Do birch rotary cut veneers need to be steamed
Birch, as a common broad-leaved tree material, is widely used in the production of rotary veneer due to its straight texture, fine structure, and ease of processing. Whether birch wood needs to be steamed before rotary cutting should be comprehensively judged based on the characteristics of the wood and the process objectives.
Untreated birch wood has uneven moisture content, and direct rotary cutting can easily lead to large fluctuations in veneer thickness, surface fuzzing, and even cracking. Steaming treatment through high-temperature steam infiltration can fully absorb water and soften the wood cell walls, enhancing fiber flexibility. For example, steaming birch wood in hot water at 80-90 ℃ for 2-3 hours can uniformly increase its moisture content to 40% -50%. At this time, the thickness deviation of the sliced veneer can be controlled within ± 0.1mm, and the surface smoothness is significantly improved.
But steaming is not a necessary process. If the birch wood raw material is freshly cut or naturally dried to a moisture content of 15% -20%, and the precision of the rotary cutting equipment is high, it can be directly processed to reduce energy consumption. In addition, excessive steaming may lead to a decrease in wood strength, affecting subsequent bonding performance.
In practical operation, it is recommended to flexibly choose according to birch specifications, production efficiency, and product quality requirements. For high-precision furniture veneers or export orders, steaming treatment can enhance product competitiveness; However, using single boards for ordinary packaging can simplify the process and reduce costs.
