Kiln Sticks for Lumber Drying
Our high-performance thermoplastic kiln stickers offer long-lasting, extremely effective heat-generation solutions for kiln-drying operations.
Without a doubt, drying is the most important step in the manufacture of wood and ceramic products or the disposal of waterlogged waste. Lowering the moisture content improves product quality while reducing transportation costs.
Take your drying or dehydration application to new levels of operational performance with polycarbonate kiln sticks from Preferred Plastics. An ISO 9001:2015-certified extruder of thermoplastic resins, we specialize in the manufacture of rigid, flexible, and co-extruded products for a wide range of markets throughout the world. Our high-performance thermoplastic kiln stickers offer long-lasting, extremely effective heat-generation solutions for kiln-drying operations.
Kiln Stick Advantages
Kiln sticks are used to dry or dehydrate lumber, ceramic items, waste, and other products both in kilns and in natural, outdoor environments. Also called stacking sticks or kiln stickers, they improve the drying process by enabling air to contact all sides of the item being dried uniformly. This offers a range of advantages:
- Better usability
- Lower likelihood of stain or decay
- Reduced susceptibility to insect damage
- Increased strength
- Lower shipping costs
- Enhanced finishing
- Improved heat insulation
- Greater preservation
- Added value
Common Drying Issues
After trees, agriculture products, or minerals are harvested, the weight of water is often more significant than the items themselves. This water must be removed to some degree for usability. Drying with natural products can be problematic, however.
Extensive energy usage
Drying operations account for up to 80 percent of an application’s total energy usage.
The possibility of drying defects
As materials like wood and ceramics dry, they shrink in several dimensions. Incorrectly dried products can exhibit defects like checks, splits, warping, casehardening, and honeycombing. These nonconformities can reduce value or result in scrap, which negatively impacts the bottom line.
Thermoplastics vs Wood
Conventional drying methods have peaked. Improve your application with high-value kiln sticks from Preferred Plastics.
Our kiln stacking sticks are manufactured from high-performance polycarbonate, a thermoplastic material prized for its strength, flexibility, and weatherability. It efficiently absorbs and withstands heat, which creates a range of benefits over traditional kiln stickers for drying applications.
- Low initial cost
- Long-term usability
- Increased performance
- Low operational cost
- Improved environmental sustainability
Polycarbonate kiln stacking stickers from Preferred Plastics are incredibly effective at transferring energy to the items being dried. Polycarbonate is also considerably less toxic than many other plastics, and the ease with which it’s recycled adds to its environmental friendliness. A range of industries can benefit from our polycarbonate kiln stick products.
- Lumber
- Agriculture
- Minerals
- Sludge removal
- Ceramics
- Food production
- Waste industries
Trusted Drying and Dehydration Solutions for Demanding Applications
For industries that must dry products before transporting them to market, performance is critical. Subpar drying or dehydrating processes can lead to missed production targets and cost overruns. Off-the-shelf kiln stickers are not enough for these situations.
At Preferred Plastics, our area of expertise is the production of tailor-made polycarbonate kiln stacking stick solutions for challenging applications. We have a vast knowledge of the issues you are up against and work in partnership with you to develop optimal products using a trusted consultative process aimed at successfully addressing performance, fitment, longevity, and safety.
Contact us to learn more about our polycarbonate kiln stickers.
