Among the latest technologies in woodworking, postforming is gaining more and more popularity. What is this method that is so widely used today in both construction and furniture manufacturing? For the first time, German specialists began to use it in the 70s of the last century. Postforming is based on plastic coating the surface of chipboard or MDF boards with high temperature and pressure.
Advantages and disadvantages
The developed postforming manufacturing technology makes this method the most attractive for builders and designers, since it has a number of significant advantages:
- Due to the high resistance to abrasion and the effects of detergents that plastic has, postforming can last a very long time.
- The color palette offers up to 200 different shades, which allows you to realize any design solution.
- The selected plastic can also be used to create other interior details in the form of shelves, peaks, etc.
- For postforming, eco-friendly plastic is used, which is the safest for human health.
- The waterproofness of this finish allows you to use it in any room.
- Postforming facades can have a variety of sizes, as well as be bent, straight or curved.
- Low cost.
Of the minuses, it is worth noting only that if the surface is still damaged, then it is almost impossible to restore it.
Postforming Production
This is a rather complicated process, including several sequential operations. The surface of the slab is first covered with kraft paper impregnated with resins, the next layer is decorative, creating a pattern or pattern, a protective coating of acrylic resins comes from above . The plastic sheet under the influence of high temperatures softens and is molded on the base, creating a smooth bend around it. This technology allows you to create surfaces of various colors and textures.
Equipment
Postforming production requires special equipment. Relatively simple machines are available in three types:
- Driving lines make the postforming production process fully automated and continuous, which ensures high productivity. Due to its high cost and complexity of reconfiguration from one profile to another, such equipment is usually used only in large enterprises.
- Positioning machines. Their high performance is combined with good quality and ease of reconfiguration. You have to install and remove the workpiece manually, and all other operations are performed automatically. For small businesses this is the most suitable option.
- Manual machines are more affordable, but the quality of postforming is poor. An open heating zone contributes to the outflow of heat, which leads to cracking of the plastic. To avoid irregularities, it is necessary to do additional rolling of plastic to the profile.
Conditions for successful post-formation
Only careful adherence to technology can ensure high-quality manufacturing of such a coating as postforming. What does this mean? It is necessary to prepare the plastic and the substrate by processing and gluing without the use of high temperatures, to ensure cleanliness in the room to prevent dust from entering work surfaces. The stove and all facing materials must be conditioned for 2 days, subject to a temperature regime of 20 to 24 ° C and a humidity of 45-55%.
For each new batch of plastic, the optimal postforming mode is selected. It consists of two adjustable quantities - temperature and time, which is necessary for heating the plastic. Both are influenced by certain factors: the quality of the plastic and its thickness, the radius of the bend, the amount of bleach in the base, the composition of the paints, surface finish, even the color of the plastic is of no small importance here.
Adhesive materials
Pretty high temperatures are used to stick plastic. Postforming for this reason requires the use of special glue. Regarding its parameters, it is worth consulting with the supplier in advance in order to prevent unnecessary costs. Of primary importance here is the type of equipment on which work is performed. But in any case, to ensure high-quality bonding of the plastic, the adhesive must have sufficient viscosity and high setting speed. For passage lines that are fully automated, an adhesive composition based on PVA dispersion (if hot air blowing is provided) or contact adhesive when partial automation is used is used. Both are used in work on a positioning machine, because it is less demanding in this regard. But for postforming on a manual machine, only contact adhesive is suitable .
Facades postforming
In furniture production, postforming technology is most widely used. Facades made in this way attract consumers with their external qualities, which give the furniture a more prestigious and expensive look. Unlike film facades, they have a rounded shape along two faces and a curved surface. They are used in the manufacture of both office and household home furniture. Plastic is especially relevant in the production of children's furniture. The absence of sharp corners can help children avoid various injuries.
The facade of postforming can be called the face of furniture. That this is significant in assessing its value is well known to the manufacturer. Therefore, the number of enterprises involved in postforming is growing steadily in the furniture market.
Doors postforming
Due to its ability to withstand mechanical damage, this method is also used to decorate entrance doors. If the house has pets, such a coating, which is resistant to scratching, is simply irreplaceable. The combination of attractive appearance and affordable price makes doors covered with postforming panels increasingly popular.
Postforming countertops
This method of decoration is also very popular in the kitchen. A significant part of the kitchen furniture is produced by postforming. What does it mean to have a reliable, durable countertop, every housewife knows. This is the workplace that is most often subjected to pressure, cuts, moisture, etc.
The surface coated with a layer of protective resins has a high rate of strength. The swelling of the plate and its deformation are excluded, since moisture does not penetrate inside. The surface of postforming countertops is protected from high temperatures, from cleaning chemicals and mechanical influences.
Kitchen: Postforming
A fairly large number of advantages can be obtained by using this modern style of decoration to decorate the kitchen interior. The use of the latest technology and modern materials allows you to purchase kitchen furniture that combines original design, quality, reliability and durability.
The kitchen is a place where the conditions for the operation of furniture cannot be called favorable - high humidity, burning, the possibility of greasy substances getting onto the furniture, etc. Therefore, the surfaces of cabinets and countertops must be very resistant to such adverse effects. Kitchens with a plastic facade are easy to clean and will not lose their attractive appearance for a long time.
The high demand for them is also explained by the wide choice of colors that the postforming finish provides. Kitchens made of plastic can be combined with almost any interior, choosing the facades glossy or matte, bright, saturated colors or calmer fawn shades. For lovers of high-tech style, you can use an aluminum profile in the decoration - the furniture in this case will look especially modern.
Perhaps one of the most affordable types of finishes at a cost can be called the postforming method. The price for the finished panel is 200-1500 rubles and above, depending on the size. The ability to choose a postforming that is suitable for cost, in combination with all its advantages, explains the high customer demand for these plastic facades.
The low cost and the minimum number of tools required for postforming make this technology very popular among furniture manufacturers. Manufacturers should take into account that the successful use of plastic facades on the market requires the mandatory use of only high-quality materials.