BASF wins material award for 3D moldable wood fiberboards based on acForm™ binder technology. The “materialPREIS 2018” by the raumPROBE material library rewards outstanding materials for design and architecture
3D moldable wood fiberboards manufactured with acForm enable new dimensions for wood-based composites.
At the “Haus der Wirtschaft” in Stuttgart, Germany, BASF was honored with the materialPREIS 2018 award by the raumPROBE material library for 3D moldable wood fiberboards (3MF) manufactured with the acFormTM dispersion. The new development ranked first in the category “Process” for providing the furniture and interior design industry with a storage stable composite that can be processed by hot molding.
In contrast to standard thermoset boards, the new wood-based composite enables post-molding and its surface can be structured in short cycles on standard furniture molding equipment. The novel wood composites are based on BASF’s new binder technology acForm. This innovative binder system is used on standard wood fiberboard production lines without any productivity restrictions. Due to the specific binder-fiber composition the composite allows all three spatial axes to be formed at the same time. The results are sophisticated, highly structured or curved components. Moreover, acForm sets new standards in terms of workplace health and safety, because formaldehyde is not added to the binder system. Thus, no cost-intensive effort is required to meet the strict regulatory requirements.
“The award shows once again the great benefits provided by the acForm binder system: A broad variety of design options for application fields like door and furniture fronts, wall or ceiling panels, room dividers, structured flooring and many more can thus be realized. At the same time, the 3MF technology enables higher productivity for our customers versus conventional processes. Complicated designs can be manufactured in large scale,” says Dr. Thorsten Habeck, Head of BASF’s marketing unit Dispersions for Fiber Bonding Europe, Middle East & Africa. The materialPREIS is already the second award for the new technology: In 2017, 3D moldable wood fiberboards with acForm were honored with the AVK (German Federation of Reinforced Plastics) Innovation Award by the International Composites Congress in Stuttgart.
The proof of concept was already established together with the company lightweight solutions GmbH which processes – by using their own self-developed compression molding technology – the most modern types of materials like the 3MF into shaped objects. “Since the official introduction of the 3MF material in the mid of year 2017, lightweight solutions was already able to acquire various commercial chair projects of well-known OEMs in the furniture industry, in addition to a first commercial project in the sports & lifestyle segment.”, says Michael Schäpers, CEO of lightweight solutions GmbH. “By switching to this innovative material, we can reduce the scrap rate from 20% down to 0%, facilitating to deliver the consistent quality the end customer desires.”
The materialPREIS awards new building materials for design and architecture. In specific, it acknowledges innovations in the field of special surfaces and collections, innovative processes and sustainable use of materials which is gaining more and more prominence in the industry. The awarded materials will among others be displayed in an exclusive exhibition of the Design Center Baden-Wuerttemberg.
More information on acForm technology
More information on the materialPREIS 2018
