The table is one of the most ubiquitous furniture pieces. The prior art table top panel is traditionally made of wood. The use of wood has disadvantages: firstly, consumption of large amount of wood is not environmentally friendly; secondly, wood needs constant maintenance and thirdly, wood may not be used in some applications. Wood substitutes such as fiberboard or flake board may also share similar defects.
To meet the needs of a modern household, a table top panel needs to be tough, durable, lightweight and appealing. As consumers look for more environment friendly alternatives, there are more and more examples of table top panels made of synthetic materials.
Blow molding has been used for manufacture synthetic table top. Blow molding is a manufacturing process by which hollow plastic parts are formed. The blow molding process begins with melting down the plastic and forming the plastic into a parison or preform. The parison is a tube-like piece of plastic with a hole in one end through which compressed air can pass. For table top, a large molding blow molding machine may be needed. In order to provide the required strength, the table top also needs sufficient thickness, resulting in the material overuse and heavy weight.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved table top made of a synthetic material with better applicability, low maintenance cost and better mechanical properties.