Imal, a certified ISO 9001 company, not only specialises in gluing systems, blending equipment, on-the-line quality controls and laboratory testing equipment, but also in the supply of patented blending systems for the production of MDF.
“These gluing systems allow the end consumer to achieve substantial resin savings, lower formaldehyde emissions and increased dryer capacity,says managing director Loris Zanasi.
Founded in 1970 in Modena and currently having 120 employees, Imal is still growing.
“Sales continue to increase due, above all, to our constant research into new products and technology for applications in the wood based panels sector,he says. “Our policy to annually invest 4% of our profits in research and development, a division where five full-time engineers collaborate in close conjunction with the Modena and Bologna University Research laboratories, enables the company to retain its reputation as an avant-garde manufacturer in this industrial sector.”
Mr Zanasi is delighted to report that his company has supplied its first fibre resination system in the Far East, after having completed 13 such installations; and 23 MDF blenders worldwide. Start-up of this newly installed system in South Korea is planned for the third quarter of this year.
Imal is also planning to put its first fibre resination system in Greece into operation over the same period.
With this new fibre blending technology, which he says is fully tried and tested in 13 MDF mills, Mr Zanasi says Imal is able to guarantee customers resin savings of around 20% on current resin addition rates with traditional blow-line blending. This guarantee is accompanied by a spot-free board surface and the same physical-mechanical board properties.
What basis does Imal have for this claim? Mr Zanasi says it is justified because the results are even better in practice.
“In the case of flooring production, for instance, where small surface spots are reasonably acceptable because of the paper covering process, it is possible to achieve even better resin savings,he asserts.
In this system, the fibre and resin are mixed together in a special blender after the dryer, to avoid the destructive effect which the heat of the dryer has on the resin; to offset the loss of resin properties and binding capacity, most producers tend to increase the amount of resin they use.
The first factor Imal takes into consideration in a mill using traditional methods is dryer temperature – the higher the dryer temperature, the better and more visible the results are, says the managing director.
“Another benefit of this system is the reduction in dryer energy and consequent increase in dryer capacity, since less resin, and hence less water, is introduced into the dryer, making it possible to dry greater quantities of fibre,he explains.
For traditional fibre resination plants with blow line injection, Imal has designed a new ‘common rail’ system, so-called because it closely resembles the latest diesel engines. The glue is sprayed through injector nozzles into the blow line. An accurate digital pressure gauge measures glue pressure, which is kept constant, despite variations in flow rate, and Imal claims this results in efficient blending at both high and low flow rates.
Imal also supplies lines for the production of particleboard-based pallet blocks. These lines can be installed parallel to existing particleboard lines as much of the equipment used to prepare the material will be the same.
Compared with traditional, solid wood pallet blocks, the new generation blocks have excellent mechanical and physical properties, says the company, because it is possible to vary density, impermeability, dimensions and thickness. Also, the blocks do not split when nailed and, above all, waste wood and recycled wood may be used to produce them.
“The concept of making pallets with pressed wood, rather than solid wood blocks is rapidly catching on,says Mr Zanasi. “In May alone, three pallet block production lines, equipped with the new patented steam pressing system, were put into operation in Italy, enabling the mills to reach an elevated daily production capacity.”
In the OSB sector, as well as supplying glue blenders and kitchens, Mr Zanasi says that Imal is a leader in the design and installation of the Fines Recovery System. This system screens out the face and core strands and diverts the small-sized particles to a traditional particleboard blender.
The low concentration of the glue mixture injected into this blender reduces the amount of glue the fines can absorb.
“The Fines Recovery System has been installed in several OSB plants in North America, with excellent glue savings confirmed by the testimonial letters received from our customers,says Mr Zanasi.
In the plywood field, Imal has designed several moisture control systems for veneer, with automatic dryer control to reduce dryer energy waste and increase productivity.
Imal also manufactures on-the-line thickness gauges and board quality control equipment and Mr Zanasi says this division is strengthened by the Imal R&D team upgrades, which are designed in conjunction with on-site experience acquired in a variety of applications installed worldwide.
“The careful choice of components and circuit configurations makes system operation possible in even the most adverse environmental conditions, which are typical of many of today’s emerging markets,he says, “and special attention has been given to upgrading the hardware to meet recent safety standard requirements, such as ATEX.”
Among new quality control designs presented in 2005, pride of place is given to the PSD (on-line Press Security Device), made to meet the increasing need for composite board manufacturers to identify impurities such as tiny pebbles, stones, metal and other high density impurities like plastic or lumps of glue, which could be present in the wood flow. Identifying and eliminating impurities at the pre-press outfeed helps protect press and steel belts.
With an appropriate processing of the received signal, it is also possible to obtain the real time transverse density profile of the mat, which may be reproduced with current graphic technology (3-D in colour) for a clear view of the mat and to highlight any forming defects which may be present.
Other new quality control devices include the RSD (Refiner Security Device) to detect and automatically eliminate impurities from chips at the refiner infeed; also the IBX600, a brand new laboratory machine for carrying out all mechanical property tests and X-ray density profile at the same time, and the LOS (laboratory optic screen), able to carry out fast optical screening by means of a computer and specially designed software to rapidly produce a continuous graph, rather than a discrete graph, as is the case with the traditional screening process, says Mr Zanasi.
Among Imal’s traditional and well-known quality control equipment is the thickness gauge and blister detector; TS100 mat water spraying unit; CDP200 on-line density profiler; and complete range of moisture detectors for installation before and after the dryer, on the forming line and in the laboratory.
For the laboratory, there is the DPX200 X-ray density profiler; IB600 laboratory testing machine; and the ROC100 roughness optic control, the new laser technology surface analyser. “Last but not least, in addition to the PSD and the RSD, there is the SDS (spark detection and extinguishing system) which fully meets the current ATEX safety requirements, and the APX (cyclone anti plugging device), which completes the range of safety control equipment,says Mr Zanasi. “Imal also has a wide range of instrumentation to offer for the measurement of moisture content, such as the UM300, suitable for installation after the dryer, the infrared UM700 and the new infrared UM700F with fibre optic technology for installation in ATEX areas.”
