News About NVF

NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT

NVF Co. is introducing a new line of Yorkite products—Wood Grain Yorkite Veneers (patent pending). Yorkite is the registered trade name for a specialty grade of vulcanized fibre that has been wood grain printed on the surface ply of the all-wood laminate. These new products represent a unique manufactured veneer for use in all woodworking applications.

Vulcanized fibre is a 100% natural wood product. It is produced from wood cellulose fibers that can be certified from managed, renewable forests. Vulcanized fibre has been chemically converted into a veneer material that has density and physical strength properties greater than natural hardwoods. Yorkite contains no (0%) adhesives, resins, sizing, or binding agents. This new product involves wood grain printing the saturating paper before the vulcanized fibre process which incorporates the print pattern into a unique abrasion-resistant surface while maintaining the porous surface to accept stains and protective finishes typically used in wood products.

This new product includes two (2) print technologies:

• Rotogravure printing, which is a continuous print process from etched rolls. The printed surface durability is significantly enhanced through the vulcanized fibre process.
• Ink jet digital printing (wide format), using archival quality inks, dyes, and pigments that penetrate the base paper. This produces a print pattern through the thickness of the paper. When this print pattern is used to produce the vulcanized fibre, then this will result in a product that can be sanded as well as accept stains and protective finishes.

Vulcanized Fibre Process

"Invention for (an) improved means of giving increased strength to paper." That was the introduction of a patent application in 1859 by Thomas Taylor for the vulcanized fibre process. This patent was the procedure for converting a cellulose paper material into a unique laminate product with an unusual combination of "plastic-like" physical and chemical properties. Paper was transformed into a material that possessed increased strength and durability.

Vulcanized fibre is a laminate of cellulose paper plies. The raw material is 100% wood cellulose which is then manufactured into an upsized, saturating grade paper. The wood cellulose is a high alpha pulp. The paper is saturated with a concentrated zinc chloride solution. The zinc chloride is a catalyst that is not consumed in the process. The saturated paper plies then bond together.

The zinc chloride is removed from the web through a series of water leaching tanks until the web has exchanged the zinc chloride with water to a purity of 0.05%. The zinc chloride is completely recycled through a recovery process.

The web structure that is now saturated with water after the puring process is then dried to a moisture content of 5-8%. It is during this drying step that the unique properties develop. The density of the product increases 2-3 times as a result of shrinkage—10% in the machine direction, 20% in the cross direction, and 30% in the thickness. The final product is 100% cellulose.

ADVANTAGES

• Needs no cross-banding to prevent checking or splitting. Has outstanding physical strength in all directions when compared to wood veneers.
• Produced up to 4 feet wide which eliminates joints in panel lay ups. Uniform grain pattern over large panels – up to 4 feet wide x any length. Can be slit into coils for edge banding requirements.
• Accepts stains, varnishes, adhesives and paints the same as natural woods.
• The base plies can be colored to eliminate edge lines.
• The thinner thicknesses are flexible and conform to curves and bends for contouring applications. The thicker thicknesses can be molded with heat and steam to shape.
• Can be laser cut for decorative in-lays.
• Can be mechanically or chemically embossed, or scored.
• Inkjet printing offers the ability to scan and print any rare or exotic wood.
• Ink jet digital print patterns can be sanded for high gloss finishing.
• Limitless patterns for architectural designers. Any pattern can be printed into the veneer. Colors can be modified, adjusted, and controlled.
• This wood laminate is 100% cellulose; no phenols, no adhesives, nor solvents are present. There is no out-gassing of toxic fumes. Waste disposal is the same as wood.
• Wood-fiber raw materials are a renewable source of supply. No endangered species are used.