TL;DR
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Bent plywood can be bonded without formaldehyde.
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Biobased alternatives to conventional adhesive systems exist.
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Switching adhesives does not force you to simplify the design.
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Mention it early, and you keep more options open.
What is formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is a chemical used in certain adhesives and resins for wood products such as plywood, MDF, and particle board. After production, small amounts can still be released from the material.
That is why there are strict standards for formaldehyde emissions and why adhesive systems that work without it are getting more attention.
So is bio-based the same as formaldehyde-free?
No. An adhesive can be biobased and still contain formaldehyde or be formaldehyde-free without being biobased. They are two separate properties.
Why look at the adhesive at all?
Plywood reads as a wood product first, but the bonding is as much a part of what you are specifying. The veneers are joined layer by layer, and that is where there is room now to choose differently.
So when you take another look at the materials in a product, the species and its origin are the obvious place to start. The adhesive can be part of that exercise too.
Is there an alternative?
Yes. We developed one. G-Bioglue is a biobased adhesive for plywood, made without formaldehyde, built for industrial volumes. It also works in molded plywood production.
Do I have to change my design?
No.
Sustainable material choices still carry a reputation for costing you something: fewer options, softer curves, a compromise somewhere. Sometimes true, often not. If material, adhesive, and forming technique are discussed together at the start, most of those trade-offs never come up.
Working on something in bent plywood? Challenge us.
Learn more about G-bioglue: /node/96
