Facts about MDF or Medium-Density Fibreboard tell about an engineered wood product. The product made by breaking down both softwood and hardwood residuals into wood fibres, combining it with resin binder and forming panels by applying heat temperature and pressure. Let’s read the description below about interesting information of MDF.
Facts about MDF 1: Physical
Wood Fibre was the majority material to produced MDF, up to 82%, then 9% urea-formaldehyde resin glue, 8% water, 1% paraffin wax. The density between 500kg/m3 until 1,000 kg/m3. Light, standard and high are the range of the density.
Facts about MDF 2: Types
MDF has several kinds and sometimes labeled by colour, namely, Ultralight MDF plate, Moisture resistant (typically green), and Fire retardant MDF is typically red or blue.
Example of MDF
Facts about MDF 3: Manufacture
The material, which is tree, used to make MDF mainly found in Australia and New Zealand. Generally, radiata pine is the kind of tree was used, including other woods, waste paper and fibres. After the trees were cut, the stems are debarked, then will result a chips. The chips are then heated/steamed for 30-120 seconds to soften the wood and put it into defibrator. From the defribrator, the chips became a pulp, and enters the pulp into blowline. After pressing, MDF is cooled in a star dryer or cooling carousel, trimmed and sanded.
Facts about MDF 4: Comparison with Natural Woods
MDF is more uniform than natural woods because it does not contain knots or rings during cutting and service. However, smooth-shank nails do not hold well and neither di fine-pitch screws, especially in the edge.
Facts about MDF 5: Benefit
based on some articles on the internet, the benefits of MDF such as, excellent substrate for veneers, mostly cheaper than natural woods, no tendency to split, consistent in strength and size, shapes well, stable dimension, and easy to finish (i.e. paint).
Facts about MDF 6: Lacks
In the contrary, the MDF contains some drawbacks like resins are heavy, low quality of MDF can swell and break when saturated with water, it can expand if not sealed, and it is difficult to paint with latex paints due to rapid water absorption.
Country producer of MDF in 2005
Facts about MDF 7: Applications
Because of the flexibility, MDF is often found in school. Moreover, MDF is applied in the shop fitting industri as a slatwall. Generally, MDF is primarily used for internal use applications due to its poor moisture resistance.
Facts about MDF 8: Safety Concern
It is important to use respirator because a great quantity of dust partcles are resulted when MDF is cut. Formaldehyde resins generally used to bind together the fibres in MDF, and testing has consistently revealed that MDF products spread free formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds that couse healts risks at consentration considered unsafe. In addition, urea-formaldehyde is often being slowly released from the edges and surface of MDF. Hence, it is a gread idea to coat all sides of the finished piece in order to seal in the free forlmaldehyde.
Facts about MDF 9: Veneered MDF
Veneered MDF is useful for decorative wood veneer surface layer. Producing veneered MDF is complex procedure, which involves taking an extremely thin slice of hardwood. Then, covering them around the profilled MDF boards through high pressure and stretching method.
MDF applied on loudspeaker construction enclosure
Facts about MDF 10: Influence to the Health
Unfortunately, MDF may cause allergy, eye and lung irritation when cutting and sanding.
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