Ellstrom's membrane pressing operation opens another door to success.

This Seattle-based laminator has made a big business in manufacturing thermoformed doors.

You might say there is a pressing demand at Ellstrom Mfg. for thermoformed doors and drawer fronts. In fact, this Seattle-based company currently manufactures more than 100,000 thermoformed doors a month.

That's quite a lot considering just five years ago, when Ellstrom purchased its first membrane press, the entire concept of thermoformed doors in the United States was just that - a concept.

"Six years ago, we saw a big demand for white cabinet doors in the industry," said Erick Ellstrom, vice president in charge of sales and engineering. "When we went to Europe to look at ways of producing the white doors, we originally looked at painting with high solids. But we saw thermoforming, and found it more appealing, from both a manufacturing and consistency standpoint. "Since the company was experienced in laminating flat panels, three-dimensional lamination became a natural transition.

Ellstrom added, "But when we started producing the thermoformed doors, there really wasn't a market yet for them here in the United States.... Most people weren't familiar with the thermoformed doors, so in the beginning there was a lot of skepticism. But today, it is the standard in the industry."

Seamless 3-D lamination

Membrane pressing offers several advantages over flat lamination, the most significant being the quick and "practically seamless" laminating of three-dimensional products. For example, routed MDF door and drawer fronts can be laminated in a single step, often in under three minutes per cycle, said Tom Gentry, supervisor for the membrane press area at Ellstrom.

"But before we membrane press the doors, we use a press to apply a melamine back to the panels," Gentry said. Hence the term "practically seamless" is used, because a slight seam will exist where the film on the bottom of the panel meets with that on the top.

Panels are sent through a Wemhoner melamine press. It takes approximately 15 to 35 seconds for the melamine impregnated overlay to be laminated to the underside of the board. "The reason this press works so fast is that we modified the upcycle," said Sven Ellstrom, company president.

The panels are then cut to size on one of two Holzma panel saws. Although the company laminates and machines both MDF as well as particleboard and other substrates, Ellstrom's thermoformed doors are made from MDF unless otherwise specified by the customer.

Designs are routed onto the panels by three Heian routers. Profiles are designed by Ellstrom's engineering department or per customer specifications.

After routing, parts are sanded smooth in the SCMI Sandya widebelt sander and an air hose is used to blow off any additional dust. This step is crucial in that any imperfection left on the panel can telegraph through the laminate, ruining the piece.

Next, the machined panel is sent to the membrane press area, where a thin water-based adhesive film is sprayed onto the parts. Ellstrom formulates its own adhesives, which include water-based as well as urethane glues.

To laminate the three-dimensional components, Ellstrom uses two Wemhoner membrane presses, one of which it purchased in 1991, and the other which it purchased in 1993. Although both are currently used for pressing PVC, Ellstrom has, in the past, membrane pressed veneer.

"The only big difference between pressing veneer and PVC is the timing and temperature," said Gentry.

The biggest demand now is for PVC. "We have several jobs going at once," said Gentry. "We work two shifts, so the presses are working continuously, 16 hours a day," he added.

Two workers are on hand to work each membrane press. The two match a rigid thermoformed overlay to the part to be pressed. Cycle times for the membrane presses vary, based on the overlay used. For example, the typical press time for white thermoformed doors is approximately three minutes, Gentry said.

"We'll press approximately 3,000 parts per day, with each press handling about the same quantity," he added. The laminate overhang is trimmed automatically by a computerized Arminius machine designed specifically for Ellstrom.

Preference for white doors

Consistent with the trend for bright, light cabinetry and kitchens, the most popular color for thermoformed doors and drawer fronts is white. Ellstrom stocks four different whites in the rigid vinyl for thermoforming.

"Our average in one month is probably over 100,000 white doors. Wood grains are probably another 10 percent (approximately 10,000)," said Erick Ellstrom.

In addition to the four standard whites, Ellstrom also stocks: a high-gloss white, a high-gloss ash, white ash, cherry, oak, three styles of maple, gray, almond and black.

"We're still seeing a big demand for white, and also for some of the bleached maple and hard rock maple," added Gentry.

Flatline lamination still big business

Although membrane-pressed doors and drawer fronts comprise a growing portion of Ellstrom's laminating business, they are not the biggest segment.

"High pressure laminated products are probably our biggest business, then melamine laminated products, and then thermoformed," said Erick Ellstrom.

A large portion of Ellstrom's business is with the aerospace and marine industries, where jobs have included everything from laminating propellers to boat cabin components. Another business segment includes the furniture and fixture industries.

The diversity of Ellstrom's business is easier to understand once you look at its four divisions: E-Lam, marine, wood and exterior cladding, for use in buildings, schools, hospitals and airports.

The three main divisions are: E-Lam - which manufactures foil and melamine decorative panels; marine/pleasure craft - in which panels are machined in much the same way as for furniture, but with different core materials and adhesives; and the wood division - which includes laminating boards and components for the furniture, cabinet and computer furniture industries, as well as exercise equipment and other wood-related product industries.

"We laminate thousands of sheets per day of the high pressure and melamine," Erick Ellstrom said. He added that the company will also carbon fiber laminate, a method of hot press lamination used primarily by the aerospace industry.

In Ellstrom's wood division, particle-board, MDF and plywood are the primary substrates used in the flat lamination process. Ellstrom relies on three cold presses - two Black Bros. and one which the company custom designed - for pressing the high pressure laminate. In another area of the 265,000-square-foot plant, melamine impregnated sheets are laminated on a Wemhoner press. The press is capable of laminating 600 panels per day, said Sven Ellstrom. This includes both double-side lamination, and single sided; the single-sided panels are typically used for the membrane press operation. Typical panel sizes are 4 feet by 8, 10 or 12 feet, and 5 feet by 8, 10 or 12 feet.

All flat laminated panels receive edging via a Homag softformer. Boring and drilling, as well as other machining options, are also available.

"I like to think that the equipment we buy - while it may not be the most inexpensive - is always the best," Erick Ellstrom said. It is this manufacturing philosophy which has enabled the company to grow - in 36 years - from a small enterprise to a high-production facility with worldwide sales.

From the first cold press to hot sales

Sven said he began his laminating career in a roundabout fashion. In 1959, after working his way up from mechanic to flight engineer in the Royal Swedish Air Force, he took a two-year leave of absence to work in Alaska.

He made it as far as Seattle. Once there, he said, he found himself out of money and without a job. But by March 15, 1960, he had enough capital - $856 - and garnered enough experience, to open his first laminating facility.

"I built my first press, a cold press, out of scrap metal parts I could find," Sven said. "It was quite an experience ... the press was cold, and the building was cold and leaked."

But it didn't stop there. "I then built a 12-foot saw and a 5-foot saw - the hydraulics I added were from a plane. We had just a few people working here, doing whatever jobs we could," he added.

Today, Ellstrom Mfg. employs more than 85 people at its Seattle-based facility, located just blocks away from that first building. In addition to Sven and Erick, Tom, Sven's oldest son, is vice president in charge of production, while daughter Lisa handles the growing company's public relations.

And Ellstrom continues to grow, said Erick, because it expands beyond the boundaries of a traditional laminated component manufacturer, and into new markets. (See sidebar on STEL Flooring, page 122.)

RELATED ARTICLE: STEL BECOMES LATEST ENTRANT IN LAMINATE FLOORING MARKET

Settle-based STEL Flooring Inc., an affiliate of Ellstrom Mfg., has signed an agreement with Formica Corp. to manufacture laminate flooring.

Using Formica brand laminates developed specifically for flooring, STEL has the capability to laminate two types of product: either a two-step (high pressure) or direct (low pressure) lamination process. Cores will be of high density fiberboard, MDF and some proprietary formulations, said Erick Ellstrom, vice president in charge of sales and engineering at Ellstrom Mfg.

The approximately 200,000-square foot plant is set to go on-line later this month, producing planks in both wood grains and patterns. Tiles will be manufactured at a later date, Ellstrom said.

STEL Flooring (an acronym for Sven, Tom, Erick and Lisa - all members of the Ellstrom family) will be available for sale this summer through Formica.

K.K.