18mm plywood is a type of engineered wood product that is commonly used in construction and furniture-making. It is made by gluing together thin layers of wood veneer, with each layer oriented perpendicular to the previous one. This cross-grain construction gives plywood its strength and durability.
To make 18mm plywood, manufacturers typically start with logs of hardwood or softwood species such as birch, poplar, or pine. The logs are debarked, cut into small sections, and then dried to a specific moisture content. The dried wood sections are then run through a veneer lathe, which peels off thin sheets of wood that are typically around 0.5mm thick.
These veneer sheets are then sorted by thickness and quality and then glued together in a process known as a layup. The glue used in this process is typically a type of resin, such as urea-formaldehyde or phenol-formaldehyde, which provides strong bonding properties and helps to make the plywood resistant to moisture and warping.
Once the veneer sheets are glued together, the resulting panel is trimmed to size and sanded smooth. The final product is a strong, stable, and versatile material that can be used for a wide range of applications.