Impact of thermal treatment on bonding performance of UF/PVAc formulations

Abstract

Polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) adhesives present several advantages: ready to use, short setting time, flexible joint, easy to clean and long storage life. On the other hand, formaldehyde-based adhesives are less expensive and give a rigid bond. In this work, the combination of a PVAc glue and UF resin for surfacing MDF with wood veneer was assessed. The reactivity of different mixing ratios was evaluated using ABES (automated bonding evaluation system) machine as well as the wettability of beech veneers after different heat pre-treatments. The obtained results have shown that a mixture of PVAc/UF could be used for surfacing MDF with beech veneer without loss of mechanical properties, when compared with pure PVAc.