This piece was written and provided by FTMA Strategic Partner, Timberlink Australia.
Engineered wood products (EWPs) are being used more and more in Australia (and around the world), especially in mid-rise buildings. This is a growing trend, due to several factors, such as cost effectiveness, efficiency, and a growing demand for sustainable building materials.
But with options like CLT, GLT, LVL & OSB – acronyms galore- it’s no wonder there may be some confusion about which EWP is the right material for the job.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the newest EWP’s manufacturing plant being built in Australia by NeXTimber® by Timberlink.
Glue Laminated Timber, often referred to as GLT or Glulam has long been popular in the Australian EWP category. The availability of this product will be significantly increased with Timberlink’s new Cross Laminated timber (CLT) and GLT plant being constructed in Tarpeena South Australia. Not only does GLT provide impressive strength characteristics, when sourced from suppliers with sustainable forestry practices and certifications, it can boast some equally as impressive environmental credentials, too.
NeXTimber GLT will be made by finger jointing and layering machine-graded, kiln-dried and dressed Radiata pine which is then laminated together with adhesive and cured under pressure to form one singular element that can be used as a high-performing structural member.
The timber’s grain runs in one direction, making it versatile and well suited for use as beams, columns and portal frame structures.
Typical structural applications for NeXTimber GLT include
- Garage Lintels
- Sliding door headers
- Ridge beams
- Floor Joists
- Architectural features.
NeXTimber CLT GLT Facility being constructed in Tarpeena South Australia
Like GLT, CLT is also made from machine-graded, kiln-dried Radiata pine, which is finger jointed, dressed and arranged to form a solid timber panel. Alternating layers are laid perpendicular to each other, with adhesive applied along the faces and edges of each piece of timber before being cured under pressure to form one solid rectangular billet up to 16m in length and 3.5m wide.
Individual building elements are then digitally machined from the billet using Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) technology.
The cross-direction layup of the panels, combined with the digital fabrication, offer a strong, rigid, dimensionally stable and highly accurate building product that offers versatility for designers to specify as roof, floor and wall structures.
Other key benefits of NeXTimber GLT:
Local Manufacturing: NeXTimber GLT will be produced at a purpose-built manufacturing plant being constructed adjacent to Timberlink’s existing timber manufacturing facility in Tarpeena, South Australia. Infeed stock comes from local pine plantations through our vertically integrated supply chain to ensure consistency of quantity and quality.
Service Offering: With the above point in mind, choosing local manufacturing can also bring benefits to the delivery time of stock. NeXTimber will have a range of standard size GLT as well as made to order sizes up to 12 metres in length.
Production of the NeXTimber range is scheduled to begin in October 2023 visit www.nextimber.com.au for more details
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