A selection of manufacturers and products from among the 1,200 companies exhibiting across 800,000 square feet at this year’s International Builders’ Show / Kitchen & Bath Industry Show
University Research to Increase Wood’s Structural Strength
During the process, Bajwa and his team fill the tiny voids with cellulose nanocrystals, which they make by breaking down wood or crop biomass. Cellulose, the university says, is what gives plant cells their stiff structure. By processing woody material and separating the cellulose, the result is hard crystals that are so small they’re measured in nanometers. “The crystals are as strong as Kevlar,” Bajwa said, and because they’re so small, the cellulose particles can penetrate and fill the air pockets.
In the lab, the team treats the wood with a chemical solvent that dissolves resin, which may be clogging the wood’s pores, puts the wood samples in an airtight chamber, creates a vacuum that sucks out the solvent, and then injects the nanocrystals into the pores.The solvent then solidifies.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ Leading building products innovator Huber Engineered Woods has constructed its business on solving design and construction challenges by reimagining installation and assembly design to reflect industry desire to push efficiency and high-performance forward. Rooted in the responsibility to listen and respond to on-the-job needs of construction professionals, Huber s approach to product development is methodical, leading to new product categories such as ZIP System
® building enclosure solutions and AdvanTech
® subflooring, the first high-performance engineered wood panel. Huber demonstrated its commitment to innovation again in 2021 with the introduction of several new products at the International Builders Show (IBS) that redefine categories and continue to provide more options to discerning stewards of construction craft and design.