What are OK fluids? – how and where to use them

Each additional work means additional costs, most often the salary for persons, who clean faulty formats or costs of said parts becoming waste. That is where edgebander OK fluids come in. Their task is to “smooth” all mistakes connected with faulty machine settings and to speed the production process.

There is a speed limit for elements moving in a machine, at which the application of fluids becomes necessary. The increase in production speed means that the applied glue has no time to dry before it gets to polishing station where the edge of the material is cleaned. If the cooling fluid was not applied, the glue would be wet and the polishers would smear it on the element’s edge. The polishers would very quickly absorb the glue which would render them unable to perform their task.

Now we will show you where to use certain fluids and what would happen if they were not applied.
 

OK 10 fluid

It should be used before the forming cutters of the burled element. Its task is to prevent glue (which is applied at the next stage) from sticking to the element. That is why perfectly adjusted spraying nozzles should apply a thin layer of OK 10 fluid on the edge of the element and around 0.5 to 1 cm strip on the top and the bottom of the board. It will be crucial for prevent the glue from sticking to the element when the glue furnace is not correctly regulated or regular glue overflow after pressing the burl to the element. In order for this section to work properly, we need two spraying nozzles installed on top and the bottom of the element. </p> <h5> Consequences of not applying or improper application of OK 10 fluid </h5> <p> The consequence of not applying or improper application of OK 10 fluid would be the glue (which is applied in gluing section) sticking to the element. When the element would reach the polisher section, the glue would get so dry that the polishers would not handle that much glue. Even if the buffing wheels were pressed very tightly to the element and literally “teared” the glue away, their lifetime would get considerably reduced comparing to normal work cycle. It is worth mentioning that the dried glue on the element or its edge can be removed, but it would result in slight discoloration. It is then better to prevent sticking and drying of the glue on the element. It would save time, money and very often neglected buffing wheels.

OK 20 fluid

It is applied to pressure rollers, the edge and the protective foil to prevent glue sticking in the gluing section to the pressure rollers, work table surface and to prevent scratches of the burl while it is pressed to the element. It helps to keep the work table of the glue furnace clean by creating a layer preventing the glue from sticking. Every edgebander operator knows very well that it takes a lot of effort to clean the dried glue from the machine. Depending on the machine construction it may require only one properly regulated spraying nozzle.

Consequences of not applying or improper application of OK 20 fluid.

Consequences of not applying or improper application of OK 20 fluid are obvious and easy to foresee. First of all the glue overflow after the burl is pressed to the element would stick to the edge and it would be a problem for polishers which already have a hard time. Moreover the pressure rollers which would collect the overflow which in turn would scratch the pressed burl. That would result in poorer quality of elements. Finally we must mention the glue drying on the burl which would have to be cleaned manually.

OK 25 fluid

The most underestimated fluid, but we think it is as important as the others. It is excellent wherever the quality matches the pace of production. The application should be done by means of two spraying nozzles placed on the top and the bottom of the element. The purpose of this fluid is to cool the glue joint in a way that before the element reaches the polisher station the glue was dry enough not to be smeared by the polishers and did not stick to them. Its additional purpose is to electrostaticly discharge the edge of the element. OK 25 is usually used with PUR glues.

Consequences of not applying or improper application of OK 25 fluid.

The consequence of not applying the fluid will be that the glue is not appropriately dry which in the case of quick production will stick to the parts of an edgebander (card scraper, knives, buffing wheels) which would result in decrease in element quality.

OK 30 fluid

Key fluid in burling finishing. It is responsible for helping the buffing wheels remove glue overflow. It should be applied to the edge of the element and the burl by two spraying nozzles: one on the top and the other on the bottom of the element. It ensures a slight moisture of the buffing wheels which results in making them more efficient and expanding their lifetime.

Consequences of not applying or improper application of OK 30 fluid.

Consequences of not applying or improper application of this fluid will be visible instantly. Without it ready elements will not be properly degreased and cleaned. The edges will show some signs of glue overflow (or discoloration thereof) and the fluids previously applied would evaporate longer. Without a proper moisture the buffing wheels will be covered in glue left by burling, which would diminish their lifetime.

We hope that this article explained, of course to a degree, the usage of our fluids and helped you understand why the application can save you time and money and improve the outcome of produced elements.

If you have further, more detailed questions, please contact us. We will tackle even the most demanding questions and challenges.