Bakelite is a leader in products for the wood and forest products industry.
Have you ever noticed new home construction in your area with exterior wood panels that look like a patchwork of wood flakes? Those boards, sometimes confused with plywood, are Oriented Strand Board (OSB) and it is Bakelite’s resin and wax products that make those boards possible.
What is Oriented Strand Board?
OSB is the evolutionary advancement on what is known as waferboard. In waferboard, the wood flakes are randomly orientated. In an OSB panel, there is intentional (oriented) order to how the flakes are laid down to form the panel. The flakes comprising the top and bottom layers of the panel surface are controlled with precision, while the middle layer is controlled to have the opposite orientated order. This cross-hatched design provides panel strength in both cross-directions.
How is Bakelite’s product applied to make Oriented Strand Board panels?
There is significant engineering involved. Trees are cut to a specific length with the bark removed. Each block is then processed to create the desired dimensions of flake (4 to 6 inches or 10.16 to 15.24 cm length, 1 to 1.5 inches or 2.54 to 3.81 cm width, and ~0.028 inches or ~.07 cm thick). These cut flakes are dried in an oven to a specific moisture content. The flakes are then mixed with Bakelite’s resin and wax and then layered with a cross-hatched orientation mat. The loose mat is then pressed at a specific temperature and time, and Bakelite’s resin product cures to permanently bond the OSB panel.
Why Choose Bakelite Resin for Oriented Strand Board?
Oriented Strand Board panels made with Bakelite resin offer maximum protection against environmental elements (specifically moisture). When water resistance is of the utmost importance, Bakelite’s resin product provides superior protection.
The next time you see construction in your area or undertake a project of your own, remember that more than 170 million pounds of liquid resins and more than 60 million pounds of powder resins are made annually to enable home construction in the U.S. market – and Bakelite plays a significant part in this process.
For more information on Bakelite Wood and Forest products and resins contact us.
