Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Kleiberit introduces new technology and enhances adhesive performance at the industrial level. PUR hotmelts are widely used in furniture manufacturing. Convention- al adhesives, however, contain monomer isocyanates that can cause irritations and allergies upon exposure during machine processing if the processing guidelines are not fully adhered to. To minimize these risks, “micro emission” products containing less than 0.1% of free isocyanates have so far been the means of choice. Adhesives man- ufacturer Kleiberit in Weingarten has taken the next step and now offers its first fully isocyanate-free reactive hotmelts.
“Several large accounts from the wood industry have expressed a strong interest in isocyanate-free adhesives, in order to meet their standards of ecological and sustainable production,” CEO Leonhard Ritzhaupt points out on the newly developed adhesive system.
With this in mind, Kleiberit set about developing a new generation of reactive adhesives that surpass the ME standard and get by without any isocyanates while still providing the same functionality. In theory, this isn’t a major problem. In practice, though, Holger Scherrenbacher and his team have had to circumnavigate several obstacles. “The potential sub- stitute reactive groups are known,” said the head of Application Technology. But, although several manufacturers have attempted to find alternatives, isocyanate-free PUR adhesives are currently only available for niche applications such as in medical engineering.
Tags: adhesive and saleant, furniture manufacturi, Kleiberit, woodworking and manufacturing, woodworking event, woodworking industry, woodworking technology
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