2013
China's first 8-ft continuous-press particleboard line
Commissioned in Henan, opening the 8-ft continuous-press particleboard format in the domestic market.
Manufacturing & Technology
Ten continuous-press lines, one process from log to board
Ningfeng Group runs 10 continuous-press lines across 8 production bases in 5 provinces, pressing particleboard and MDF around the clock, with inline quality scanning and automated handling from mat forming to stacking. Henan holds China's first 8-ft continuous-press particleboard line, commissioned in 2013; Heze Yalian holds China's first continuous-press line for ultra-thin fibreboard, commissioned in 2014. Ningfeng was the first producer in China to press 1.0 mm ultra-thin fibreboard, in 2015, and presses down to 0.8 mm today.
This page follows a board through the process, raw material intake, mat forming, inline sensing, the press itself, cooling, sanding and automated handling, in photographs taken on Ningfeng's own production floors.
Board exiting the press, on the line at a Ningfeng base
Raw material intake
Each base draws plantation wood and processing residue from its home province, one of the 5 Ningfeng operates in: Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei. Logs are inventory-tagged in the yard before debarking and chipping feed the line.
Mat forming
Particle and fibre feed a forming station that lays a continuous mat ahead of the press. Particleboard forms in three layers, fine material at the face for a smooth surface and coarser material in the core, a structure visible edge-on in a finished panel. Forming accuracy at this stage decides thickness tolerance downstream.
Inline quality scanning
A GreCon-branded sensor unit hangs over the mat ahead of the press, scanning for spark risk and foreign objects such as metal and stone that could damage the press or interrupt the line. Every mat crosses this station before it reaches the press.
Continuous pressing
Ningfeng's continuous presses cover the group's full thickness range, 0.8 mm to 30 mm, from ultra-thin HDF to heavy particleboard. Henan holds China's first 8-ft continuous-press particleboard line, commissioned in 2013.
On the thin end, Ningfeng was the first producer in China to press 1.0 mm ultra-thin fibreboard, in 2015, and presses down to 0.8 mm today, holding fractions of a millimetre through mat weight, press gap and the sanding pass that follows.
Cooling
Board leaves the press hot and moves straight into a star cooler, its wheel of arms turning each panel through open air before stacking. An operator monitors the station throughout, the oversight that keeps a fast-moving line consistent panel to panel.
Sanding and finishing
A calibrated sanding pass sets final thickness and face texture before board moves to grading and stacking. This is the same finishing stage that holds tolerance on thin HDF down to 0.8 mm and on particleboard up to 30 mm.
Automated handling
Vacuum and pin grippers on an automated pick head lift finished mat and board off the conveyor for stacking, taking over at the point where a line moves fastest. Automation runs through the process, from mat pickup here to the inline sensors upstream at the press.
Open by design
The plant from inside
Several Ningfeng bases route production past a glass-walled viewing corridor, so a visitor can watch the line without stepping onto the factory floor. Factory audits and plant visits are welcome; arrange one through the contact page.
Technology record
Firsts in continuous pressing and ultra-thin fibreboard
2014
First continuous ultra-thin fibreboard line in China
Commissioned at Heze Yalian, the first continuous-press line built in China for ultra-thin fibreboard.
0.8 mm
First to press 1.0 mm in 2015, 0.8 mm today
Jining Sanlian pressed the first 1.0 mm ultra-thin fibreboard made in China in 2015. The same control chain now holds down to 0.8 mm.
2019
Authored China's first ultra-thin HDF standard
Ningfeng wrote the national standard for ultra-thin HDF, five years after commissioning the line that opened the category.
First Prize
National Forestry Science & Technology Innovation
Awarded for the ultra-thin fibreboard programme, from first continuous line to first national standard.
41 + 8
Patents held, standards authored
Invention and utility-model patents, plus national, industry and group standards covering panel construction, process and equipment.
Manufacturing questions buyers ask
What press technology does Ningfeng run?
Ningfeng operates 10 continuous-press lines across 8 production bases in 5 provinces. Henan runs China's first 8-ft continuous-press particleboard line, commissioned in 2013, and Heze Yalian runs China's first continuous-press line for ultra-thin fibreboard, commissioned in 2014. Across the group, continuous presses cover the full thickness range, 0.8 mm to 30 mm.
Can buyers audit the plants?
Yes. Factory visits and production audits are welcome. Several bases route production past a glass-walled viewing corridor, so a visitor can watch the line without stepping onto the factory floor. Arrange a visit through the contact page.
How does Ningfeng hold thickness tolerance on thin board?
Through three stacked controls: mat-weight metering ahead of the press, gap control through the press itself, and a calibrated sanding pass after cooling. Ningfeng has run this control chain since becoming the first producer in China to press 1.0 mm ultra-thin fibreboard in 2015, and presses down to 0.8 mm today.
What quality checks happen during production?
Inline sensors scan the fibre and particle mat before it reaches the press, checking for spark risk and foreign objects such as metal and stone. Board is checked again after sanding, ahead of grading and stacking.
Come and see the line for yourself
Factory audits and plant visits are part of how we work with distributors and importers. Tell us what you'd like to see, and we'll arrange a tour of the base closest to your specification.