3. Adhesives for industrial wood gluing

3.1 Substrate preparation

The two most important operations in preparing wood for gluing are drying and machining. The aim of the first is to ensure dimensional stability over time. The other is to simultaneously obtain a shape with defined dimensions and an attractive appearance. These operations are also essential for good bonding.

• Wood drying

  Wood from freshly felled trees offers no adhesion, as it is waterlogged. It must therefore be dried. Drying reduces the moisture content of the wood from around 30% to between 5% and 15%, depending on the end use. Industrial forced drying takes several weeks in hot-air dryers. For cost reasons, drying is too rapid and therefore imperfect, so the whole process needs...