Facilities and Equipment

Composites

Composites researchers at FPL study every facet of composite materials, from raw materials to processing methods to finished products. To facilitate this research, the CRF contains laboratory and pilot-scale equipment for various technologies including both wet and dry forming of wood-based composites, three-dimensional engineered fiberboard, wood-plastic composites, and nanocomposites.

Specialized equipment is available for raw material characterization, size-reduction, fiber and flake processing, web and mat forming, pressing, wood-plastic composite processing, and composite characterization. A wide range of processing scales are possible, from small-scale fabrication of nanocomposites to pilot-scale equipment for producing panels or large wood-plastic composite profiles.