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1. Peeling
The logs selected by Alpi technicians working on controlled and certified plantations (Italian poplar) and in accordance with the strict forestry legislation in force in Cameroon (Ayous) are debarked and converted into thin sheets by a peeling machine and then cut to the sizes required for the subsequent manufacturing process. |
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2. Dyeing
The core of the Alpi process involves dyeing the sheets to obtain the desired colour shade. As a result of the constant research into wood dyeing carried out in the Alpi laboratories, dyeing systems based entirely on water cycles have been developed. The wood sheets are impregnated by immersion in steel tanks at controlled temperature, with the addition of soluble dyes with an organic structure and without chromium or other heavy metals.
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3. Composition
According to the wood species to be reproduced or the required design, the dyed veneers are mixed, superimposed with the same fibre orientation and piled up for pressing. |
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4. Glueing
The block of piled up sheets proceeds to a gluing roller that spreads glue onto each sheet. The glueing operation has two important functions: it transforms the pack of sheets into a single unit and creates special patterns according to the colour of the glue used. |
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5. Pressing
The block of glued sheets is introduced into a flat press or a press with particular moulds according to the required design. The particular moulds determine the crown or burl designs while the quarter cut designs are created with a flat mould and final cutting angles. At the end of the pressing stage a compact rectangular block with a length of several metres and width and height about 70 cm is obtained. This is the famous Alpi log. |
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6. Squaring
The Alpi log is suitably squared and sanded before being sliced or sawn to obtain veneers or boards. |
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7. Slicing
After being trimmed and squared, the Alpi log is sliced to obtain multilaminar (or reconstituted) veneer from 0.4 to 2 mm thick. |
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8. Final inspection
Every sheet undergoes meticulous quality inspection and if necessary is repaired by experts using cabinet-making techniques. |
