Dieffenbacher’s EVOsteam at Masisa’s particleboard plant in Cabrero, Chile.

In June 2023, Masisa S.A. commissioned an EVOsteam steam pre-heating system from Dieffenbacher at its particleboard plant in Cabrero, Chile. For Masisa, EVOsteam is a low-investment solution for great improvements, including boosting the capacity of its particleboard production.

Installed directly at the press in-feed, the EVOsteam pre-heats the mat by injecting steam. This reduces the time needed to heat the mat inside the press, accelerating production and increasing capacity by up to 20%.

The upper unit of the steam pre-heating system can be used either in lifted operation, as a steam shower, or in lowered operation to directly inject steam into the mat.

In light of the sharp rise in gas prices that have caused an enormous increase in resin prices, EVOsteam has an important benefit. It saves resources, especially resin. If the higher mat temperature is not used to increase production speed, the resin has more time to cure in the continuous press.

By individually adjusting the amount of steam in each mat zone, EVOsteam enables excellent density profiles. The result is better convective heat penetration in the press and a faster increase in the raw density profile at the outer edge layer of the board.

This enables lower sanding allowances and lower production costs. In addition, the EVOsteam prevents condensates on the belts by using thermal oil from the secondary heating of the press to pre-heat the steam platen.

It is easy to operate, since it requires little maintenance, and the low waste water volume keeps the total cost of ownership low. The integrated belt cleaning and drying system ensures high production reliability.

For new EVOsteam installations, Dieffenbacher ensures complete service from engineering up to technically optimised three-shift operation. Other companies, including Pfleiderer and Sumitomo Group subsidiary Vina Eco Board, are also successfully using Dieffenbacher’s EVOsteam.

The EVOsteam can be used in particleboard, MDF and OSB production and is available for both new plants and retrofits.

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