1. Physical properties:
- Strength:
- MDF's bending resistance and hardness are relatively weak. Under long-term stress, deformation and bending may occur. Its nail holding force is also poor. If the screws loosen after tightening, it is difficult to fix them again due to the low strength of the board.
- WPC materials have physical and mechanical properties such as compression resistance and bending resistance comparable to hardwood, and because they contain fibers and are fully mixed with plastics, their durability is significantly better than that of ordinary wood materials. Their surface hardness is usually 2-5 times that of wood, and they are not prone to deformation and bending.
- Stability:
- MDF has good material uniformity, but is easily affected by environmental humidity. It is easy to swell and deform when exposed to water, and has poor moisture resistance.
- WPC materials have good waterproof and moisture-proof properties, which fundamentally solves the problem that wooden products are prone to rot, swelling and deformation after absorbing water and getting wet in humid and watery environments. They can be used in environments where traditional wooden products cannot be used.
2. Environmental performance:
- Raw materials:
- MDF is made by processing wood raw materials into fibers, plant fibers, etc., grinding them into powder, adding urea-formaldehyde resin and other additives, and then forming them after paving and hot pressing. Chemical substances such as glue are required in the production process, which may release a certain amount of harmful substances such as formaldehyde.
- Wood-plastic materials use polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride to replace the usual resin adhesives, and mix them with more than 35%-70% of waste plant fibers such as wood powder, rice husks, straw, etc. to form new wood materials. Some wood-plastic products do not contain benzene substances and have low formaldehyde content. They are new green and environmentally friendly composite materials.
- Recyclability:
- It is relatively difficult to recycle and reuse MDF. Improper post-processing of waste may cause certain pollution to the environment.
- Wood-plastic materials can be recycled, which can greatly save the use of wood and meet the requirements of sustainable development.
3. Processing performance:
- Processing difficulty:
- MDF has good surface flatness and fine material, which is easy to paint. Various coatings and paints can be evenly applied on MDF, making it the preferred substrate for paint effects. Moreover, various veneers, adhesive films, veneers, light metal sheets, melamine boards and other materials can be glued on its surface.
- Wood-plastic materials have the same processing performance as logs. They can be nailed, drilled, cut, and bonded. They can be fixed with nails or bolts. They have good processing properties, but special equipment and technology may be required in some processing processes.
- Processing accuracy:
- MDF can be cut, carved and other operations through precision processing equipment, which can achieve high processing accuracy and is suitable for making products with high requirements for size and shape.
- Wood-plastic materials may have relatively low processing accuracy due to the characteristics of the material during processing, especially in the processing of some complex shapes and structures, which may be difficult.
4. Appearance:
- Texture and color:
- The surface of MDF can present different textures and colors by pasting melamine paper or wood veneer, but there is still a certain gap compared with the texture and color of natural wood, lacking natural texture.
- Wood-plastic materials can be customized according to needs, and can be made into various colorful products by adding colorants, laminating or composite surface layers, but it does not have the texture and touch of natural wood, and has a certain difference in appearance from solid wood.
5. Cost:
- Raw material cost:
- The raw materials of MDF are mainly wood fiber and additives such as glue. The gradual reduction of wood resources may lead to an increase in raw material costs, but in the short term, its raw material costs are relatively stable.
- The raw materials of wood-plastic materials are mainly plastics and wood powder, etc. The price of plastics fluctuates greatly, which will have a certain impact on the cost of wood-plastic materials.
- Manufacturing cost:
- The production process of MDF is relatively simple, and the investment cost of production equipment is low, so the manufacturing cost is relatively low.
- The production of wood-plastic materials requires multiple links such as mixing, extrusion, and molding of plastic and wood powder. The production equipment and process requirements are high, and the manufacturing cost is relatively high.
6. Application areas:
- MDF: commonly used in furniture manufacturing, such as wardrobes, cabinets, bookshelves, etc.; partitions and wall decorations in interior decoration; can also be used to make products that require sound quality, such as audio and musical instruments.
- Wood-plastic: mainly used in outdoor buildings, such as outdoor floors, guardrails, pavilions, corridors, etc.; can also be used for indoor doors, skirtings, integrated cabinets, wardrobes, etc.
In summary, if the strength, processing accuracy and appearance texture of the material are required to be high, and the use environment is relatively dry, MDF may be a suitable choice; if the environmental protection, waterproofness, durability and recyclability of the material are emphasized, and the use environment is relatively humid or needs to be exposed to the outdoors for a long time, wood-plastic materials are more advantageous.
