In the global construction industry, a sustainability transformation is underway, accelerating the use of engineered wood. As a renewable material, timber offers ideal structural properties and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the lifetime of a building, reducing its carbon footprint.
Henkel engineered wood adhesives foster sustainability transformation, optimize production lines and fulfill stringent fire resistance requirements. Whether it is the height of a mass timber building or the design of the wood elements, architects across the world have the flexibility to realize their vision.
As the leading supplier of formaldehyde-free adhesives for the mass timber industry, Henkel is paving the way for further reduction of CO2 emissions across the entire value chain.
Two of Henkel’s best-selling polyurethane (PUR) mass timber structural adhesives are available as bio-based formulations, namely LOCTITE HB S ECO and LOCTITE CR821 ECO.
Mass timber technology is experiencing a renaissance. See 35 stunning examples of how our customers’ products are used in award-winning commercial and residential buildings—while advancing sustainability.
CLT is a load-bearing engineered wood element. Its layers are bonded orthogonally (cross-grain) for better stability and bi-directional strength. CLT is used in prefabricated walls, flooring, and roof slabs.
Layers in load-bearing GLT are bonded parallel to the grain. GLT is used as columns, beams, and trusses in straight or curved formats.
KVH, a load-bearing engineered wood element, consists of shorter pieces of timber that are finger-jointed with structural adhesives. KVH is used predominantly in buildings as posts, rafters, and beams.
I joists and I beams are I-shaped, load-bearing engineered wood elements. The top and bottom flanges are made of laminates bonded to a web of panels. I joists and I beams are used as wall- and roof-framing elements.
Solid Wood Panels, Structural insulation panels, Ground protection maths, Laminated veneer lumber, etc.
Face bonding is used to make a thicker or taller piece of wood, creating an easy way to customize wood thicknesses or panels for a variety of woodworking applications. Surface gluing joins wood pieces and boards on the broadside to manufacture multilayer laminated timber products.
Finger joints make it possible to manufacture glulam boards and solid timber products of any desired length from short boards or solid timber pieces. Finger jointing creates a high-strength longitudinal bond to yield a high-quality semi-finished timber product.
Edge bonding is used among other applications in the manufacture of single-ply panels that are subsequently processed into cross-laminated timber products.
Henkel high-performing polyurethane (PUR) adhesives for wood are used by many of the world’s leading cross laminated timber (CLT) and glued-laminated timber (glulam) manufacturers. LOCTITE® PUR adhesives are more resilient, maintaining strength, form, and functionality over time. LOCTITE® HB X is optimized for heat and fire performance.
Water-based adhesives are developed using a combination of water, polymers, and additives. These adhesives with specialized formulations bond a variety of wooden parts in multiple applications for engineered wood industry and can be cold pressed, hot pressed or radio frequency cured. Research and cooperation we put in this area help to develop new sustainable wooden materials, such as unique hardwood products in cooperation with 3RT (Australia).
Hot melt adhesives based on a range of formulations were originally used in the furniture industry. They offer high speed and clean processing, fast setting and excellent aging behavior. Now, however, they are increasingly used in mass timber applications, e.g. in the production of single-layer wood panels used in semi-load bearing applications or assembled to become part of cross-laminated timber panel.
LOCTITE HB S is the most widely adopted mass timber polyurethane structural adhesive. It is globally approved and in use since 2010. LOCTITE HB S supports the widest range of product grades, is adaptable to most wood species, and able to bond the broadest spectrum of engineered wood products.
LOCTITE HB X is the fast-curing, one component, heat & fire-resistant PUR adhesive to meet the latest fire and heat resistance standards on four continents. It is used in the tallest timber buildings in North America, and a growing number of other iconic, award-winning buildings all over the world.
LOCTITE HB I is tailored for bonding I-joist wood elements. This one component adhesive is suitable for finger joints, webto-web and web-to-flange bonds. Benefits such as no mixing, room temperature curing, and low application weight allow LOCTITE HB I to be the game changer.
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