Epoxy Adhesive for Woodbonding

Epoxy glue, or epoxy adhesive, is glue that contains epoxy resin as the main ingredient. The epoxy is the resin produced by the condensation reaction in which a polyhydric compound and epichlorohydrin are reacted in the presence of alkali. Epoxy adhesive is a two-component material; it contains two materials, the epoxy resin and the hardener, that need to be mixed in the proper composition in application. Hardener will crosslink the epoxy to make a dry, hard, and strong bond. There are some chemicals that can be used as hardeners: amines, thiols, hydroxides, and acid groups, but amines are the most commonly used hardeners.

The epoxy glue is a versatile adhesive and widely used for various purposes, such as building construction, bicycles, sports equipment, boats, decking, and even aircraft construction. Epoxy adhesive can be used to bond the glass, metal, plastic, wood, and iron. It can be made in a wide range of performance from the clear, transparent, to the opaque; it can also be formulated in an elastic or rigid form, fast or slow dry. In the wood adhesive, the epoxy is widely used for outdoor furniture, boats, decking, or construction. The adhesive has some advantages, such as being able to cure at ambient temperatures, having good gap filling ability, and being available to bond for many types of substrates. The epoxy glue can be used to bond to the wood as well as to repair the damaged wood at structural members.

But the use of epoxy adhesive in wood furniture is quite rare. It could be caused by two factors: the price is relatively expensive and the unsatisfied bonding result. The study and test carried out on the epoxy adhesive showed high failure compared with other types of glue that are cheaper and easier to use. Two major factors that contribute to durable wood bonds are less creep and its ability to withstand the tension caused by changes in humidity of the wood.

epoxy for bamboo laminated

The tips to use the epoxy adhesive:

• The epoxy adhesive is more suitable to make the outdoor wood product. It is waterproof and highly resistant to the outdoor weather. It can be used to laminate or assemble the patio furniture, garden furniture, fences, decking, boats, and other outdoor wood products. The glue is expensive and considered not suitable for the product that does not have a strong bond, such as indoor furniture, plywood, barecore, m.d.f., particles, and other indoor products.

• Select the proper epoxy adhesive according to the project. They are available in many forms: liquid, paste, more elastic or more rigid, longer drying or faster drying, Choose the most suitable formula according to production process and condition. 

• Prepare well the wood. The failure of the wood bonding is mostly caused by the wood problem. The high wood moisture content is the main factor for the bad bonding. Make sure the wood pieces are dry enough and have uniform MC to get the best result.

• Make sure to read and follow the instructions according to the adhesive product data sheet. Read the specification about the time curing, the pressure recommended, and the mixing ratio of the adhesives.