Woodplastics meet demand for alternative materials

The use of wood usually takes on the issues of environment protection with governments around the world now restricting cutting of trees. Wood as material also poses questions on waterproofing.  To satisfy market demand, characteristics of macromolecules, combined with advanced pressure-micro foaming technology have been utilised to produce a unique material called CELLwood.  

One of the many advantages of CELLwood is that it is 100% waterproof and also eco-friendly as its production does not use wood or powder. It is also fully recyclable.  The material is suitable for external and internal use in buildings.  CELLwood also has a certain “wood” feeling, a wood quality with similar density, but with lighter mass (d=0.6-0.7g/cm3). It can be easily processed in the same way as real wood in that it may be planed, sawed, cut, sheared, milled, nailed or sanded, etc. CELLwood has high rigidity and durability – similar to that of teak – and can be reshaped, or bent with heat.  

CELLwood can basically be used to replace real wood and its possible applications include: high-quality furniture, railings/balustrades/fences, pencils, toys/blocks, fittings in bathrooms or humid areas (e.g. saunas), for prototyping/mould making, wooden crafts, gardening equipment or shoe parts, among others. Additionally, CELLwood can be used in both extremely cold or hot/humid climates – within a suggested temperature range of between -30 ~ +90 degrees Centigrade.   

As CELLwood’s material is a polymer product, the correct working temperature range is as above. It can be cleaned using acid- or alkali-resistant amphiphilic cleaners, but not organic solvents such as benzene, methyl benzene or xylene.  Lastly, CELLwood, like real wood, is not fireproof.