Wood composite floor in Japan

The Japanese composite flooring industry and solid wood flooring industry differ in structure; manufacturers of composite flooring are very large companies located mostly on the main island of Honshu and close to the urban centres. Most of these companies do not have a background in wood products.The solid wood flooring industry consists of small manufacturers in northern Japan (Hokkaido and northern Honshu)who use local wood species and a small quantity of imported timber.The Japan Composite Flooring Industry Association and the Japan Solid Wood Flooring Industry Association represent interests of the Japanese manufacturers.

Wood composite floor in Japan

Overview on the Flooring Market

The main flooring materials used in Japan are wood flooring,carpet,vinyl,and tatami.Tatami mats are the traditional”flooring”made of rice straw.Tatami are in all rooms in traditional houses except for the kitchen.In modern homes tatami has been replaced by wood flooring,carpet and vinyl,although most detached houses built today have one or more traditional Japanese rooms with tatami(Fuyuki pers.com.).Wood flooring and tatami are found more often in detached houses,while the less expensive carpet and vinyl are used more frequently in collective housing(Yaguchi pers.com.).Due to health concerns,the use of carpet is decreasing and wood flooring is becoming increasingly popular in Japan(Cohen and Gaston 1998).Typical wood flooring systems consist of tongue-in-groove plywood overlaid with hardwood veneer rather than the tongue-in-groove hardwood strip flooring systems used in North America.

Wood plastic composite

The recent research work and development trends of wood fiber/plastics composites (WPC) were reviewed，the topics covered include pruceasing meihud，micro-foaming, alloy. and special behavfor of WPC. “hhe resin matrix used for WPC includes mainly polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride)，and polystyrene. “hhe trends of WI’C arc developing products with special function and high additional value, novel processing methods, and various surface treatment methods.

WPC contain wood fibers or other vegetable fiber -Dimensional type of material to fill and a composite material reinforced modified thermoplastics Expected, the main component of plastic and wood powder. Containing wood fiber Materials including waste wood powder, bamboo powder, sawdust, wood shavings and wood waste; Plant fiber crop straw, rice husks, peanut shells and a variety of stalk And so on. Thermoplastics are usually made ​​from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene (PS), both using the new material Recycled materials can be used, or both in order to solve the WPC materials Material processing to produce a good performance of WPC complex Composite materials products, usually in the process need to add some processing to help Agents, these additives improve WPC interface compatibility of the coupling agent or Capacity agent; In order to reduce the density of the material micro-foam for structural composites Foaming agent to help the foaming agent and nucleating agent; to improve the melt flow of plasticized Agents, lubricants; to help the wood powder dispersant; uniformly distributed in the plastic matrix to enhance the mechanical properties of impact modifier; given WPC Materials other features anti-UV absorbers, crosslinking agents, flame retardants, anti- Agents, coloring agents.

New materials as a cross between a wood and plastic, wood Composite material has a series of special performance is superior to wood and plastic: Secondary processing of wood appearance and similar wood, and water absorption of small, Afraid of insects, not like the wood like cracks and warpage; Thermoplastic processing, but the hardness than plastic high wear resistance, resistance to the old Aging, corrosion resistance. Plus various additives can be given more particularity Can: if not fungus, flame retardant, anti-acid and alkali. By adding coloring Agents, film or composite surface can be made with a variety of beautiful colors and patterns The products. Is particularly worth mentioning is that not only WPC Processing of raw materials can be recycled waste plastic and waste wood, and its own Also recyclable and reuse, reduce environmental pollution, to protect the significance of forest resources Significant.