Sunderman

In 1994 we built an establishment in Banská Štiavnica for hydrothermal treatment of beech cuts by means of pressure steaming technology.

Pressure steaming takes place in pressurised containers of cylindrical shape, made of stainless steel. The heat source for the steaming process is the dense steam of pressure p=0,36 Mpa.

The process of steaming wood in pressurised containers is controlled by automatic regulation and it proceeds in the s.c. three-stage system. The cycle of steaming cuts takes 6 to 7 hours depending on the thickness of cuts, the purpose of steaming, and the temperature of the dense steam.

Steaming beech wood with the dense steam under high pressure alters properties of beech wood more significantly than in the case of steaming with the ambient steam-air mixture. Among the changes that modify utility chacteristics, the most important are those concerning:

- colour
- mechanical properties

Up to 1.800 m3 of cuts of various parametres are processed in this establishment every year.

We technically dry hydrothermally treated cuts up to desired humidity according to customer´s orders.