Influence of hot pressing technological parameters on plywood bending properties

Different types of wood are used to manufacture of various wood products. In direct production processes, additional resources such as energy, adhesives, labor, etc. are also used. In line with sustainable environmental policies, all resources must be used more rationally, while simultaneously increasing the efficiency of the direct production processes. This research examined whether it is possible to reduce energy and labor resources in the technological process of hot pressing of birch plywood (nominal thickness 9 mm), by varying the holding time under pressure, pressure, and adhesive consumption. The Box-Behnken experimental design for a multifactor experiment was used to investigate the influence of technological parameters of plywood pressing. The highest strength in static bending both parallel and perpendicular to the plywood grain was achieved by pressing plywood with the following gluing parameters: highest pressing pressure, 3.2 MPa; minimal holding time under pressure, 9 minutes; and average phenol-formaldehyde adhesive consumption 150 grams per square meter.