Drying & thermal treatment (roasting)
Service
Wood drying
We do not have our own drying kilns for the technical drying of sawn timber. When it comes to drying, we have been working together with our partner EURO-FOREST in the Steigerwald for many years.
The drying of smaller batches, especially of sawn veneer, is carried out in our own plant. A Sartorius kiln is used to determine the exact residual moisture content and thus dry the wood to the exact target moisture content.
In addition to the (mild) drying of wood at temperatures of up to 90°C, wood can also be treated at higher temperatures.
Thermal treatment
The wood is heated for several hours in closed containers, known as autoclaves, in the absence of oxygen. The temperatures can reach up to 200° C. This process causes the wood to lose volatile substances, making it lighter and changing its colour.
Depending on the intensity of the process, the wood treated in this way is coloured slightly brownish (caramel) or darker (chocolate). Another desirable effect is the reduction in sorption capacity, i.e. the ability to absorb water. This automatically leads to less swelling and shrinkage behaviour and therefore to greater dimensional stability.
