LUO Xiaoxi,CHEN Xueqi,REN Yiping,et al.Effect of Microwave Preheating on Mat Heating Characteristics in Manufacturing of pMDI Eucalyptus Plywood and its Panel Performance[J].Chinese Journal of Wood Science and Technology,2026,40(03):49-56.DOI: 10.12326/j.2096-9694.2025124.
Effect of Microwave Preheating on Mat Heating Characteristics in Manufacturing of pMDI Eucalyptus Plywood and its Panel Performance
To promote the continuous flat-pressing technology in manufacturing of plywood using polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI)
this study investigated the effects of microwave pre-heating characteristics of seven-layer Eucalyptus
veneer mats at power levels (i.e.
0.5
1.0
1.5
and 2.0 kW) and tested the bonding strength of the pMDI plywood made. The veneer had a thickness of 1.7 mm and three initial moisture contents of 12%
18%
and 24%. The results showed that both microwave power a
nd mat moisture content exerted an extremely significant influence on the heating rate of mats (
P
<0.01). Within the selected range of initial veneer moisture content
the heating rate of the mat decreased with an increase in moisture content and increased with an increase in microwave power. The maximum heating rate of the mat occurred within the microwave preheating duration of 30~60 s. The linear relationship between microwave power and heating amplitude of the mat was obtained and verified. Based on the linear fitting results
combined with the actual production requirement of heating the mat to 80 °C within 60 s
a microwave preheating power of 3 kW and a mat moisture content of 24% were selected as the optimal parameters to make pMDI plywood. It was also found that the bonding strength and the 24 h water absorption rate of plywood with microwave preheating was significantly higher than that of plywood directly hot-pressed without microwave preheating (
P
<0.05). Moreover
microwave preheating reduced the hot-pressing time in manufacturing of pMDI plywood to 15 s/mm
shorter than that of plywood without microwave preheating. The average bonding strength of the plywood made reached 1.09 MPa
which met the performance requirements for type Ⅰ Eucalyptus plywood specified in GB/T 9846—2015“
Plywood for general use
”. By contrast
the plywood without microwave preheating failed to produce qualified products. This study could provide data support and technical reference for the application of microwave preheating technology in manufacturing pMDI plywood on the industrial production lines.
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