The wood glue cycle

Adhesives is a division of AkzoNobel, whose primary focus is the production of wood adhesives used in the construction and furniture industry (IKEA is a major customer). AkzoNobel Adhesives also provides customised machines that apply wood adhesives to planks, beams and panels. In my role as a mechanical engineer, I customise these for each customer.

The machines apply thin beads of adhesive to panels in a constant flow, the panels run under the flow application which catches all the spillage, then it is mixed and put back into the flow like a cycle.

In my role, I review feedback from service personnel on site at the customer, review changes they suggest and liaise with the product manager. When we come up with a solution, new drawings and documentation are made for manufacturing.

Creating standard equipment for wide use is challenging, often leading to unique solutions for each customer’s requirements. Sometimes it can be technically challenging to fulfil customer needs.

The speed of brainstorming ideas that can then be physically tested in the workshop.

For simple changes, such as replacing a component, we usually send the documentation directly to the service personnel on site, who then take it further. Akzo has three generations of machines on which we can perform various tests. More complex changes require test runs, which are first performed on these machines. Once we have a solution that works, someone from the team goes to the customer, makes the necessary modifications and instructs the on-site service staff.

It looks promising, you see more examples of complex wooden structures now, such as the Wisdome at the Technical Museum, where AkzoNobel glue was used. The new Volvo Museum in Gothenburg, where a lot of wood was used in the construction, and part of the new lock are made of wooden beams. So there is a growing trend to use wood in the construction industry.