Factor Affecting Gel Time/Process-Ability of Urea Formaldehyde Resin Based Wood Adhesives

Urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin presents the most utilized adhesive system in the manufacture of plywood, particleboard and fiberboard. At the temperatures above 100°C in the presence of hardener, this resin undergoes cross-linking reaction and the formation of three dimensional cross linked structures takes place and bonding of wood particles in a hot press [1]. UF powder resins show high reactivity and good performance in the production and by their low price; however they lack in water resistance of the hardened resin [2]. Urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins are the most important type of adhesive resins for the production of wood based panels but process-ability and curing behavior of urea formaldehyde resin depended on various factors related to resin properties, types of wood and their properties, amount & type of catalyst, types and amount of polymers addition and environmental conditions [3]. This factor decides the process-ability of UF resin based composite during manufacturing of plywood, particle board and fiberboard. In this review paper, various factors affecting gel time and process-ability of UF resin based wood composite are reviewed.