FFC Patent

What is FFC?

FFC is a composite made up of a mixture of thermoplastic material and vegetable fibers, lightened by expansion.

These raw materials, suitably formulated with stabilizers, lubricants and expanding agents, are mixed to obtain a homogeneous compound ready to be extruded, directly from a dry blend, on extrusion lines equipped with special single screws or counter-rotating twin screws.

The material

FFC ™ is not commercially available at any plastic or composite materials transformer, therefore it can be found only through Friul Filiere SpA. Friul Filiere provides the process know-how and the recipe of the compound to be extruded, which can be customized to allow the customer to produce it independently. The customer can be supported in the development of their product by Friul Filiere SpA which designs, manufactures and tests the equipment and systems, within its headquarter.

The Advantages

Recycle your waste

The real innovative strength of the FFC ™ composite lies in the possibility to recycle and reuse not only the waste of vegetable fibers (jute, hemp, sugar cane, etc.) but above all the waste of thermosetting plastic materials classified as Special Waste (rubber, urea, melamine, phenolics, paints, MDF).

These wastes may no longer represent a cost to be incurred (for disposal) but a raw material to be included in the formulation, allowing to reduce production costs and making the profile significantly cheaper.

FRIUL FILIERE SPA research has already shown how starting from a compound obtained from the mixture of waste a high quality finished profile, with excellent physical-mechanical characteristics, can be brought to light.

The Patent

FRIUL FILIERE SPA has a worldwide patent application that covers all aspects of this technology:

Applications

FFC ™ is ideal for applications in many different sectors: decorative frames, components for aluminum-wood frames, skirting boards, door frames, wall cladding panels, profiles in general – even more so if they are complex. It’s an alternative to WPC or other thermoplastics but above all, it wins the comparison with MDF.

Its properties permanently eliminate the many problems hitherto unsolved, such as the deformation of the profiles due to water absorption or dimensional stability. In this composite, the thermoplastics loaded with natural fibers are lightened by expansion, which allows to obtain a profile: monomaterial that has a compact, smooth and rigid surface on the outside and a closed cell expanded mass on the inside; “Ultra-light” since it boasts a specific weight of up to 0.6 / 0.7 g./cm³, which considerably reduces the cost; workable like wood (planing, gluing, veneering, screwing, milling and nailing, with the possibility of coating with ennobling films, direct painting and lacquering); ecological as it is 100% recyclable; self-extinguishing, classified in class VO according to UL94 standards; with excellent physical-mechanical characteristics such as dimensional stability, very low water absorption, the expansion being made “with closed cells” does not retain moisture; good degree of elasticity (which makes applications possible even on curved surfaces), thermal and acoustic insulation, which make it ideal for energy renovations as it complies with European efficiency parameters.

In the furniture and furnishing accessories sector, it offers the possibility of developing innovative solutions By replacing the traditional wooden profiles, FFC ™ profiles while maintaining the natural and aesthetically pleasing aspect,  FFC turns out to be technically superior as it eliminates numerous problems that have not been resolved before: it doesn’t deteriorate and doesn’t require maintenance ; it doesn’t undergo color alterations on the corners and in the points generally attacked by humidity; it is antibacterial.

It is suitable for those who want to design innovative solutions. FFC ™ technology allows to produce even very complex profiles equipped, for example, with squared sections for special hooks, which cannot be made with wood or derivatives and their respective manufacturing processes.

The achievable aesthetic surface finishes allow the combination with the other components of the furniture or furnishing accessory in wood, MDF or other, as regards color, aesthetic appearance, wood effect, gloss / opacity or better, surface “gloss”, thanks the use of the same finishing materials.