Thermoforming of wood-plastic composites: a compolytics-approach translating combined polymer and policy analyses into industrial design principles
Daniel Friedrich
Abstract
Abstract Wood-plastic composite (WPC) saves plastics, but products are still limited to linear decking and cladding. For advanced productions of three-dimensional WPCs, design principles were derived from seven published pre-studies on thermoforming. For this, a combined method of polymer research and socio-technological investigations reported in WPC research as compolytics-approach, derived a total effect-model for thermoforming and developed a decision tree with target group-specific settings of production parameters. Fourteen application-relevant material properties were influenced ( p = 0.001) by thermoforming, with the strongest effects on colour (max. R 2 = 0.93), followed by strength criteria (max. R 2 = 0.41). Satisfying private deciders’ preferences for optimal façade appearance, a highest possible temperature should be applied for narrow bending under high wood content. Professionals value maximal strength, which demands a compound-independent wider bending at lower heat. The applicability of the design principles was assessed by case studies serving further research on WPC product development.