Advantage Trio Helps Wood-Window Manufacturers Put It All Together

Franklin Adhesives & Polymers is giving you and other wood-window manufacturers three more good reasons to turn to our company for your adhesive needs: the Advantage Trio®, a line of three high-performance adhesives developed exclusively for the assembly of wood windows.

Advantage Trio draws on three proven adhesives in the renowned Advantage family of products. These include Advantage 415, Advantage 425 and Advantage EP-925. Together, these three formulations can meet almost any specific bonding requirement at your window-manufacturing plant.

If you are looking for an adhesive that offers extended open time and meets relevant US standards in the window industry for water resistance, look first at Advantage 415, a highly water-resistant, two-part cross linking polyvinyl acetate emulsion adhesive for use with finger jointing, edge gluing, hot pressing and radio frequency gluing. When mixed with aluminum chloride, Advantage 415 surpasses both ASTM D 5572 wet-use finger joint and ASTM D 5751 wet-use standard related to laminated joints in nonstructural lumber products. These standards form the basis for Hallmark Certification.

Advantage 415 also offers the longest open time of the trio of Advantage products and is ideal for the assembly of wood windows. In addition, it has a low minimum use temperature of 53 degrees Fahrenheit and can be applied during colder seasons.

The next adhesive in the Advantage Trio line, Advantage 425, raises the bar for performance. Advantage 425, also a highly water-resistant two-part cross linking PVA emulsion adhesive, is distinguished as the highest performing finger joint product available as measured by ASTM and Hallmark standards. When mixed with aluminum chloride, the product also surpasses the ASTM D-5572 wet use finger joint standard for flexures and tension. It is extremely easy to extrude, provides good finger coverage and also features a low minimum use temperature of 49 degrees Fahrenheit.

Don’t want to wait for long conditioning time in a two-part adhesive? The wait is over, with Advantage EP-925, the third in the Advantage Trio of adhesives. When mixed with Hardener 200, this two-component emulsion polymer isocyanate (EPI) adhesives reduces minimum conditioning time before surfacing, improving your productivity.

Advantage EP-925 also is the toughest in the Advantage Trio line, with resistance to heat and solvent as well as water. Yet, it also offers great versatility in the plant; it works with conventional cold press or hot press equipment and has been enhanced to provide superior performance with radio frequency press equipment. In fact, it provides exceptional performance across the board, meeting numerous North American and global standards.

To find out more about how any of the Advantage Trio products can help you assemble high-quality wood windows, visit www.franklinadhesivesandpolymers.com, e-mail marketing@franklininternational.com or call 800.877.4583.

Four Common Assembly Problems and How to Fix Them

Improper assembly gluing can compromise the quality of the wood products coming out of your plant. Here’s a look at four common problems in gluing, their causes and ways to fix them.

One of the most common problems – and perhaps the most detrimental to product quality – is a weak joint. This could be a loose part fit or poor joint design. Or, it could be the result of insufficient glue coverage, improper set time, burnished surfaces or over-spraying of finish on the gluing surface. For the best assembly, you want to apply a uniform coating of glue to all parts of the joint, or either decrease assembly time or increase spread of glue. You also want to ensure that your cutter blades are sharp and that you remove finish before gluing.

Although some assembly gluing problems are more complicated, others are fairly black and white. Take, for example, the problem of unsightly black glue lines on your wood product. Typically, this is a result of iron contamination in the adhesive you are using. You’ll need to find out where your adhesives are coming into contact with iron or steel.

If, on the other hand, you are experiencing brilliant white on glue squeeze-out and/or in your glue line, you might be the victim of chalking caused by low temperatures. You need to either raise the temperature of your plant, your wood, or the adhesive to above-minimum use temperature of the adhesive. Otherwise, you can switch to an adhesive with a lower minimum use temperature.

What if your glue lines are frosted or under-cured? Low temperature, too short of a clamp time or a high moisture glue content could be to blame here. Again, you might try raising the temperature of the plant, the wood or the adhesive; or, you can increase clamp time. Make sure, too, that your adhesive meets the recommended moisture content range of six to eight percent.

You can find more about assembly trouble shooting and factors in effective assembly gluing in a new guide just published by Franklin Adhesives & Polymers. The Gluing Guide: Adhesives for Assembly also lists 12 recommended assembly adhesives for meeting the full range of applications in wood assembly plants. They offer varying degrees of open time, cure time and viscosity for your specific need.

For your free Gluing Guide, please contact Franklin Adhesives & Polymers at marketing@franklininternational.com; or call 800.877.4583.