Process for Manufacturing Acoustical Panel

A process for manufacturing an acoustical panel comprising:

• mixing an aqueous slurry comprising water and ingredients on a dry basis, by weight percent (wt. %):
• at least about 90 wt. % of mineral wool, glass wool, or a combination of mineral wool and glass wool, the mineral wool, the glass wool, or the combination of mineral wool and glass wool having an average diameter of at least about 5 microns, and
• about 1 wt. % to about 10 wt. % of a binder;
• continuously flowing the aqueous slurry onto a moving foraminous support wire to form a wet basemat;
• dewatering the wet basemat, the dewatering step including pressing the wet basemat to a thickness of about 1.1 inches to about 2.0 inches;
• and
• pulling hot air through the wet basemat via vacuum through drying to form a dried basemat;
• laminating a porous scrim to a facing side of the dried basemat;
• wherein the acoustical panel has a density between about 7 pounds per cubic foot (lbs/ft3) to about 12 lbs/ft3, wherein the acoustical panel has a thickness of greater than about 1.1 inches,
• wherein the acoustical panel has a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of about 0.80 to about 1.00, and
• wherein the acoustical panel has a ceiling attenuation class (CAC) of about 30 to about 50.