Henkel at Xylexpo: Showcases New Adhesive Technologies for Furniture Industry

Visitors to the Xylexpo trade fair being held in Milan, Italy, from May 13 to May 17 can see a number of production innovations developed by Henkel. Experts of the Adhesive Technologies business unit are on hand at the stands of partner companies to present new processes for the furniture industry there.

High-gloss panels are very much in vogue, and not just in the furniture industry. Together with Cefla, Henkel first presented its "Fusion Coating" process, a new and innovative surface coating concept for the manufacture of such laminates, back in fall 2013.

In fusion coating, the UV-curing hotmelt Technomelt CHS 370 UV is applied directly to the melamine faced wood-based panel where it acts as a primer for one or several further coats of lacquer that ultimately create the desired high-gloss effect. Thanks to its good adhesion on melamine, its flexibility and its ready compatibility with UV lacquers matched to the system, Technomelt CHS 370 UV provides the ideal basis for the creation of high-gloss finishes. And fusion coating is also less costly than the lamination of high-gloss films on wood-based panels.

Henkel and Cefla Group join forces to market "Fusion Coating"

Henkel is marketing the fusion coating process together with the Italian finishing line constructor Cefla Group. And Cefla is presenting "Fusion Coating"in its latest version at its Xylexpo stand in Hall 3.

Edge sealing with Technomelt

Henkel is also offering further information in relation to its UV-curing hotmelts with Technomelt CHS 395 UV for edge sealing applications. This enables furniture manufacturers to elevate the 2D process ? in which the top surface and narrow edge are laminated with a finishing film in one operation ? to a new level in terms of both quality and process speed. The innovative UV hotmelt offers significantly faster curing and can thus be processed even more rapidly in the machine. Feed rates of up to 100 m/min have already been achieved in standard production applications. Technomelt CHS 395 UV is also significantly more thermostable (to over 100 degrees Celsius) than previously used EVA-based hotmelts, and creates a harder surface combined with a better moisture barrier.

The product can also be used in existing production lines. However, the process stages may also be delinked if required. Its use has been optimized in conjunction with the reacTec process. The edge seal quality achieved with Technomelt CHS 395 UV means that furniture manufacturers now have more flexibility when selecting engineered wood board, without any detriment to the appearan