Cost competitive eco-friendly and acoustic wooden doors for indoor applications

Project Information

ECO-SILENTWOOD

Grant agreement ID: 666425

DOI

10.3030/666425

Project closed

EC signature date 9 April 2015

Start date 1 May 2015

End date 30 April 2017

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Total cost

€ 1 881 186,50

EU contribution

€ 1 316 829,95

Coordinated by

LUALDI SPA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - ECO-SILENTWOOD (Cost competitive eco-friendly and acoustic wooden doors for indoor applications)

Reporting period: 2016-11-01 to 2017-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Windows and doors are key components to ensure the noise insulation of a room. Some sectors, looks for noise reduction solutions in indoor doors, in order to ensure the comfort. That is the case of (a) Medical applications: 35dBA of S.R.I. would cover most of customer and regulatory demands; (b) Hotel door applications (customers demands 34dBA); Dwelling entrances (customers demand over 35-38dB). We are going to define the exploitation strategies to ensure a 5% market share of the European doors market for dwelling building, education and sanitation centres by year 5, with a total cumulated turnover of € 23.8 million.To meet this goal we wil launch a a product that ensures 37 dBA for doors, with a maximum thickness of 45 mm and maximum wight of 70kg.. Current prototypes of our technology reach even 42 dBA of SRI. Our wood door is fire resistance at EI30 (meaning the door can keep its integrity at least 30 minutes in case of fire) with a maximum door thickness of 45 mm and a maximum weight of 70 kg. Besides, and looking for complying with national eco-bales, our doors are based on eco-friendly materials: (a) wood wool instead of rock wool, (b) 100% recycled acoustic underlay manufactured from a combination of cork granules and rubber crumb or by a wood fibre and cork material instead of promasound and (c) recycled plastic/wood composite (instead of plastic/wood composite). This will give us access to a new market nice: the green building sector. To be unique in the market, our door must ensure a cost under 650 €, therefore we will establish a LEAN manufacturing strategy that will allow for a15% cost reduction with respect to the SILENTWOOD proposed solution (actual prices is around 800 to 900 € per door).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In order to turn the wood door into and eco-friendly product, it was necessary to dedicate the first WP (WP1) to the validation of the selected eco-friendly materials (sheep-wool, composite with recycled plastics and the alternative to Promasound®) to ensure that meet the same functionalities that the ECO-SILENTWOOD. In order to demonstrate the door prototype in an operational environment (TRL7) in WP2 we will optimise the manufacturing process aiming to the adoption of the Lean Manufacturing Strategy (to optimise product cost and increase the competitiveness of the SME companies) and in performing a cost and Life Cycle Analysis of the process. This WP will also be used to select the final structure for ECO-SILENTWOOD between the “omega-shaped structure” and the “multi-layered with inner stiffeners structure. WP2 will be focused on the manufacturing process optimisation WP2 will require the input of WP1. The functional materials will be characterised by laboratory measures and those which achieve better properties in acoustic insulation and fulfil the weight, thermal and fireproofing requirements will be selected to take part in the structure of the door. The following main achievements in the first six month were reached:
The objective of the first sixth month of WP1 was the development of the novel eco-friendly composite and the functional comparison of selected eco-friendly material to validate the best candidates of the new multi-layer panels of the door.
A selection of different materials has been carried out and the following materials have been selected. Porous materials; Isolina, Hemp Premium, Jute Duo and Cellulose and viscoelastic materials; Regupol 4515 Eco, Clempoflex LD 10 and Silentblock. Consortium of the Ecosilentwood project have proposed to include the HDF panels as the best alternative of the WPCs due to the high offer of ecological versions of this panels with free or low formaldehyde content with the required dimensions. All materials were tested.
On WP 2 Industrial Process Optimisation the Task 2.2.: Adapting Lean manufacturing strategy to ECO-SILENTWOOD products has been started. Questionnaires to raise answers on the diagnosis of the current state-of-the-art, the LEAN strategy and the waste Audit has been circulated to the beneficiaries and returned to the sub-contractor for further analysis.
Following the Industrial process optimization performed during WP2, the present deliverable shows the work carried out within the second reporting period, about the progress on the optimization of the industrial process (WP2), Cost and Life Cycle Analysis and Lean Manufacturing Implementation, and the integration of the selected eco-friendly materials in the door structure (WP3), re-design and optimization of the door structure and design of process set-up and outline the production system concerning its sustainability. In this period also started work in WP4 Validation of prototypes & Certification of the eco-silentwood product (4.1 Development of prototypes adapted to usages).
Activities for the implementation of different Lean tools at the production processes of the three participant door manufacturers and Information gathering for the Cost and Life Cycle Analysis have started in the second period and ended in the third period.
These results, let to carry out a preliminary feasibility study of the different combinations under the framework of Task 3.2 along with the definition of the production process of the ECOSILENTWOOD by the three door manufacturers.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Only in the western European market for interior doors (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Great Britain and Spain) 25.7 million interior doors were sold in 2013, of which 3.3 million are dwelling entrance doors for apartments. In terms of value, the market size for the year 2013 amounted to 3.8 billion euros.
The main driver in the market for interior doors is the residential housing segment. Out of all the interior doors sold, 61.5% were sold for residential housing. In Italy this figure is the highest at 76.2%; in Great Britain it is the lowest at 42.0%. It is also encouraging that the construction industry will consolidate this year. Since 2008 the number of completed residential housing units has decreased annually by 12.8% in volume; this will, however, reverse course in 2014 with an expected increase of 2.0%. Even the renovation segment will grow by 2.1% due to the 1.9% growth in 2014, that is, 1.9% growth for the period 2012 – 2016.
Our technology is addressed to those end-users that require comfort (in terms of noise reduction); not only residential housing (dwelling entrances with the 61,5%) but also medical centres, hotels or offices which we estimate that represent another 15% of the doors market. In terms of money we speak about a potential market of 2,9 billion euros.
The comfort criteria for these potential customers are the following:
- Dwelling entrances: Regulatory frame establishes 30dBA of S.R.I. on most European countries. However, customers – especially in Slovenia, Italy and the UK – demand over 35-38dBA.
- Medical centres: 35dBA of sound reduction index (S.R.I.) would cover most of customer and regulatory demands.
- Hotels: A European survey of 18 cities accounted over 680,000 hotel rooms and as an average they are asking for a noise reduction of, at least, 34dBA; however, if we want to reach this market completely, 37-38dBA would be required.

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Example of exterior door