The UK group is producing the product on standard extrusion machines

The UK group is producing the product on standard extrusion machines

UK building plastics manufacturer Heywood Williams has begun manufacture of its own wood-filled PVC window boards. Originally launched last year (PRW.com 12 March 2003), the 49% wood and 51% PVC composite shows less thermal expansion and a better stiffness ratio than conventional PVC.

Marketing development manager Sarah Constable said the material “crosses the border between wood and plastic”. HW is planning to expand beyond the window boards, to both interior and exterior applications. The product is now being manufactured in Congleton, Cheshire, on standard extrusion machines, with tooling sourced in Italy. The original launch was delayed due to problems in getting the form right.

HW worked with the UK’s only manufacturer of wood flour, WTL International, to develop its compound. WTL International has a long history of supplying the polymer industry with fillers for linoleum production, still one of WTL’s largest consumers, and bakelite. It has its own range of wood-filled polypropylene compounds, two grades suitable for extrusion and one for injection moulding.

WTL sales development executive Simon Lewis said the firm has been working on several projects for the construction industry. He said the automotive industry has also shown interest in wood-filled compounds for better recyclability, following the introduction of the end-of-life vehicles directive.