Thursday, September 20, 2018
For decades, EVA was the glue of choice for many panel manufacturers. It was perceived as offering price and maintenance advantages, so companies were able to overlook some of the challenges such as thick glue lines; which looked yellow and dirty against white tape.
PUR glue has always been a much higher quality alternative with glue lines 50 percent thinner and a much stronger adhesion. PUR creates invisible joints that are much more aesthetically pleasing, and the bond holds firm against moisture, water, and heat. Though larger manufacturers readily invested in PUR, medium and smaller companies saw maintenance requirements as a barrier to opting for the higher-quality of PUR. If you weren’t using your machine for 12 hours or more, you had to remove the glue pot and put it away in a nitrogen tank. People were afraid if they forgot to remove the glue pot and it got stuck, they would have to invest thousands of dollars to buy a new one. In addition, some had to purge the system every two weeks adding maintenance time along with the stress of glue pot removal.
One company, Biesse, believed they could find a better way to give everyone access to high-quality PUR gluing. They developed the TM10, a groundbreaking PUR application system offering all the advantages of PUR gluing.
“Our TM10 has truly proved to be a revolution in PUR technology,” said Biesse Edgebander Product Area Manager Lauro Dominici. “It offers all the advantages of PUR, along with the freedom to leave your machine idle for up to 72 hours with zero maintenance. Since the TM10 is 100 percent sealed, no air gets in to harden the glue. Everyone can run it according to schedule without fear of overlooking maintenance.” Dominici added further.
In addition, TM10’s cleaning cycle is 100 percent automatic. EVA still requires manual cleaning processes such as scraping glue from rollers. “You just push a button,” Dominici said, “and the machine takes care of it. Better yet, the ability of our technology to spread 50 percent less glue helps offset the higher cost of higher-quality PUR glue. Our system also helps during times of labor shortages because you don’t need skilled maintenance help as in the past.” Dominici concluded.
With quality, performance and ongoing maintenance advantages, it’s no wonder PUR is having such a surge in popularity. At the 2018 IWF show in Atlanta, some 70 percent of buyers asked that their new machine be equipped with a TM10 to achieve higher quality, low maintenance PUR gluing for years to come. It’s more proof that quality-focused panel makers now see that going PUR purely makes sense.
