Panel and profile lamination have become increasingly sophisticated in the furniture market. Over the years, various players throughout the whole supply chain have continuously created new materials and new finishes; the goal being to transform an unprocessed material like a simple raw panel into an appealing finished product, like furniture fronts.
Taka has always followed these trends, developing innovative adhesives capable of working with any new material introduced to the market.
Starting from a wood derivative such as chipboard or MDF, Taka can either laminate the flat surface alone or including the shaped edges. There is a vast range of decorative foils on offer, such as paper, PET, Polypropylene or PVC, with both glossy and matt finishes.
For all these materials Taka has specially formulated a single adhesive, the TK 2308.38P, that can be applied by means of a slot nozzle glue head on the foil or by a roller spreader on the panels. In both cases a perfectly even glue line is obtained, able to create a mirror surface finish with high gloss plastic foils.
Thanks to its hardness after cooling, it allows handling without risk of dents on the flat surface of the panel. This is only the first step of processing, improving the aesthetic appearance of the flat surfaces.
Now, after the laminated panel has been cut to size, it is time to close and seal the edges. Depending on the shape of the panel there are either four sides or in the case of a soft-formed panel, two or three sides to edge band.
Edgebanding is another very important process with two purposes:
To embellish the grained edge of the panel To seal the small gap between the edge and the top to prevent the penetration of water or steam, which is of essential importance in the case of products for kitchens or bathroomsTaka offers suitable Hotmelt Polyurethane Reactive adhesives (HMPUR) for this application. This type of adhesive, compared to traditional non-reactive hotmelt glues based on EVA and PO, gives the finished product a superior performance compared to any other type of hotmelt adhesive in terms of heat resistance of over 150°C and water resistance.
There are different adhesives with particular characteristics available. For example, TK 3308.5 adhesive with a transparent glue line is suitable for processes where many different edge colours are used. Thanks to the transparent glue line and the low application weight (100-120g/m2), the colour of the edge band reflects and reduces the visibility of the glue line.
The traditional and most versatile adhesive is the TK 3308.20 for all types of panels such as MDF, multilayer chipboard, solid wood and many more. It also helps to reduce the glue consumption to 100-130 g/m2, depending on the type of spreader roller installed on the machine.
Finally, Taka has developed a monomer reduced version, the TK 3308.20ME PUR hot melt adhesive with a content of free isocyanate of less than 0.1%.
After foil lamination and edgebanding, the transformation from a raw panel to a highly appealing quality product is completed.
For advice and consultancy on the use and application of Hotmelt Polyurethane adhesives the WPR-TAKA Academy is always available at [email protected]. For detailed information on TAKA’s product range, contact Anthony Rook from BRIT-AD LTD.
