Contact Cements

Contact Based Adhesives are available in either solvent based or water based technologies. H.B. Fuller defines contact adhesives as being applied to both surfaces and allowed to dry to touch before combining under pressure. Depending on the application and performance requirements, the adhesives have been formulated to provide various drying rates and to bond under various process conditions. Once applied, the adhesive demonstrates tough, flexible bonds that are resistant to heat, moisture and aging.

H.B. Fuller water-based contact cements are solvent free, high-quality industrial adhesives that offer the advantages of reduced fire hazards, improved safety for workers, decreased health hazards, higher solids content and compliance to EPA emission regulations. These adhesives are formulated for comparable performance to our solvent contact cements.

Doweling

Doweling is the process of inserting a hardwood dowel into a predrilled hole in a board. Typically, water-based adhesives are first extruded or sprayed into the hole, and then the dowel is inserted with pressure. Machines are either “high pressure” requiring thick adhesives, or “low pressure” that use thin adhesives.

Drawer Wrapping

Drawer wrapping is the process of longitudinally wrapping a flexible film completely around a board, which will be “V-grooved” and ultimately folded into a furniture drawer. Products used are usually water-based adhesives appropriate for bonding the covering material.

Edge Gluing/Clamp Carrier

Edge or Face Gluing is the process of bonding solid wood components parallel to each other to make a larger board or panel. H.B. Fuller offers a line of products with a proven track record in the furniture and cabinetry industry, for bonding solid wood components. Typically parts are clamped in a “clamp carrier”, and must demonstrate good wet tack, fast speed of set, clean machining, mileage gains, and feature excellent sandability and heat resistance where needed.

Edgebanding and Softforming

Edgebanding is the process of bonding decorative materials to the edges of various core stocks. Softforming is a similar process, but is applying the edging material to a profiled edge only. Among the more popular edging materials utilized are primed PVC, wood veneers, solid wood, melamine or polyester-impregnated papers, and high-pressure laminate. Typical core stocks include particleboard, plywood and medium density fiberboard. Standard, straight edgebanding is usually performed with hot melt adhesives, although water-based PVAc (polyvinyl acetate) adhesives are sometimes used where a more heat-resistant glue line is required.

When a more heat-resistant glue line is required, hot melt moisture curing adhesives (HMMCs or PURs) are becoming more prevalent. The majority of edgebanding equipment is manufactured in Europe, employing a vertical adhesive applicator wheel. We employ European technology in our "Made in the USA" adhesives to ensure that H.B. Fuller products perform on these demanding machines. Our hot melt edgebanding adhesives are designed to provide optimal line speeds, reduced energy consumption and excellent machining characteristics, with a variety of open times depending on process speed.

Edgebanding Primers

H.B. Fuller offers a broad line of solvent and water base primers for the decorative foil industry. Primers are designed to enhance the adhesion between the edging material and the core material to which it is applied.

General Assembly

H.B. Fuller offers a line of water-based, hot melt and hot melt moisture cured assembly adhesives with proven track record for edge and face gluing, hand assembly with glue bottles, doweling and other general assembly applications

Laminating HPL

HPL (high pressure laminate) is typically bonded to core materials using the “Cold press laminating” method widely used for laminating most sheet goods. Common applications involve high-pressure laminates, wood veneers, metal skins, and fiberglass panels bonded to a core of particleboard, medium-density fiberboard, honeycomb and inorganic composites. H.B. Fuller offers a wide range of adhesive systems for these laminating applications. Depending on the application needs, products can range from waterbased, reactive hot melts, and moisture curing polyurethanes. These one-component, moisture curing polyurethane adhesives are designed for laminating metal skins to a variety of core materials. These products features low viscosity, for ease of application at ambient temperatures and fast speed of set. Since products are 100% solids, they can replace solvent based contact adhesives with complete elimination of VOCs.

Membrane Pressing

Membrane pressing is the forming of PVC film over a profile panel of composite core material.

H.B. Fuller offers specially formulated adhesives for this market, that exhibit excellent spray patterns at low gun pressures that reduce overspray, demonstrate superior hold out on porous edged of MDF for consistent film formation. The wide temperature reactivation window lets you work with the variety of membrane presses and operating temperatures found in the market place.

Paper Laminating

RAKOLL® RK-3450 woodworking adhesive from H.B. Fuller Company is our most popular product for laminating decorative paper overlays to various wood substrates. This adhesive minimizes grain raise and can produce an aggressive tack so quickly you may see fiber-tearing bonds right off the machine. Bonds have excellent heat and moisture resistance. This is a one-component, cross linking adhesive that meets Type II, ANSI HPMA HP 1983 water resistance requirements. Typical bonds show heat resistance in excess of 300F, which is significantly higher than standards PVAs. It also has excellent machining characteristics. Our hot melts for slot die coating onto the paper are light colored with good machining characteristics and offer a popular alternative to wet systems.

Post Forming Countertops

Post forming is the operation of forming the back splash and bul-nose on counter top blanks.

Profile Wrapping

Profile wrapping is becoming more and more prevalent as the marketplace is forced to move away from the use of clear lumber due to its high cost and dwindling supply. Sophisticated wrapping equipment and a wide range of overlays and substrates are placing new demands on adhesives. Typical applications are wood veneers to solid or composite profiles, and wrapping a wide range of decorative papers to wood-based and synthetic core stocks. H.B. Fuller offers a full range of hot melt and water based adhesives for profile wrapping that meet the increasing demands for heat resistance, green strength and final bond performance, especially when severe environmental conditions are expected.

Vinyl Laminating

H.B. Fuller offers a range of high-performance, high-solids, water-based Rakoll® adhesives specifically formulated for laminating and wrapping unsupported polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film. Products can be board coated only, or web coated, or board and web coated. Typical core materials include particleboard, medium-density fiberboard, luan, plywood and gypsum.