Furniture manufacture

Uses and Treatments of Hardwood Plywood. Most early appHcations of hardwood plywood were those where the hardwood plywood was better adapted to the use than soHd wood. One of the most important early uses was in curved or formed parts, an appHcation particularly suited to the use of veneers which could be molded into intricate shapes during the pressing and bonding process. Then, as furniture manufacturers realized the inherently superior stabiHty of plywood compared to soHd wood, lumber-core or plywood panels began to be used for most flat-panel constmctions in furniture. 

A small amount of particleboard is made with a fire-retardant treatment for use in locations where codes require this material, as in some offices and elevators. Particleboards receive overlay and finishing treatments with ease. Wood veneers, melamine overlays, printed paper overlays, vinyl overlays, foils, and direct grain printing can all be done quite simply. A small amount of particleboard is also made in the form of shaped, molded articles such as furniture parts, paper roU plugs, bmsh bases, and even toilet seats. There is another small increment of particleboard made by the extmsion process. These products are made in small captive operations owned by furniture manufacturers which consume all of this production in their furniture. The extmsion process differs from conventional flat-pressed particleboard in that the wood furnish is forced between two stationary heated surfaces. The mats are formed from one edge and this edge is alternately formed and pushed between the heated platens, which are maintained at a distance equal to the thickness of board produced. This is an old, slow, small-scale process, but is stiU in use in at least one location. 

For VOCs, control options are multiple. Source reduction or removal includes product substitution or reformulation. Particleboard or pressed w ood has been developed and used extensively in building materials for cabinet bases and subflooring and in furniture manufacturing for frames. If the product is not properly manufactured and cured prior to use as a building material, VOCs can outgas into the interior of the residence or building. Other sources of VOCs may be paints, cleaning solutions, fabrics, binders, and adhesives. Proper use of household products will lower volatile emissions. 

Wood dusts some hardwoods (e.g. iroko, mahogany) Furniture manufacture... 

Whereas UF-resins are mainly used for interior boards (for use in dry conditions, e.g. in furniture manufacturing), a higher hydrolysis resistance can be achieved by incorporating melamine and phenol into the resin (melamine-fortified UF-resins. 

PVAc is another important type of adhesive, especially in furniture manufacturing and for carpentry. They form the bond line in a physical process by losing their water content to the two wooden adherends. PVAc adhesives are ready to use, have short setting time and give flexible and invisible joints. They are easy to clean and show long storage life. Limitations are their thermoplasticity and the creep behavior. 

A good example of the many successftil DfE Partnerships is the Furniture Flame Retard-ancy Partnerhip. Pentabromodiphenylether (PentaBDE) was the primary flame retardant used in low density, flexible polyurethane furniture foam. Due to concerns over its use and the fact that the chemical was found widespread in the environment and in human tissue and breast milk, PentaBDE was voluntarily phased out of production by US manufacturers in January 2004. The industry needed alternatives in order to meet furniture flame retardancy requirements, but did not have the human and environmental health and safety information needed in order to compare the alternatives. DfE worked with the furniture manufacturers, foam manufacturers, and flame-retardant chemical suppliers along with governmental and environmental groups to evaluate possible alternatives. 

Coatings and Surface Modifications. Probably the one application of photopolymer chemistry that has the most worldwide commercial value in terms of product sales is the use of photopolymer materials for curable coatings. Most of the wood paneling and less expensive furniture manufactured today utilize UV or electron-beam curable materials for decorative finishes (e.g. simulation of wood grain) and protective coatings. In addition, the surfaces of many commercially important materials (e.g. textile fibers and polyester films) are being modified by photopolymer processes. 

Subpart JJ national emission standards for HAPs from wood furniture manufacturing operations-applicability Yes 40 CFR 63.800 EPA1995b... 

Hexamethylene-1,6-diisocyanate is listed as a hazardous air pollutant (HAP) imder to Section 112 (b) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) (U.S. Congress 1990). The national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) which were established pursuant to Section 112 of the CAA (as amended November 15, 1990), regulate specific categories of stationary sources that emit or have the potential to emit one or more HAPs. HDl is listed as a volatile HAP for wood furniture manufacturing operations in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 63, Subpart JJ (EPA 1995). 

Listed as Hazardous Air Pollutant National Emission Standards for Wood Furniture Manufacturing Operations—Table 2. L.ist of Volatile Hazardous Air Pollutants... 

EPA. 1995a. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Code of Federal Regulations. 40 CFR 63, Subpart JJ. National Emission Standards for wood furniture manufacturing operations. 

Parts cleaning and stripping are integral process operations for industries that repair, maintain, or manufacture parts and equipment. Manufacturing groups generating metal wastes include metal furniture manufacturers, metal fabricators, machinery manufacturers, electric and electronic equipment manufacturers, instrument manufacturers, and many others. 

One technical problem that we had not considered was that furniture manufacture involves considerable dust, especially sawdust. This could, of course, significantly interfere with the imaging process when it came between negatives and photosensitive surfaces. In time, this problem was overcome by carefully... 

BIFMA Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (US) BOCA Building Officials and Code Administrators (US)... 

These effects have been observed among workers exposed to wood dusts from a variety of tree species in many countries and settings, including lumber mills, furniture manufacturing, and cabinet making. 

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