Improving Edgebander Glue Bond

Tips for making edgebanding stick more reliably. June 3, 2007

Question
When we purchase pre-glued end caps from our top supplier, there is hot melt glue with no primer on it. Once these are heated and applied, you cannot get them off. Yet, why can you pull off laminate edges from your edgebander? I'd gladly pay three times the money for glue that would just work. We are not using a cheap edgebander - it's an SCMI Selecta 25. It is very frustrating. I would also like to know if you use a different glue for wood veneer and laminate.

Forum Responses
(Adhesive Forum)
From contributor J:
We used to coat the laminate with a wash coat of contact cement. About 4 parts thinner to one part cement. Let it dry and then rip into strips. There is an oil on the back that requires a primer to get a secure bond.

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From contributor M:
We are doing that. I guess my main question was on the pre-glued end caps. How good do they stick without the primer?

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From contributor U:
If you would gladly pay three times more, try PUR hot melt on your edgebander. Your laminate edge will stick without priming it.

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From contributor O:
Be very careful when using a contact cement, as many contain plasticizer. This plasticizer can react negatively with the hot melt and cause delamination down the road. The glue on the pre-glued end caps is the same as regular edgeband hot melt. However, its adhesion is sometimes better because it is applied to the HPL directly. Most edgebanders apply glue to the board, so the glue cools a bit before it contacts the HPL. The lesson here is that higher heat (higher application temp, warmer shop, faster edgebanding speed, preheated HPL strips) will greatly improve the bond to the HPL.