High-quality fibres from wood and other fibrous materials are the basic prerequisite for the production of first-class MDF boards. Fibre production is not trivial from a technical point of view; the machines required - the refiners - consume a lot of energy and require a lot of maintenance.
The process of fibre production must be adapted to the type of wood and the properties of the chips to ensure a uniform quality of the fibres. It involves several steps: The wood chips are first boiled, transported to the actual refiner, where they are defibrated and finally transported further. All in all, one speaks of a refiner system. The refining system comprises the components pre-steam bunker, plug screw, digester, refiner, and discharge valve, among others. It is usually ordered and delivered as a unit.
There are different types of refiners depending on the application. Single-disc refiners are commonly used in the production of wood fiberboard, where one disc is fixed and a second disc rotates against it. Powerful refiners of this type have a diameter of a good 1.5 m and a connected electrical load of up to 12 MW. Quality criteria are the geometry of the produced fibers, energy consumption and also the convenient replacement of the refiner segments, which is regularly necessary.