Medium Density Fiberboard ( MDF Board) : Uses, Manufacturing, Advantages & Disadvantages

MDF full form is Medium Density Fiberboard. MDF is the alternative to plywood made by breaking down the softwood or hardwood pieces into well-shaped wood fibers, often in a defibrillator, mixing it with wax and a resin binder to put in properties.

It is a welfare item it has a broad variety of works in different industries. MFD Board is an economical and internal use item taking its lower resistance to moisture properties.

  1. Medium Density Fiberboard  

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) is mainly used for internal usage, in part due to its sufficient moisture resistance. It is reachable in raw form with a finely sanded exterior or with garnishing coats such as wood veneer, melamine paper, or vinyl.

Medium-density fiberboard is thicker than plywood. It is made of breaking down various fibers but can be used as a building material as we do in application to plywood. It is tougher and thicker than particleboard.

Medium Density Fiberboard is standard density fiberboard. A building and DIY sheet material used in cabinetry, furniture, and molding. As a material, Medium Density Fiberboard is very versatile and cost-effective, preparing it an unbelievable selection for a project.

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) isn’t usually utilized as a finish alone but is instead made with a veneer or laminate, giving the sense of real wood.

  2. Uses of MDF Board  

MDF Board can be very effortlessly cut, shaped, and painted because of its smooth and shiny character.

The major uses of MDF boards are as follows:

1. Furniture  

The MDF board is to manufacture various furniture products used by many companies.MDF boards are proven to be economical compared to pure wooden furniture products in the market.

Furniture manufacturing by the utilization of fiberboard are cheaper and their preparation cost is lower compared to other product.

These are popular furniture materials as their manufacturing cost is lower than ready-made types of furniture.

2. Cabinetry

The MDF board is utilized in house interior carpentry cabinetry work.

There are a number of cabinets you will see that are prepared of MDF board and which are wrapped with laminated wood at the top.

House furniture like cabinets of kitchens and units of shelving are also produced from MDF board, used for molding work, Door framework, and laminated wooden flooring.

3. Fire Resistance

MDF boards provide fire protection because it owns good quality fire resistance properties.

The new construction trend to utilize fire resistance materials for building construction is growing hugely.

There are various types of MDF materials utilized to build business buildings, office buildings, and other types of buildings.

4. Vapour Repulsion

MDF boards are utilized as insulation and barrier to vapors in various commercial as well as residential buildings.

This fibreboard is made in such a way that it can resist moisture for a long time and shrinkage-free the drying process without any decaying effect on it.

MDF boards are resistant the moisture access into the house, therefore less heating is needed in the house and eventually decreases the electricity bill.

5. Soundproofing

MDF boards can be used as a sound barrier in-house. It will help to decrease the volume of noise in the home.

Many sound speaker-producing companies utilize the MDF board in their speaker because it absorbs sound and decreases internal vibration.

MDF boards are also utilized in offices, newsrooms, and building flats for lowering the volume of noise produced.

6. Roofing

Fibreboard is utilized in home roofing systems as it owns a good quality of weather resistance. MDF boards are the best material to utilize for shingles backing of different roof types.

MDF boards can be utilized for wall sheathing work of the home interior. It is a flexible and durable material utilized in home exterior and interior work decoration.

  3. MDF Board Manufacturing  

The following is the manufacturing process of MDF board,

1. Debarking and Chipping

2. Chip Water

3. Defibrillator

4. Mat Formation

5. Storage

1. Debarking And Chipping

The first step in the preparation of the Medium Density Fiberboard is Debarking. The bark of the softwood of eucalyptus can be found as it is but to provide a normal quality of the final product the bark from the log is separated.

This decreases grit and organic waste. It also authorizes quick drainage of the water and authorizes a finer surface finish.

Once the bark is neglected the log is then stripped. The chipper drum reduces the logs into evenly molded chips. The ensuing chips, if they are too big, maybe re-chipped, and the undersized chips are used for alternative use.

2. Chip Water  

The chips are then cleaned to watch for damage. The procedure also separates bits of bark, dirt, dust, and so on.

3. Defibrator

Before the defibration process, the chips are laminated with molten paraffin wax. This glues the chips jointly. The glued chips are now left to dry by moving through a heated air dryer. This brings out the defective fibers.

The chips are then fed into the defibrillator for limited minutes at a high temperature while they are ground to create a pulp. Right through from the defibrillator, there is the entry of pulp in blowing, where it is blended with the resin.

The wax increases the moisture resistance and the resin is used to lower clumping but eventually is the primary binding agent. It is then passed through a dryer where it dries out quickly.

4. Mat Formation

The dry fibers are now transferred to the mat-forming system. Here they are placed on the belt which is moved into a straight mat with the help of the distribution arms.

The mat is wrapped through a series of heavy rollers which provides them the desired thickness. The perimeter cutting saws cut the perimeters of the mat to give the wanted shape and size to the board. The chipped fiber from the perimeters cutting is vacuumed and recycled for the next step.

The mat is hence transferred through a hot press to make a strong bonding of the fiber mats. The hot press permits up to 10 mats to be pressed at a time to the required thicknesses.

The boards are measured on a weighing machine, chilled to compartment temperature in a star cooler, and then transferred on a platform. They are then trimmed off with the use of the saws to the required size.

5. Storage

The cut-off Medium Density Fiberboardboards are now kept in the storage house from where they are transferred into the trucks as per the necessary quantity.

  4. Advantages of MDF Board  

The advantages of MDF Wood are as follows:

✔ It is cheap and easily available on the market.

✔ It is environment friendly as it saves the trees as it is a recycling procedure.

✔ It is simple to take any color where wood carries long tenure for staining several colors.

✔ Medium Density Fiberboard does contain any type of knots or kinks os, it has a smooth and shiny surface.

✔ MDF boards can be easily protected by some insects as chemicals are used for the preparation of MDF boards.

✔ It can be painted or shaded and given a look almost the same as natural wood.

✔ Depiction on Medium Density Fiberboard is simpler than on wood.

✔ To give Medium Density Fiberboard look like natural wood veneers, laminators may easily be connected to it.

✔ The strong, dense, flat, stiff Medium Density Fiberboard is a decent choice rather than wood.

✔ Medium Density Fiberboard has no grain as it is not a real product, it is easy to cut, and drill without any damage.

✔ It has good machining properties for its sufficient density.

  5. Disadvantages of MDF Wood  

The disadvantages of MDF wood are as follows:

✔ An MDF board has poor strength and less life compared to wood.

✔ Medium Density Fiberboard can break down or gash under high pressure.

✔ Medium Density Fiberboard absorbs water rapidly ad compared to wood.

✔ Fixing screws and nails in the MDF board is not easy work.

✔ Medium Density Fiberboard is made of VOC, including urea-formaldehyde, which can access into lungs and eyes and result in irritation in the eyes.

✔ MDF board cutting produces more dust in the air which causes infection to the lungs and makes breathing hard for humans.

  6. MDF Board Vs Particle Board