Sika – facade adhesives

Sika Adhesive System

www.sika.pl

Used for attaching the cladding board to the substructure. Generally used for mounting boards: fiber-cement, HPL, aluminium, stone.

The SIKA system consists of the following elements: primer, cleaner, pre-bonding tape, facade adhesive.

The first stage of assembly is cleaning the aluminum profiles using Sika Cleaner 205, which comes in 1-liter packages, then a layer of Sika Tack Panel Primer, which comes in 1-liter packages, should be applied to the profile. The next step is to prepare the surface of the board. It must be clean, dry, and free of dust, so the top layer of sediment should be mechanically removed. Depending on the type of cladding, different components of the system are used. Sika for chemical cleaning of panels. Most often, the surface is cleaned using Sika Cleaner 205 and washed with Sika Tack Panel Primer.

The next step is to spread the Sika Tack Panel fixing tape, sold in 30 m rolls, along the aluminum profiles and the Sika Tack Panel glue path.

Sika Tack Panel glue is sold in 600 ml extrusion foils. The final step is to apply the properly prepared cladding board. The Sika Tack Panel system glue is standardly available in black, but is also available in white.

SikaTack® Panel-50 is a stable, one-component silicone adhesive with a paste consistency for structural joints in ventilated facades and interior wall claddings between the vertical supporting structure and panels subjected to dynamic and static loads and elevated facade temperatures. It cures under the influence of atmospheric moisture to form a durable elastomer. SikaTack® Panel-50 is a component of the SikaTack® Panel system for economical, invisible fastening of ventilated facades.

SikaTack® Panel-50 is suitable for structural applications in ventilated facades and interior wall claddings between vertically mounted supporting structures and façade panels subjected to dynamic and static loads and elevated temperatures. Substrates suitable for anodized and coated aluminium, glass, metal composites, high pressure laminates and ceramic materials. This product is intended for potential users only. Tests required under specific conditions to verify durability and material compatibility.

Sika recommends an article about the SIKA TACK PANEL SYSTEM:

SIKA TACK PANEL SYSTEM

Ventilated facades are an increasingly popular architectural solution that allows for the improvement of aesthetics and raising the standards of the building’s external appearance. Ventilated facades change the appearance of the building, refreshing it, allowing the building to be adapted to the architectural concept of the surroundings.

The variety of facade materials used in facades allows for freedom of design. Natural stone panels, ceramic boards, and sandwich panels (Alucobond, Reynobond, Alcopla) are used. Point fixing systems, such as rivets or screws, are commonly used. Ceramic tiles are attached using metal clips, while natural stone is attached using drilled anchors (so-called “dry installation”). SIKA has introduced a set of products for invisible installation of ventilated facades. This set is based on a flexible polyurethane adhesive, a degreasing agent, primers and a tape pre-assembly. Each component of the set fulfills a specific task. The degreasing agent is designed to clean the surface of the substructure. Primers prepare the surface of the substructure and facade panels so that they are characterized by increased adhesive adhesion. The pre-assembly tape ensures the stabilization of the facade panel after application. At the same time, it maintains the appropriate thickness of the adhesive joint, ensuring optimal strength parameters of the adhesive. The adhesive has elastic properties, which results in many advantages of this type of connection.

What are the advantages of a flexible connection?

Thanks to its elasticity, the adhesive allows for the connection of different materials. Primers, or priming agents, which increase the adhesion of the adhesive to the substrate, come to the rescue. Sika offers primers for many types of materials, aluminum, steel, galvanized steel, coated steel, and wood. This allows facades to be installed using many building materials and provides many benefits, such as: material savings in the case of natural stone facades. Elastic glue prevents stress concentration (photo 1). It distributes stresses over the entire length of the joint, which means that they are relatively lower than the stresses occurring in a similar case of point installation. The adhesive’s deformability means that the joint absorbs dynamic stresses (wind pressure, suction as a function of time). Thanks to gluing, there is no need to drill ceramic plates. The elastic properties of the glue limit the impact of temperature on the facade panels (photo 2) (photo 3), because the level of glue elasticity significantly exceeds the value of the thermal expansion coefficient of the facade materials.
Bonding allows for the installation of panels both on the construction site and for the preparation of prefabricated elements in the workshop. It is more economical. Elastic bonding also reduces the costs of the substructure by eliminating its transverse elements. It eliminates visible fastening elements, which significantly affects the aesthetics of the facade (photo 4). This method of attachment significantly reduces labor costs because one worker is enough to attach the panel.

Flexible fastening provides great freedom in designing facades. Designers do not have to limit themselves to a few materials but can use a wide range of materials available on the market and combine them in almost any way. The quality of these products has been confirmed in many projects in many countries. Many manufacturers of facade panels have trusted Sika Tack Panel System and introduced it as a system solution, developing appropriate approvals. Among them are: Equiton Eternit AG, Keraion, Marazzi, Cetris and others. The adhesive does not cause galvanic corrosion at the interface of different materials (e.g. connection Alucobond – galvanized steel substructure – photos 5, 6, 7, 8)

Daniel Wiśniewski

Sika Poland

 Sika Tack Panel System Leaflet:

SikaTack® Panel System – invisible gluing of facade panels in ventilated facades

Principle of ventilated facade construction

Despite the great effort put into the proper protection of the facade, water can relatively easily penetrate through leaks in the building’s facade. In typical facades, rainwater can penetrate through joints and gaps as a result of wind and the resulting differences between external and internal pressure. The construction of a ventilated facade allows these problems to be overcome, thanks to the phenomenon of pressure equalization. This makes the building structure weatherproof by preventing rainwater from penetrating the façade.

Benefits of using a ventilated façade

The ventilated façade design was developed in the 1940s and was widely used in Europe and Canada in the 1970s. It is a tried and tested system with many years of experience, lightweight and easy to install and is now widely used. The main advantages of the entire ventilated façade system with facade cladding, both for new and renovated buildings, are:

•  improved aesthetics of the building façade thanks to a wide range of available facade panel finishes
• building resistance to weather conditions while maintaining water vapor permeability
• increased thermal efficiency of the building
• exceptional profitability
• speed of assembly thanks to the elimination of the so-called “wet” technological processes

Ventilated facade structure

A ventilated facade system, based on the phenomenon of pressure equalization, usually consists of the following elements:

•  external facade panels, which also constitute a rain screen, which – – determines the external appearance of the building – – reflects raindrops so that they do not penetrate into the internal space – – transfers wind pressure to the wall through a metal grid system
• internal space, where – – water that gets through the rain screen is drained – – there is room to install thermal insulation – – air circulation occurs, which ventilates and dries the thermal insulation
• the main wall structure, to which the appropriate supporting structure of the facade (metal grid) is mechanically attached, transferring wind pressure.

There are many ways to connect facade cladding to a metal support frame. The SikaTack® Panel system allows designers to implement any design, thanks to the use of an invisible panel fastening system. The flexibility of the SikaTack® Panel system combined with good adhesion to the surface of various types of panels, compensates for the natural movements associated with the thermal expansion of various building materials, ensuring the durability of the fastening of various types of facade panels.

This ingenious and simple system offers both designers and contractors many benefits compared to mechanical methods of invisible fastening of facade panels in ventilated facades.

SikaTack® Panel System is suitable for attaching:

• composite
• ceramic materials
• HPL high-pressure laminate
• fibre cement boards and many metal and powder-coated surfaces.

Sika TackPanel facade adhesives

The system consists of:

• Sika® Cleaner 205  Surface preparation agent – adhesion promoter and general degreaser intended for non-porous surfaces of the grid and cladding panels.
• SikaTack® Panel Primer  One-component, epoxy-polyurethane adhesive primer. Creates a black, UV-resistant coating and improves adhesive adhesion. Suitable for use on smooth and porous substrates.
• Double-sided tape SikaTack® Panel Tape 3 mm thick, black, polyethylene foam tape with a closed cell structure. Used for initial fixing of facade panels until the SikaTack® Panel adhesive has cured. It also ensures obtaining an appropriate, even, 3 mm layer of glue as optimal for compensating thermal movements of cladding materials, and masks the glue paths that become invisible in the expansion gaps.
• SikaTack® Panel Adhesive Single-component, ivory-coloured, moisture-cured polyurethane adhesive. Resistant to extreme dynamic loads and extreme climatic conditions. Available in 600 ml soft packaging. When cured, it becomes permanently elastic, which compensates for the thermal expansion of various building materials. Eliminates fatigue stresses in the places where the panels are attached and prevents the formation of thermal bridges.

Graphic stress distribution

Sika TackPanel elevation adhesive Technical Approval

Photo no. 1 shows elements under load connected with mechanical connectors. The greatest stresses are clearly concentrated around the screws and can lead to extreme deformations and ultimately to the destruction of the connection.

Photo no. 2 shows elements connected with SikaTack® Panel adhesive. With an identical load, the stresses are distributed evenly along the entire connection, creating optimal working conditions for the connection along its entire length.

Connection durability test – static and wind loads. The system properties such as exceptional adhesive strength and stress distribution have been confirmed by independent research laboratories (Oxford Brookes University). Wind load tests gave a positive result with a load five times greater than the maximum design load. SikaTack® Panel System was also tested at the Building Research Institute in Warsaw, where its suitability for fixing high-pressure laminate HPL, fibre-cement and ceramic facade panels was confirmed. The system received ITB Technical Approval No. AT-15-8111/2009. It also has the BBA (British Board of Agrement) certificate No. 05/4218.

Test of resistance to atmospheric factors (aging)

Aging tests were carried out at Bouwcentrum Technology Limited in the Netherlands on boards glued using the SikaTack® Panel system, according to a controlled, accelerated test method. The adhesion of the SikaTack® Panel system was compared before and after the test and even after 60 days of testing (corresponding to 40 years of use) no significant reduction in mechanical parameters was noted.

       1. The supporting frame and the surface of the board at the point of gluing should be matted with an abrasive material and then carefully degreased using Sika® Cleaner 205 (non-porous surfaces only). Leave to dry (approx. 30 sec.)

2. Cover the surface of the board at the point of gluing and the profile of the supporting structure with a thin layer of SikaTack® Panel Primer. Leave the material to harden – approx. 30 minutes (the surface remains active for no longer than 8 hours).

3. Stick SikaTack® Panel Tape onto the primed profile of the supporting structure. This tape provides temporary fixing until the glue hardens, ensures its proper thickness and masks any excess glue leakage.

 4. Using a squeezer with a suitably cut tip, apply a triangular bead of SikaTack® Panel adhesive to the support profile along the tape (from the inside, counting from the edge of the board). A distance of at least 10 mm should be maintained between the tape and the adhesive bead.

5. Remove the protection from the top of the tape.

6. If the design provides for hiding horizontal expansion joints with masking strips, place them in the appropriate position after previously removing fragments of the protective double-sided tape in these places.

7. Immediately attach cladding boards onto freshly squeezed SikaTack® Panel adhesive. Once the board is in place, press firmly into position so that the entire surface is in contact double-sided tape with the element being fixed.

8. The assembly of all glued elements should be completed within 10 minutes of applying the adhesive bead. To obtain the desired expansion gaps, appropriate spacers can be used. In the case of heavy elements, additional support may be necessary.

9. After the initial adhesive strength has been achieved, all spacer blocks and washers should be removed. The adhesive will achieve standard strength after 48 hours.