In the flat and open area of North Jutland near Holstebro, VTI is located. Vinderup Træindustri A/S. The company is one of the world’s biggest producers of edge-glued panels to respectively the furniture industry, the window industry and do-it-yourself markets to timber- and builders merchants. The production of edge-glued panels is conducted in an ultramodern and high-technological factory, this was started in year 2000.
The cooperation between PKI Supply A/S and VTI Vinderup Træindustri A/S goes many years back – so when VTI Vinderup Træindustri A/S back in 2008 expanded the production to include a new customer segment within edge-glued panels as well, it was a natural and right choice to production manager Ove Aagaard to involve PKI Supply in the gluing process. The process is executed on a high technological production line with a 6 meter long High Frequency Press.
Production Manager Ove Aagaard, - To produce edge-glued panels for the window industry is filled with challenges, very restrictive requirements and controls. We already became aware of this, when one of the largest windows producers applied us.
The window industry is a very competitive market. There are several suppliers of various window systems. Today a window producer warrants the window up to 10 years. That makes high demands to the edge-glued panels, that VTI supplies as semi-manufacture, which is forwarded to processing the complete window in the window industry.
- We are fully aware that we are just a part of a long supply chain, which unifying strength is specified by the individual units capacity and the ability to cooperate and perform on a high qualitative level, production manager Ove Aagaard proceeds. The requirements are correspondingly high to PKI Supply as supplier as well as to the glue that connects the finger joined lamellas to final edge-glued panels.
Lots of tests and laboratory experiments at PKI Supply
To PKI Supply there is an extensive development work ahead with several combinations and tests in own laboratory making the right mix of glue and hardener – ProFect® 2606 melamine glue and
ProFect® 9615 hardener from PKI Supply´s international business partner BASF – which results in a glue product specifically suitable for using in edge-glued panels targeted for window production.
VTI had no doubt which glue to use for the new production line. The glue and the hardener in combination are quality approved in Denmark for window production according to DVC (Danish Window Control), class 2, C4.
To VTI a security and confidence in having the right glue product and supplier for the new production line.
Physical present during start-up and running-in
The start-up and running-in of the new production line with the high frequency press was short. Every day for 14 days sales consultant Morten Revsbech from PKI Supply was physically present at the high
frequency press together with the business partner BASF. Together they made the various measurements of the reactivity in the glue at different heat impacts optimizing and pressing of the lamellas into final edge-glued panels.
Control, control and more control
Production of edge-glued panels for window production is subject to restrictive requirements and controls. So, daily displacement tests are extracted at VTI, when the production starts up and every time dimensions are changed or at every work shift to ensure that the edge-glued panels keep the specification requirements. Displacement tests are made and cut into 3 pcs. of 60 mm for usage in tensile test. The test is made one hour after gluing. Furthermore, 3 more pcs. of 75 mm are cut for usage in a climate test. All samples are marked with date, press no. and item no. The climate test is made 24 hours after gluing. During the climate test the sample is put down in water at 20° C for 48 hours. After this 24 hours in air at 20° C and 24 hours in oven at 70° C. The process is done twice to note delamination between first and second time. The allowed delamination must not exceed 5%.
For each customer a Test journal and a Quality journal is filled out.All efforts to meet the demands from the window producers and especially their liability of the guarantor to the end customer.
The future will only heighten the demand for the durability of the glue
- In the long term we are convinced that the demand and the expectation is headed for an extended and even longer warranty period from the window producers, says Ove Aagaard.
- This will again make new demands for the glue’s strength and durability in the edge-glued panels. It is important that the glue can resist the changeableness in all weather conditions with respectively strong sun and heat, rainy spring and fall and ice cold winters, Morten Revsbech adds. – It is all impacts that challenge the edge-glued panels and consequently the durability of the glue and our ability to innovate the glue’s adhesiveness to stick the lamellas together for an even longer period.
Increasing consumption of glue from PKI Supply
VTI expects in the future a high increase of their consumption of glue, currently this is 150 tonnes/year.
Excellent roi-value
The production process of edge-glued panels is additionally assigned to ordinary control visits from DVC and Teknologisk Institut. In the ordinary control tests from Teknologisk Institut VTI is rated “Excellent” in test reports and control journals. - A result we must maintain prospectively. Partly because it is an aim in VTI and following heightens the confidence to our edge-glued panels at the window producers, Ove Aagaard ends.
