Freudenberg Group is a family-owned business with a 175-year history. With more than 8 Business groups Freudenberg has Global presence in more than 50 countries, with business groups focused on multiple business sectors. Chem-Trend stands tall as an integral part of the Freudenberg Group. Chem-Trend is a leading international supplier of speciality chemicals for the Rubber, Tire, Polyurethane, Thermoplastics, Die Cast and Wood Composites sectors. With its acquisition of Deurowood, it now offers a broad portfolio of high-performing process chemical specialties and additives designed for various engineered-wood applications. Dhananjay Sardeshpande spoke with Dr. Gunther Tappeiner, Managing Director of Deurowood, Rajesh Phadke, Vice-President and General Manager, Chem-Trend India, and Avrojyoti De, Technical Sales Manager, Deurowood, about the market trends and technological processes for wood-based panel production and lamination in India. Excerpts:

Freudenberg Chemical Specialties production facility in Mysuru. FCS includes independently operating companies of Chem-Trend, Klüber Lubrication, SurTec, OKS and CAPOL.

What is the market size for wood-based laminated panels/ boards in India? How has it changed over the past decade?

Gunther: Over the last 10 years the wood-based panel board industry in India has shifted from a fractured market towards more efficient and industrialized production. We are seeing a lot of investments in state-of-the-art wood panel board production plants.

India is the fastest growing market globally. We expect India’s capacity for particle board (PB) and medium-density fibre board (MDF) to grow by 1.4 million cubic metres and 2.2 million cubic metres respectively until the year 2028. The low-pressure (LPL) and high-pressure laminates (HPL) market is also growing, but at a slower pace. 

What is the size and footprint of laminated board production in India?

Avrojyoti: Relative to other markets in the world, the laminated board market in India still small compared to its population. The increase of disposable income in India and the trend of urbanisation will increase the demand for furniture, flooring, etc.

Wood is a renewable material and, compared to other materials, does not cause CO2 emissions. Laminated engineered wood panels are very efficient and environmentally friendly. High efficiency production chains and a long-term perspective will be key for a successful business and market development.

What are the industry trends in India, with reference to the acceptance and use of laminated wood composite panels/ boards?

Rajesh: Laminated wood panels can be used everywhere in construction and interior fittings, including furniture, wall cladding, flooring, etc. Modern laminates can simulate real wood surfaces, besides offering many other colour, design and surface options.

While HPL surfaces played a dominant role as decorative surface materials for engineered wood panels in India, the industry now starting to invest more into efficient production of LPLs. It will be followed by more efficient lamination processes.

Could you describe the process of manufacturing wood composite boards/ panels and their lamination?

Rajesh: In the production of PB the larger wood chips (1-2 cm long) are used in the core of the board to provide strength. At the top and bottom surface are smaller sized particles (2-4 mm) which provide a fine surface for efficient decorative surface material.

For MDF the wood chips are cooked with high pressure water to soften them before they are milled in machines called refiners. The fibre length and diameter are adjustable. These fibres are then used homogeneously for the whole board.

For both types of boards amino resins are used to bind the wood chips and fibres together. The glue application varies between PB and MDF. Machines with top and bottom steel belts are fed with a consistent flow of glued chips and fibres, making an endless stream of board.

Boards are then cut out, sanded on both surfaces, and are ready to be laminated. The board is called the substrate, which can be laminated with a decorative surface.

In both types of boards, the outer surface material is a melamine resin-impregnated decorative paper. The resin protects the decorative design from wearing out. This melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin is one of the hardest and most durable organic resins. It is easy to keep clean too and is very cost-effective.

HPL is a fully cured laminate 0.2-2-mm-thick which needs to be produced and glued to the board in two separate production steps. Its high density makes it highly durable for mechanical wear, such as in worktops and other horizontal used boards.

LPL is a far more efficient surface process. A thin decorative paper (60-120 gm/m²) is impregnated with the resin. The production of this pre-lam (impregnated paper) is like how HPL impregnated paper is made. But, instead of having a separate process of laminating/ producing of HPL, the impregnated paper is directly laminated on the board surface.

In one pressing, the paper glues to the board, increases inner bond in the paper and seals the surface for high chemical and mechanical wear. No additional glue application is needed. This process is more efficient, and material costs are much lower.

Such laminated boards are used mainly for vertical use and other purposes with normal demand on mechanical wear resistance. For higher wear resistance, it is possible to laminate a protective, transparent MF overlay paper together with the décor paper.

Could you briefly describe Chem-Trend’s history, the company’s products and their applications?

Rajesh: It started small. Peer Lorentzen, a chemical engineer, aided by his wife Birgit, a chemist herself, experimented with the development of release agents for polyurethane foam in the kitchen of their home, in Howell, Michigan, USA. Thus began the story of Chem-Trend, more than 60 years ago.

Today, Chem-Trend has a wide range of products for different industries, with several production sites across the globe, with more than 700 employees. We are part of a much bigger family-owned company called Freudenberg, with headquarters in Germany.

Chem-Trend expanded it business with the acquisition of Deurowood GmbH in Austria 3 years ago. Both companies are specialists in board lamination. The recent addition of the Hiperadd line of additives acquired from Chemisol Italia S.r.l. to the Deurowood family of products strengthens opportunities and expands geographic reach to better serve the global paper impregnation and wood composites industry.

Could you tell us about Deurowood products and their applications?

Avrojyoti: Deurowood provides technical expertise and chemicals which are needed for the efficient process of board production and the impregnation/ lamination process, as well as chemicals which improve the laminated board surface.

We have solutions to reduce the emission of formaldehyde. We also have board release agents to increase the utilisation of presses and improve surface quality.

In the paper impregnation process several chemicals are needed to improve the saturation of the paper, latent catalyst to cure the resin at the desired press time and temperature, release agents and additives to prevent dust and paper to stick to each other.

We also manufacture and supply additives to improve the final surface: gloss enhancers, flare resistance, and anti-bacterial properties. We offer more sophisticated molecules to increase flexibility without compromises.

Modern impregnation lines and lamination presses work at high speeds and accuracy. How are Deurowood’s chemicals able to keep pace with the production process?

Avrojyoti: This is our specialty, it is what defines us, and this is why I talk about efficiency being important. Our customers are impregnating décor papers with MF resin at up to 80 metres per minute, some even faster. Resin must penetrate the paper very fast, and the coating of resin on the paper must be perfect, without creating dust or being too smooth.

For efficient lamination the press time is important. There are continuous lamination process and cycled lamination processes. State-of-the-art cycle presses making more than 220 cycles per hour, up to two boards with one cycle, top and bottom surface. The press time is here below 15 seconds.

For continuous lamination the press time is lower than 5 seconds. For such efficient processes it is important to cure the resin with sophisticated catalysts, providing sufficient resin flow for high transparency and a closed or sealed surface. Fast cure without compromising shelf life of the resin before lamination is vital too.

Many of our customers have press times below 8 seconds. We have several customers producing on this level, and we support them with our service. Our target is to find a solution for our customer issues in a short time without endless trials and errors. This not only increases production efficiency and paper shelf life but also provides a win win scenario for efficient lamination production.

How safe and sustainable are the chemicals used in Deurowood products?

Gunther: Our main certification is our reputation in the market, the trust of our customers. We have been supplying all major producers in the Western world with the highest standards for more than 20 years.

All our products are water based, APEO-free and free of flouro carbons.  We are, of course certified also to ISO 9001 (quality management systems), ISO 14001 (environmental management systems), and ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management systems).

What is the USP of Deurowood products

Gunther: Deurowood is committed to providing high-performing process chemical specialties and additives designed for various engineered-wood applications. Without compromise, our customers can rely on our consistent high-quality standards.

The USP of Deurowood is our dedicated customer service of hands-on experienced technical experts. Our local support together with our technical expert service is very important to us and for our customers.

We make a lot of effort to visit our customers to understand local circumstances to provide the right products for the needs of our customers. We also make sure our products are used in the right way.

Could you elaborate on the India setup of Chem-Trend?

Rajesh: We are a Global organization with a local presence in several countries. The headquarters of Deurowood is in Hard, Austria, close to the Swiss-German border. All products for impregnation and lamination are engineered and produced there.

We have recently started production of additives in North America and China. We are strongly committed to the Indian market too, and we hope to start production in India soon.

Our head office is in Bengaluru. Chem-Trend’s modern, high-quality production plant in Mysuru that conform to global manufacturing and regulatory standards, customized value-added solutions and unmatched technical customer service that is geared up to meet the needs of the panel board production plants in India.

We have perfect conditions there and will start with the production of the sophisticated Deurowood products as soon as the market in India has reached a sustainable volume.

For our customers in the wood-based panels industry, we have specialised individual customer service. We also bring in technical experts from Europe to support our customers.

For more information, visit www.chemtrend.com or www.deurowood.com.

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