Pfastics-Plywood Conf erence

I'lastics an rl pll-u'ood, nruch-rliscusserl as miracle proclucts because of their individual accomplishnrcnts to date ancl thcir projcctcrl postn':rr llses, are ltcing united to form matcrials o[ nen' capabilities.

industry the cellulose is retained in its natural fornr; in forming cellulose plastics we scparate the rnaterial from other components of r,r.ood ancl thelr react thc fil;rcs cl-remically. Both plyrvood and cellulose plastics obtain their strength characteristics from the same sorlrce."

Phenolic Plastics

Final speaker on the plastics section of thc confcrencc u.as H. B. De\Vaide of Bakelite Corp., Bloomlield, N. J., giving a revieu' of "lthenolic Plastics Irossibilitics."

N. S. Perkins, technical director of Douglas Fir Plyr,vood Association, summecl up the conference spirit rvhen, as opening speaker, hc pointed out, "This joint conferer.rce betu'een the liuge plastics industry and our compact llorthu'cst pyhlood inclustrv is a public acknorvledgement of rnutual interests ancl problems."

W. E. Dil{ord

And this joining to capitalize on the ir.rhercnt 1>rop- ertics and advantages oI both, served as the pivotal theme for the plastics-plyu'oorl conference held at Scattlc, recently. Co-spr>nsors r,I tlre lll-]trrsirress rnceting u'ere the Society of thc I'lastics Inclustry, the n:rtirin:ll org:Lnizatirirr of plastics rnolrlers and manu{acturers, :rncl I)orrglus Fir I'lyrvood Association, the trade organization of Orcgorr ancl Washington plyu'ood makers.

It rvas the first conference of thc t1.pe ever stagcd and served as an exposition of progress and problems .il'itlriu the indiviclual industries u'ith particular emphasis orr utilization of the tr,vo products to complement each othcr. Attendance totalecl 392 or doubled the number expected.

Top rar.rking plastics authorities of the nation wcre among the nren clelir.crir-rg addresses. Several leaders clf the fir plyu'oocl industrl-, accounting for tr,vo-thirds of the nation's panel productior.r, \\'ere on the program; others rvere in atten(lallcc.

The trvo-da1' confercrrce includerl not only a dozen tallcs on subjects related to the trvo industries but also demonstrations of high-freqrlency rnachirres for setting adhesivcs, round-table discussior.rs ancl r.isits to plastics, plyu'ood and u'ar plants at Seattle.

New Bonding Method

As feature speaker of the conference, Dr. W. Gallay of Otta'wa, Canada, until recently rlircctor of the National Research Council of Canada and norv a consrrltant on adhesior-r and bonding techniques, presented a stirnulating address on "A New Hot Gluing Technique." Dcveloped by him and alreacly used commercially, the system utilizes lorv-r.oltage electrical ctlrrent and simple ecluiprncnt for a heat sollrce in setting adhesives.

Moulding Developments

Opening the conference session devoted expressly to plastics, T. S. Carsu'cll of llonsanto Chemical Co., St. I-ouis, describcd "I-arge Moulding Techniques" and relating three ner,v techr.ri<1ucs u'hich have come to the forefront 'n'itl-rin tl.re past fct' )-ears. They are : resin-pulp moulding, lou' pressrlre rnoulcling and post-forming of laminates.

In telling of the rclatior.r betrvcen plyu.ood anci cellulose plastics, J. K. Speicher of the Cellulosc l)rotlucts Department of Hercules Pou'cler Co., Wilmington, Dela., pointed out ltoth products are based on ccllulose. "In tl.re Dlvtvood

FIe pointed out that plastics have three places in plywood. "P'lastics can f{o into the veneer (thin sheets of rvood that are joined to make plyrvood), betu'een the \-elreer (as adhesives) or or.r top of it. Plastics can even go on the edges of thc pancls."

Ife cleared up the ciuestiorr of rvhat is "plastic-p1yu'ood" n'hen he described panels surfaced or covered rvith a plastic coating. The plastic-covered panels are new, but plastics in the form of phenol formalclehvcle adhesives har.e been used for ten years as the glue bonding together the plies in Exterior (rvaterproof) type fir plyrvood.

Plastic-Finished Plywood

In telling of plastic treatments and finishes for fir plyrvood, J. D. Long, chief of research for the plywood inclustry, told the assembly, "Plastic overlays are currently the plastics :r.pplication of greatest interest to our industry." The plastic surface rnay be attained by self-bonding overlays of resins or l>1' gluing on a pre-cured surface sheet.

As chief inspector for the fir plywood industry, John Ritchie advised the assembly, "I can tell you a little about the manufacture of exterior (.lvaterproof) plywood as a sort of previerv for tlrosc of you in the field of plasticsl,vho have in mind certain combinations of the trvo products. Nfanv of our problems r.r'ill become your problems rvhen that time comes. Quality control and precise manufacturing practices, of course, is my theme song. For plyu'ood men have a .r,vay of expecting a good deal of their product."

Plywood-Prefabrication-Plastics

\\r. E. Difford, managir.rg <lirector of I)orrglas Fir Plyrvood Association, injected a new thought r,r'hen he told a luncheon meeting, "I think all rve need to round out this conference are prefabrication-representatives-Henry I(aiscr or Boeine' perhaps-for I believe that out of this r,r'ar har-e come three amazing things. They are: prefabrication, u'hich rvill alTect our lives considerablr', plastics and plvu'oclcl. Call thenr tl.re "tl.rree Ps of the future."

"Prefaltrication :rs a svstem of construction has become a reality; it brings nraximum utilization of material. And in this lield plys'ood has led because plyrvood bonded to light framing nrernbcrs produces walls of exceptional strength. Plastics may even provicle a perlnanent finish for these prefabricated plyrvood hontes."