EDGES THAT NEVER GIVE UP! TIPS AND PRACTICE BY CATAS

The edging, i.e. the covering process of the side surfaces of panels, is a well-known process in the furniture industry. In many cases it can be considered the most complex processing within a furniture factory, especially when using melamine panels which, being already “finished”, only need to be cut and drilled as well as necessarily having to be edged, obviously. This operation is almost always carried out with the use of automatic machines called edge banders that guarantee remarkable results in terms of productivity, being also able to provide a very high aesthetic quality of the finished product depending on the materials and system adopted. But what can we say about performance? Is the gluing of the edge to the panel always “good”? The tests carried out by Catas and in particular the investigations on defects that the institute has always faced in its daily activity, can be an interesting starting point for trying to answer this question. The Catas data indicate that the detachment of the edges is actually one of the most frequent problems among all those recorded in many years of activity (about 10% of the cases of defects examined by the institute). Consequently, even the request for tests on edged elements is always very high and some companies have also activated a continuous and systematic “quality control” on this issue with the periodic execution of random checks. Sometimes the adhesive manufacturers themselves and also those of edge banding machines require the execution of tests to verify the quality of the gluing resulting from certain processes that involve their products or, in any case, their role and responsibilities. Because of the clear problems that arise during this phase, Catas, the leading European laboratory in the wood and furniture industry, has decided to provide the entire sector with a complete, simple and practical tool for tackling daily work with the right preparation and with our support and suggestions. Hence the “Edge Bonding handbook” was born: the very first ever technical publication focus on this crucial subject. The contents, which derive from the knowledge and experience not only of Catas, but also of adhesives manufacturers belonging to Avisa Federchimica (the association of companies producing adhesives and sealants, printing inks, paints and varnishes) and all the other industrial players operating along the supply chain and involved in the initiative, are therefore the valuable core of this publication. But at Catas they always like to think in practical terms: the wish is that the handbook should find its rightful place alongside some edge bonding machine, close to the control panel, perhaps with a note added in pencil, with a few slightly creased pages, with a few glue stains here and there.... Here then is the idea of printing it, of completing the valuable work done on the contents with a frame and a form that makes it easy to use in the field! All participants will receive a copy of the handbook, also available in German language!