The Top Seven Applications For Our New EPI Adhesives

Published: 2/5/2015

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Research and development starts with discovering market needs- that’s where Franklin Adhesives & Polymers began in developing our new line of emulsion polymer isocyanates (EPI) adhesives to meet the specific challenges customers face. Here’s a quick look at our five new Advantage and ReacTITE EPI products, their fit in the market and the certifications they meet. All our EPIs are derived from either acrylic or vinyl acetate and all are no-added formaldehyde (NAF) adhesives.

‍Application #1: Engineered Wood Flooring‍

‍Advantage EP-925 is a great adhesive for the production of engineered wood flooring. It’s heavy in solids, so it dries quickly in a cold-set application and achieves type 1 water resistance. EP-925 is an excellent choice for composite wood laminations that must meet California and national formaldehyde emission standards. Franklin’s EPI adhesives are spreader stable and clean-up easily with water. ReacTITE EP-940 works well for instances in which longer working times are needed.

‍Application #2: Cabinet Doors

‍The high solids and quick set time of Advantage EP-925 allows for 25-30 minute cure time, depending on plant temperatures and faster post-processing times. EP-925 simply contains less water than a standard PVA, so less time is needed for the water to evaporate. Faster dry times equate to greater productivity.

‍Application #3: Thermally Treated Wood

‍Thermally treated wood is a new classification of wood that is gaining in popularity. The thermal treatment makes the wood less likely to absorb water, leading to longer cure times and more difficulties bonding. Advantage EP-925 bonds this class of wood better than most PVAs and reduces dry time.

‍Application #4: Wood Windows

‍Edge and face gluing applications that require ASTM D 5751 type 1 water resistance and robust performance are critical for exterior wood windows. Our Advantage EP-930 does the job. It is a lower viscosity emulsion polymer product designed specifically for the production of wood windows. It can be radio frequency cured, it has been modified to reduce abrasiveness on tooling and offers an excellent spreader time. It is competitively priced and is our best-selling product for critical edge-glued bond lines in windows.  ‍

Application #5: Three- and Five-Ply Panels

‍Our customers recently discovered the value of Advantage EP-930 for the production of three- and five-ply panels. The thin veneer bonding over MDF or hardboard limits where the water in the adhesive can go, allowing excess moisture to escape through the veneer and cause bleed-through or even checking. A higher solids product with good spreader stability – such as EP-930 – applies less moisture to the veneer, reducing swelling and bleed-through. With EP-930, you can easily control glue spread. After cure, EPI glues in general provide a very tough, robust bond line that passes HPVA type 1 requirements.  

‍Application #6: Structural Components

‍One of our latest and greatest achievements is the acrylic-based EP emulsion adhesive Advantage EP-950A, our first product for structural applications. It’s been tested for posts, columns, panels, cedar siding and finger joint applications. It has passed ASTM D 2559-12a, ASTM D 7247-07ae1 and ANSI 405-2103 testing. EP-950A develops very low foam during cure and is recommended for applications requiring excellent water, heat and solvent resistance. It can be cold or hot pressed and requires a meter mix unit. We designed this product for quick-assembly operations under cold set conditions.

‍Application #7: Structural Insulated Panels

‍This EPS foam to OSB lamination has rigorous demands from building codes and agencies throughout the world. Franklin qualified our ReacTITE EP-980 for use in SIP production in Chile, and we expect it to be certified for use on SIPs in the U.S. very soon. The product has the required open and set time for cold pressing multiple panels in cold press conditions.

Unlike other adhesives manufacturers, Franklin controls the entire production process from polymerization to formulation.  We believe this allows us greater control over the design of every product we bring to market, positioning us to provide top value to our customers. Please give us a call or send an email anytime to discuss how we can meet any of the above or other applications in your plant.