Hot melt adhesives for Product line "Low Emission Systems" - LESS
Main features
Improved occupational safety
Excellent adhesive properties
Complete range for all applications
TAKA quality standards
diisocyanate content less than 0,1%
Restrictions of the EU regulation
At the latest since the European Union adopted the REACH restrictions on the handling of diisocyanates, occupational safety in the use of reactive PUR hotmelt adhesives has become the focus of public attention. Even though the restriction is mainly aimed at construction foams, sealants and coatings, HMPUR adhesives also fall under the EU regulation, as they contain a minimal amount of isocyanates in the form of free MDI, which are essential for the chemical cross-linking of these adhesives. The aim of this regulation is not to restrict or ban isocyanates, but to ensure safe processing for the protection of all users. Thus, from 24 August 2023, all professional and industrial users of products with a concentration of monomeric diisocyanate above 0.1% will have to undergo mandatory safety training. This can also be done as an online course and after passing the final test, the personal certificate is valid for five years.
Mandatory training for the use of materials containing isocyanates
Depending on the size of the workforce, however, the training effort may be too great for some companies, whether due to high staff turnover or even the employment of external workers. TAKA has therefore taken up the challenge and developed PUR adhesives with a monomer MDI content of less than 0.1 %. These so-called monomer-reduced PUR adhesives (also known as “micro emission”) do not have to be labelled according to the hazardous substances labelling (GHS) and are therefore not subject to any further restrictions.
Highly efficient products for all production processes
The challenge in the development of these low-emission PUR adhesives is to develop the same or even better adhesive properties compared to conventional HMPUR adhesives while reducing the reactive substances, in order to provide our industry with not only work-safe but also highly efficient adhesive products. TAKA has developed a complete product range for a wide variety of applications. This includes PUR adhesives for profile lamination of window profiles made of PVC and aluminium, as well as for profile lamination of profiles and boards made of wood materials, and also for edge banding. We are happy to provide advice to all our customers who wish to further develop their knowledge of occupational safety and employee protection and who wish to avoid compulsory training, so that they can select the right adhesive from our “LESS” range and successfully integrate it into their own production.