Renewable Soy Becomes Ingredient in First Bio-Modified Adhesives

Franklin Adhesives & Polymers has turned to golden soy fields to develop a set of ultra-green wood adhesives for use in the manufacture of laminated hardwood flooring: Multibond MX-100 and Multibond MX-200, our division’s first bio-modified adhesives.Both of these new one-part PVA adhesives are based on technology we developed during research funded through a grant from the United Soybean Board (USB). We pursued soybean research because it is a renewable resource that reduces reliability on petrochemicals, extends open times, offers physical flexibility and is free of formaldehyde – ensuring compliance with California’s CARB Phase 2 limits on formaldehyde emissions.Both Multibond MX-100 and MX-200 offer you superior performance and ease of use. They don’t require mixing, meaning quicker production at your plant. They offer good tack and a high percentage of solids for faster set time. Both also meet ANSI-HPVA HP-1-2004 Type II and ANSI/HPVA EF 2009 testing for water resistance on most wood species – and qualify for LEED credit 4.1.This pioneering pair of adhesives shares valuable characteristics. But we did develop them to meet different production needs, too. Multibond MX-100 is ideal for hot pressing of engineered flooring or hardwood plywood. It operates only in a prepress type of operation and has good tack right out of prepress. It also has demonstrated easy handling in a variety of climate conditions.On the other hand, Multibond MX-200 performs well in immediate (direct-feed) hot press laminating operations that do not have a prepress. It is formulated with bleed-through resistance and is very easy to use. (Neither adhesive can be cold-pressed.)“We are grateful to USB for its role in supporting research that led to the development of Multibond MX-100 and future products that use soy,” said Michelle Tobbe, wood adhesives technical director. “I think our customers will agree that we have developed the ideal blend of synthetic and natural materials to create an environmentally friendly, cost-effective adhesive that is easy to use and performs very well.”Our new bio-modified adhesives are just one more example of our commitment to finding environmentally friendly, affordable solutions for our customers. We look forward to providing the right solution for your operation, too.