At this stage, the improvement of environmental protection standards and the demand for efficient use of resources have made the exploration and application of new furniture materials more and more important. In the future, material application innovation will become the core embodiment of the competitive differences in the industry.
Large-diameter natural wood that can be used in furniture production is increasingly scarce. With the strengthening of restrictions on the development of forest resources and the improvement of environmental awareness in major timber export areas, the search for sustainable new furniture materials has become a key issue in the development of the industry.
Taking the top international furniture exhibitions as an example, the furniture design displayed not only has artistic value but also forms a significant competitive advantage through material innovation. This innovation is essentially a figurative presentation of scientific and technological strength.
1. Wood-plastic composite materials
Wood-plastic composite materials refer to the use of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene, wood powder, rice husk, straw, and other waste plant fibers mixed into new wood materials, and then extruded, injection molded, and other plastic processing techniques to produce plates or profiles.
Advantages of wood-plastic composite materials：
It is a non-toxic and harmless wood-plastic composite material that combines the advantages of wood and plastic. It has a wide range of raw materials, good mechanical properties, green and environmentally friendly products, and is economical and practical. It has the characteristics of moisture-proof, mildew-proof, anticorrosive, acid-proof, and alkali-resistant.
Application of wood-plastic composite materials in furniture：
(1) Furniture: paving boards, guardrails, pavilions, plank roads, etc. for garden landscapes, park chairs, dining tables, trash cans, flower boxes, etc. for outdoor entertainment venues；
(2) Interior furniture: some bathroom furniture, cabinet furniture, table and stool furniture, floors, doors and windows, decorative strips, wardrobes, and other furniture.
2. Transparent wood
Although wood has many uses, can you imagine that one day it can even replace glass? A team led by Hu Liangbing, a Chinese scientist at the University of Maryland, recently developed a transparent wood and believes that it can be used in furniture, building materials, and other fields in the future.
The results of this research were recently published in the American journal Advanced Materials. First, the colored lignin components in the wood are removed, and then the light refractive index matching material epoxy resin is filled to achieve the optical transparency of the wood. The test results show that the total light transmittance can reach 90%.
Transparent wood is a new material that integrates aesthetics and practicality, so its application prospects are relatively promising.
• Compared with traditional glass, some buildings can be designed with transparent wooden roofs, which can be accurately hoisted with Jib Cranes to provide uniform and comfortable lighting.
• In addition, the panel can be made of transparent wood. Compared with glass, transparent wood has lower thermal conductivity, better impact strength, and lower density.
• Functional transparent wood provides better opportunities for smart buildings. By adding quantum dots, transparent wood has diffuse luminous properties. This can be used for planar light sources, luminous architectural elements, or design furniture.
• To provide electromagnetic interference shielding for transparent wood, magnetic nanoparticles are added.
• Another important application of transparent wood is that it is used as a structural material for some photovoltaic devices (such as electrochromic devices and solar cells). Due to the high haze, transparent wood can be designed as a light diffusion layer. In addition, high haze means a large scattering angle, which increases the length of the optical path inside the solar cell, thereby improving efficiency.
• The device exhibits bright color changes from magenta to transparent, with high coloring efficiency and low driving voltage. The whole concept will help smart windows, thereby saving energy.
• Transparent wood can be used for exterior walls that require sunlight to illuminate the interior but privacy is equally important. This is because transparent wood has a high optical haze value, which allows light to enter, but blocks the line of sight; it can be used in those special situations.
3. Reorganized bamboo
Recombinant bamboo is a new bamboo material that reorganizes and strengthens the bamboo material. That is, the bamboo material is processed into strips of bamboo, bamboo filaments, or crushed into bamboo strands. After drying, it is dipped in glue, dried to the required moisture content, and placed in a mold. The profile is cured by high temperature and high-pressure heat.
Advantages of recombinant bamboo：
It has the advantages of excellent material properties, excellent texture, beautiful texture and color, convenient processing, sustainable supply, green environmental protection, and a high material utilization rate.
Application of recombinant bamboo in furniture：
(1) Some of the furniture produced by recombinant bamboo has the appearance of zebra wood furniture, and some have the effect of teak wood, which is favored by customers at home and abroad.
(2) Recombinant bamboo instead of mahogany is used to manufacture furniture in the traditional Chinese style. These furniture are very similar to mahogany in terms of material texture, touch, color, and texture.
4. Directional particle board
Directional particle board refers to a new type of particle board made of strip-shaped sheet shavings for the surface layer and fine shavings for the core layer, and the surface shavings glued and pressed in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the sheet.
Advantages of directional particle board：
The physical and mechanical properties are far better than ordinary particle boards, close to or even more than plywood. It has the advantages of uniform strength and good dimensional stability. It is an ideal substitute for structural plywood, and its average selling price is only half that of plywood of the same performance.
Application of directional particle board in furniture：
(1) Force components applied to furniture.
(2) Can be used as cabinet side panels, shelves, table and chair panels, etc.
(3) Used as structural panels for kitchen furniture, liners, interior panels, heat insulation panels, sound-absorbing panels, ceilings, and wall panels for house construction.
5. Straw wood-based panel
Straw-based panels are made of various stalks (corn stalks, wheat stalks, cotton stalks, straw stalks) as raw materials, combining physical, chemical, electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, and other technical principles, using high-pressure and molding machinery and equipment, the milled straw fibers are mixed with resin, and the metal molds are pressurized and molded to prepare a variety of high-quality low-density, medium-density, and high-density fiber products.
Advantages of straw wood-based panels：
It is small in size, high in strength, green and environmentally friendly, formaldehyde-free, has good rigidity and seismic resistance, and has good thermal insulation, heat insulation, sound insulation, and fire resistance.
Application of straw wood-based panels in furniture：
Straw wood-based panels enter the veneer process after efficiently transporting raw materials through the overhead crane. cantilever cranes are used to accurately locate and cut the materials. The processing link is supplemented by manual hoists to carry semi-finished products. Finally, the door machine completes the hoisting of large furniture components, which can produce kitchen furniture, office furniture, children’s furniture, bedroom furniture, and other products.
6. 3D curved wood technology
3D curved wood technology originated in Europe. High-temperature pressing methods are used to deform the softened wood, bend and form it, and dry it for a long time in the deformed state to restore and enhance the original rigidity and toughness of the wood to achieve the perfect curvature that the designer wants.
It is reported that a 3D curved wooden chair must be made by a skilled carpenter through 20 processes, with a production cycle ranging from 5 days to 30 days, and the whole process is completed by robots and manual operation.
7. PU foam material
The texture, color, texture, and processing properties are close to that of high-grade woods such as teak, maple, oak, ash, and rutin.
It is better than wood in terms of strength, moisture-proof, insect-proof, flame-retardant, sound insulation, texture, deformation resistance, anti-aging, and many other properties. It can be cut and perforated in the same way as wood.
PU material also has the characteristics of low density, lightweight, non-fragile, stable structure, not easy to deform, good texture, environmental protection, and non-toxic, and has a particularly long service life.
Various carvings with complex craftsmanship are manufactured, with precise dimensions, clear patterns, and clear textures.
8. Corn plastic
With corn and other crops as the main raw materials, a new type of polymer material polymerized by lactic acid is produced through modern biotechnology. It is called the “fourth new type of material” after metal materials, inorganic materials, and polymer materials. It does not have the problem of resource depletion; it will not produce toxic substances to pollute the environment and will not harm the human body.
Consumers are paying more and more attention to the environmental protection and design of furniture. If furniture manufacturers and designers broaden their ideas in the use of new materials, boldly use new materials, enhance the artistry of furniture design, and enhance their sense of science and technology, it will be popular with the new generation of consumers, and it can also open up a new path that no one has walked before, to calmly get rid of the quagmire of price wars with old products.
9. Science and technology wood
A new type of wooden decorative material with the characteristics of natural and precious tree species wood color, texture, texture, etc., or other artistic patterns.
The growth cycle is short, and its popularity will play a protective role in rare tree species.
The regularity of texture and color allows the material to be fully utilized, and the durability of specially treated scientific and technological wood is better than that of ordinary wood.
Technology wood can also be made into various furniture that has both wood texture and brilliant colors as needed, giving designers the greatest design freedom.
10. Natural fiber composite material
A new type of material made of natural fiber and resin matrix. It can be processed repeatedly, has low energy consumption during processing, and has little wear on processing equipment. It has the characteristics of fast moisture absorption and moisture dispersion, antibacterial, corrosion resistance, friction resistance, and low-temperature resistance. Rich in resources, most of them are waste, and the price is low, which not only reduces environmental pressure but also increases economic benefits.
Consumers are paying more and more attention to the environmental protection and design of furniture. If furniture manufacturers and designers broaden their ideas in the use of new materials, boldly use new materials, enhance the artistry of furniture design, and enhance their sense of science and technology, it will be popular with the new generation of consumers, and it can also open up a new path that no one has walked before, to calmly get rid of the quagmire of price wars with old products.