Measuring raised grain on wood - A path to solving water-based coatings biggest challenge

 
One of the biggest challenges facing producers of coatings for wood is the transition from solvent-based to water-based products. One reason is raised grain (small fibers that rise from the surface when water is applied) - an issue that is particular to wooden surfaces. As a result, customers that adopt water-based coatings face increased production costs, due to the need for intermediate sanding to remove the fibers. At the Danish Technological Institute, we have recently developed a new technique to quantify raised grain. The new method has been successfully used by WOCA Denmark to develop new water-based products, that reduce raised grain by 50-80 %, compared to existing products. Raised grain on oak, measured in a matter of minutes with the new technique. Fibers are identified and counted automatically, and the raised grain can be quantified using measures such as fiber density per area, average height and size.