Prefinished timber cladding incorporating nanotechnology is another value-added product being targeted at the UK market. The Faszino product, developed by Austrian company Hutter Holzindustrie GmbH in collaboration with Wood Research Austria.
The product is based on the company’s New Wood virtually knot-free timber – Austrian highland spruce or fir from altitudes over 1,000m. It is cut to radial or semi-radial boards, finger-jointed and then processed into the cladding profiles. Golden Eye X-ray technology is used to identify and eliminate wood defects.
The result, Hutter says, is long length sections (up to 6m) with high strength and dimensional stability. Prefinishing involves the application of several wafer-thin coats of Pearl Finish lacquer, embedded with nanoscaled silicon particles for extra weather resistance.
Completing the system is the mounting system, called Fixx Quick. This involves grooved profiles on the bottom of boards slotting into aluminium clamps on rails connected to the building structure.
The advantages over standard fixing, says Hutter, include an intact front surface due to no screwing, increased durability, equal spacing and easy replacement of individual boards.
Euroscan (Timber Products) Ltd is Hutter’s UK agent.
