | 20000 |
Designed for transverse sawing of laminate to the required dimensions. Each manufacturer has its own dimensions of the laminate.
| Maximum slab width (mm) |
2700 |
| Maximum cutting height (mm) | 30 |
| Saw diameter (mm) |
180-250 |
| Landing diameter of saws (mm) |
75 |
| Saw speed (rpm) |
2500 |
| Total Power (KW) | 23,7 |
| Feeding speed (m/min) |
3-15 |
| Overall dimensions, mm) | 2000x3300x1350 |
| Machine weight (kg) | 3450 |
Designed for longitudinal sawing of the laminate to the required dimensions for subsequent milling of the laminate.
| Maximum slab width (mm) | 1250 |
| Cutting Height (mm) | 6-20 |
| Saw diameter (mm) | 300 |
| Landing diameter of saws (mm) | 80 |
| Saw speed (rpm) | 2900 |
| Feeding power (KW) | 1,1 |
| Main engine power (KW) | 15 |
| Feeding speed (m/min) | 10-40 |
| Overall dimensions, mm) | 1350x1200x1350 |
| Machine weight (kg) | 600 |
The automatic high-speed line is intended for production of the lock (Click) on a laminate. It is equipped with additional cutting spindles, which eliminates chips along the entire perimeter of the workpiece and guarantees the high quality of the finished product. The working surface of the table is equipped with hard-alloy plates, which ensures the durability of the equipment and reduces wear on the table surface. The receiving table is equipped with an automatic workpiece feeder to increase the feed rate up to 80 m/min.
 |
High torque German SEW electric motor with built-in industrial PID feed controller, achieving high feed speed of 80 m/min. |
 |
V-HOLD designed precision linear guides with carbide inserts for high speed feeds (increase wear resistance and reduce friction on the table). |
 |
Control system - SIEMENS with a multifunctional and intuitive interface, ease of management and configuration. |
 |
French air preparation system Legris. |
 |
supply of diamond tools. |
 |
Input material size control for safe operation. |
 |
High pressure air blower system that removes dust and chips from the rails and table. |
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Thickness control of the workpiece on the tenon cutter. |
 |
Table cover hardness HV-700-1000, hardness level YG8. |
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Patented vertical spindles for precision milling of parts. |
 |
Dustproof inverters from SIEMENS. |
 |
The combined feed system evenly distributes pressure over the entire area of the workpiece being machined. |
| Specifications | |
| Feeding speed (m/min) | 20-80 |
| 0,75 | |
| Dimensions (mm) | 3100x600x1400 |
| Maximum processing width (mm) | 250 |
| Minimum processing width (mm) | 95 |
| Feeding speed (m/min) | 20-80 |
| Feed drive power (KW) | 9 |
| 6000-8000 | |
| 6x8KW | |
| 4x6.5 kW | |
| 1,5 | |
| Spindle diameter (mm) | 40 |
| 280 | |
| 120 | |
| Total Power (KW) | 83 |
| Feeding speed (m/min) | 20-80 |
| Total Power (KW) | 2 |
| Dimensions (mm) | 2880x600x1400 |
| Maximum workpiece length (mm) | 2500 |
| Minimum workpiece length (mm) | 400 |
| Feeding speed (m/min) | 10-60 |
| Feed drive power (KW) | 5,5 |
| Spindle speed (rpm) | 6000-8000 |
| Power of vertical spindles | 6x6.5 kW |
| Finishing spindle power "Click" | 4x6.5 kW |
| Width adjustment motor power (KW) | 1,5 |
| Spindle diameter (mm) | 40 |
| Tool diameter on spindles (mm) | 220-250 |
| Suction nozzle diameter (mm) | 120 |
| Total Power (KW) | 92,6 |
It is intended for semi-automatic packaging in a thermoshrinkable PE film of a finished laminate.
The creation of laminate dates back to the late 70s of the last century. The first flooring material that vaguely resembled a modern laminate was created by the Perstorp company from Sweden. This company was engaged in the development of various materials for construction work and was quite popular throughout Europe. The new material is called laminated plastic, which means laminated plastic. The first development consisted of only two parts. From above, the material was processed with melamine resin, which helped to recreate the decorative layer, and from below, phenolic resins took part in the production. Layers were connected at once in several ways. Impregnation with thermosetting glue was not enough, and the creators began to use pressing under the influence of high temperatures. Laminate, as we are used to seeing it, appeared only a decade later. The author of the global revision of the material was the German company Horniteks. This company has applied a completely new technological approach and equipment for the production of a new type of laminate and has managed to create a laminate flooring with unique properties. There were now four layers instead of two. Foil impregnated in phenolic and melamine resins was introduced into the composition.
From a technical point of view, laminate is just the top layer of laminate flooring, but we will use the common word laminate to refer to laminate flooring as a whole.
Laminate production is a complex multi-stage process, because laminate is a multilayer product, each layer of which is made of different materials and performs its function. The laminate consists of four main layers, due to which the laminate has wear resistance and strength. In turn, to give the laminate greater strength, or other characteristics, various laminate manufacturers use more layers for manufacturing. But fundamentally, the remaining layers only complement the existing four layers.
Laminate device
- The top layer or overlay (from the English overlay - the top layer) is designed to protect against external influences: mechanical damage, abrasion, pollution, moisture, chemicals and sunlight. It is a special transparent, high-strength resin film, the very "lamination" that gave the name to the whole product. The quality of the laminate depends on the quality of the overlay. The overlay may also contain transparent corundum particles, which give the top coat additional strength.
- The decorative layer is a special paper or furniture foil that imitates the structure and color of various tree species, ceramic tiles or other materials. The quality of this layer is such that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish laminate from natural wood products. In some more expensive brands of laminate, the first two layers are replaced with designer vinyl. The total thickness of all upper layers can be from 0.2mm to 0.9mm.
- The middle layer is the basis of the laminate. The base is made of HDF (High Density Fiber board) - high density fibreboard, which makes the laminate extremely strong. The middle layer can also be made of plastic to create a waterproof laminate. The density and base material significantly affect the quality of the laminate, since their technical characteristics depend on: strength, rigidity, moisture resistance and invariance of the geometric parameters of the laminate.
- The bottom layer, the so-called stabilizing layer, is a resin impregnated or waxed paper, the purpose of which is to protect the HDF board from deformation and protect the laminate from moisture. Sometimes paper is replaced with a layer of plastic. The thickness of the bottom layer ranges from 0.1mm to 0.8mm.
Laminate production technology
Making a laminate is a complex process consisting of the following steps:
- production of high density fibreboard;
- impregnation of the upper layers;
- plate lining;
- sawing and milling panels;
- package.
High Density Fiberboard Manufacturing
The basis of the laminate is HDF (High Density Fiber board) - this is a high-density fiberboard (fibreboard) (from 880 kg / m3). The higher the density of the produced board, the higher the moisture resistance and mechanical strength of the laminate. The thickness of the HDF board used for the manufacture of laminate can be from 5.8 mm to 12.1 mm.
The raw material for the production of HDF board is wood, which is cleaned of bark, after which, using special machines, it is chopped into chips. Then it is washed to get rid of foreign matter (dirt, sand, etc.). After washing, the chips are heated with steam in special bunkers to a temperature of 165 - 175°C. This is done to soften the chips. After heating, the chips become very plastic, which allows them to be crushed into fibers. Various additives and binders are added to the wood pulp crushed into fibers: resins, antiseptics, paraffin, etc. After that, the fibrous mass is subjected to drying in a dryer, at the outlet of which the moisture content of the mass should not exceed 9%.
With the help of special aggregates, the fibers are evenly distributed over the set height and width of the conveyor in a continuous carpet. After that, the carpet is subjected to preliminary pressing, during which air is squeezed out of the carpet, and its thickness is reduced up to 7 times. After pre-pressing, the carpet takes the form of a slab. After that, the plate is subjected to the main pressing.
Moving further along the conveyor, after pressing, a continuous tape of pressed fiber is cut in width and length to the required dimensions. After that, the plates are cooled in a special cooler for 20-25 minutes. After that, the plates are temporarily stored in piles.
The next step after pressing the board is the process of grinding and grading the finished HDF board. With the help of special machines, the plates are made perfectly even and uniform in thickness.
In order to make the slab of the future laminate moisture resistant, some manufacturers completely impregnate the finished HDF slab with moisture repellents.
Upper layers impregnation
Impregnation is the impregnation of a material with special compounds. The upper layers of the laminate are impregnated with resins with various additives, which form a durable layer when cured. The strength and wear resistance of the top layer of the laminate, and hence its class, depend on the formulation of the impregnating compositions. In some cases, particles of corundum are added to the impregnation, which increases the wear resistance of the laminate.
The process of impregnation of the upper layers of the laminate consists in the fact that through a system of shafts, paper from rolls or overlay, passing through baths filled with resins with various additives, is impregnated with a solution, after which it enters the drying chamber. Thus, the upper layers are impregnated with resins that melt when heated.
Many laminate manufacturers do not impregnate the top layers, but buy them ready-made.
Slab cladding
To obtain a laminated board, it is necessary to cover the HDF board with paper-resin films and an overlay. To do this, there are many ways to produce laminate: HPL (High Pressure Laminate) - high pressure laminate; CPL (Continuous Pressure Laminate) - assembly line laminate; DPL (Direct Pressure Laminate) - direct pressing laminate; CML (Continuous Multilayer Laminate) or RML (Reinforced Multilayer Laminate) - continuous multilayer pressing laminate; PDL (Printed Decor Laminate) - technology for printing a picture; ELESGO (ELEktronen Strahl Gehaertete Oberflache) is an electron beam surface hardening method.
HPL and CPL technologies
HPL technology is the very first laminate production technology. HPL technology is a laminating process - gluing two materials together with glue. There are three types of laminating: cold, warm and hot. The most common is hot lamination technology, since the quality of gluing is much better.
With HPL technology, the laminating process begins with cleaning the surfaces to be glued from dust. After that, a hardener and glue are applied to the surface in an even layer. Next, the two surfaces to be glued, at a temperature of about 200°C, are pressed together at high pressure (up to 300 MPa).
HPL technology is a two-stage process performed by laminating. At the first stage, the overlay and the decorative layer are glued together. Top layers can be used, both impregnated and not. If the layers have gone through the process of impregnation, that is, they have already been impregnated with glue and dried, then no glue is applied, and the layers are immediately pressed. During the pressing process, at high temperature, the adhesive melts and sticks together the surfaces. At the second stage, to obtain a laminate, three materials are glued together at once: the resulting combined top coating, base and bottom layer.
One variation of the HPL technology is the CPL technology, which uses conveyor presses. With this technology, passing through rollers-presses heated to 200°C, the top layer is rolled to the plate. When using two or more upper layers, and as a rule this is the case, these layers are glued together in the same way, and only then they are rolled to the HDF plate.
DPL and CML technologies
The most common laminate manufacturing technology is DPL technology. With DPL technology, all layers of the laminate are pressed simultaneously, at high temperature. This laminate production technology does not use glue, since layers that have undergone an impregnation process are used, that is, impregnated with incompletely cured melamine-containing resin, which melts when hot pressed (up to 200 ° C) and glues the surfaces. After curing, the resin and overlay become a monolithic surface layer of the laminate.
Some laminate manufacturers add several layers of kraft paper between the decorative layer and the base. This gives additional strength and hardness to the laminate panel. At the same time, the quality of the laminate improves, but the price also increases. This type of DPL technology, with the use of additional layers, is called CML or RML technology.
PDL technology
With PDL technology, the decorative pattern is applied directly to the HDF board. Thus, there is no need to use an additional decorative layer of paper. All other stages of production are carried out using DPL technology.
Technology ELESGO
ELESGO technology (ELEktronen Strahl Gehaertete Oberflache) consists in a special production of the top layer of the laminate. The top layer is made by hardening the surface under the influence of an electron beam, and not with the help of presses and high temperatures. The essential difference is that instead of melamine resins, acrylate resins are used.
The top layer of the laminate, with Elesgo technology, consists of three layers. To make the top layer of the laminate, the decorative layer (patterned paper) is covered with two layers of overlay, impregnated with an acrylate resin composition and mineral particles (corundum), which give the surface resistance to abrasion and scratches. After that, this three-layer sandwich is subjected to electron beam irradiation, under the influence of which, the layers harden and form a high-strength elastic film.
A thermoset adhesive is applied to the HDF board from above and below, and with the help of a press, at a temperature of 200 ° C, all three layers of the laminate (top, base, bottom) are pressed.
The advantages of this method are that solvents are not used, which means that the laminate is more environmentally friendly. In addition, the acrylate resin is anti-static and more transparent, which provides better visibility of the decorative layer.
Practically, in all production technologies, it is possible to produce both a smooth and structural laminate surface. The structure or smoothness of the surface is achieved by pressing the top layer. When pressing, the part of the adhesive that is on top of the overlay takes on the structure of the surface of the press plates. Thus, by changing the plates of the press, it is possible to obtain panels with different surfaces. When making a structural laminate surface, it is important that the structure of the press plate matches the design on the decorative paper, and where the knot is drawn, there should be a relief of the knot.
More and more manufacturers in the production of laminate use an additional sound-absorbing layer on the underside of the panel. This layer prevents sound from spreading through your apartment. Different laminate manufacturers use different materials as a soundproofing layer. Very often, cork is used as a soundproofing layer.
Sawing and milling panels
The last important stage of production is the manufacture of a laminate of the required size. With the help of sawing equipment for laminate, laminate sheets are cut into the required dimensions. Each laminate manufacturer has their own laminate sizes. After cutting into plates, with the help of milling equipment, a spike and a groove are cut out of the edges of the laminate, with which they are fastened together. Modern HDF boards allow you to cut a tongue and groove of a certain profile, which are called laminate locks. With the help of these locks, the laminate panels are tightly fastened together without the use of glue. The quality, strength and tightness of the connection of laminate panels depends on the quality of the laminate lock and the strength of the HDF sheet. Some manufacturers make laminate locks using metal or rubber inserts.
In some cases, after milling, the edges of the laminate are coated with wax compounds to protect them from moisture penetration.
After that, the surface of the laminate is cleaned and packed on special equipment.
The laminate industry is still developing. Development is proceeding in several directions, such as:
- improvement of the production process;
- technical improvement of laminate panels (laminate locks, sound absorption, strength increase, laminate quality improvement, laminate water resistance, etc.);
- expansion of design refinements (colors, surface structure, shape of the laminate panel and others).
Laminate cleaning and care
Whatever class the selected coating corresponds to, whatever properties the manufacturers endow it with, improper cleaning and maintenance can significantly reduce the service life and nullify all the positive properties. The basis for the manufacture of laminate flooring is wood, which is 90% of its component. From prolonged exposure to moisture, this coating can swell, changing its structure. For the proper care of the laminate, it is enough to follow some simple rules.
For regular, planned cleaning, laminate flooring is enough to be vacuumed. Dirt that has stuck to the floor can be easily removed with a damp, well-wrung rag, with a minimal addition of vinegar. More persistent pollution can be removed using special tools. After cleaning, the floor must be wiped with a damp cloth. For a longer life of the top flooring, try not to use detergents that contain solid particles. When transporting furniture, lift it off the floor, dragging it can damage the coating. If possible, try to use floor protection materials on the legs of chairs and tables. When cleaning with water or other solutions based on it, remember that moisture should not be absorbed into the floor.
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