Enhancing resin efficiency in plywood production via DBD plasma treatment and atomized air spray of UF resin

Abstract

Abstract To improve resin efficiency in plywood production, the veneer surface was modified by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma and the resin was applied by air spray atomization. The droplet size and coverage of resin droplets were evaluated by image analysis. This novel approach improved the resin efficiency. The shear strength of the produced plywood was improved along with a higher gluing speed. The surface energy of poplar veneer altered after plasma treatment, resulting in an increased size of resin droplets and increased resin coverage. Plywood produced at a plasma-processing power of 4.5 kW exhibited the highest shear strength and a 6 kW plasma-processing power did not bring about advantages. Under these circumstances, the lowest amount of resin necessary for fabricating quality products can be reduced to 50 g m−2.