Manufacturing Process

While Lexite™ boards can be customized to deliver distinct characteristics specified by customers, all boards are made with the same basic steps. Lexite™ production lines are over 275 feet in length and move at an output rate of 75 feet per minute. The entire Lexite™ production process, from the first outer layer to the final cutting, occurs while the line is moving at this fast pace.

Lexite™ is a patented composite formed by impregnating layers of recycled paper, recycled glass and reinforcements with a binding agent. These layers are pressed together in a proprietary process to form a cohesive multilayer laminate hundreds of times stronger than the individual materials themselves.

The inner core of Lexite™ is a mixture of rigid, closed cell foam, scrap rubber, and other recycled fillers. These components of the inner core are heated, mixed, and injected into the exoskeleton. This inner core material fills the exoskeleton and hardens. The inner core is key to the performance durability of Lexite™. The sandwiched core transfers the weight of a pallet load or the impact of a forklift tine from the top of the board to the bottom of the board, or the front of the board to the back of the board. Wood has imperfections and a grain which interrupts this transfer of force and causes it to change direction. Consequently, wood splinters, splits, or breaks under the same conditions. With Lexite™ boards, dispersing the force of a load or the force of an impact multiplies the strength of the exoskeleton, and gives Lexite™ boards their hallmark durability and strength.

Standard circular saws are used to cut the Lexite™ into specified board sizes at the end of the line. Although variable based on the length specification, boards are produced at an average rate of one every two and a half seconds. All saw dust waste produced during the cutting process is recycled back into the product as recycled filler for the inner core.

After curing, an external coating can be applied to the boards. According to customer specifications, this coating can provide custom colors, labeling and logos, variations in the coefficient of friction, additional UV protection or added durability.