EPI for Glued Laminated Timber

Emulsion Polymer isocyanate adhesive (EPI) is a two component adhesive system which combines an emulsion component and an isocyanate functional cross-linking component. This combination gives glue line performance with the benefits from both thermoplastic and thermosetting adhesive systems. The glue line is cold curing, has high flexibility, low creep, contains no formaldehyde and gives excellent water resistance in both cold and boiling water. As the setting and curing behaviour are different from todays primarily used adhesives for laminated beams (PRF, MF, MUF, 1K-PUR), the optimal production parameters have to be verified. EPI adhesives give very good adhesion and are because of this, well suited for gluing difficult wood species like hardwood, which is a resource with a big potential. EPI adhesives can also be used for gluing of wood to metal. In addition, EPI adhesives open for future production benefits which today are not covered by the European production standards. This article also describes the properties of EPI adhesives, status for the use of EPI in glued laminated timber in Europe today and future possibilities.