Glulam is increasingly being used for rim beam floor cassette applications within the timber frame market, according to Longfield-based Panel Agency Ltd.
Just months after launching Panelam, produced by the Danish glulam supplier Lilleheden, the company has signed up Witney-based Stewart Milne Timber Systems and is in final talks with several other large timber frame manufacturers.
Stewart Milne, the biggest name to switch to glulam, is taking a lorry load – about 55m3 – of Panelam per week, for use on all its timber frame developments in England.
Panelam has been developed as an alternative to the normal beams using LVL and other engineered products in timber floor cassettes. Advantages cited include dimensional stability, moisture and fire resistance, plus cost.
Panel Agency’s Mark Wilson said: “We are having protracted discussions with eight medium to large size timber frame manufacturers.
“There is an upsurge in the UK generally for glulam-based products. We’re getting a lot of interest for curved glulam work for roof sections where people want the aesthetic quality of glulam.”
James Jones & Sons Ltd is supplying glulam to, among others, Stewart Milne Timber Systems in Scotland for rim beam floor cassette applications. James Jones says it has broadened its product portfolio to include glulam as a stock item in order to boost customer choice and flexibility for different applications.
The company has identified two preferred European suppliers and has adapted its software programs to allow the design of both glulam and LVL as standard.
