In industrial use, hot melt adhesives (HMAs) provide several advantages over solvent-based adhesives. They include: Volatile organic compounds that are reduced or eliminated The drying or curing step is eliminated Hot melt adhesives have long shelf life and usually can be disposed of without special precautions HMAs do not lose thickness during solidifying; solvent-based adhesives may lose up to 50-70% of layer thickness during drying Some challenges of HMAs include: Thermal load of the substrate, limiting use to substrates not sensitive to higher temperatures Loss of bond strength at highe ..read more

If your daily conversations include phrases like “open time”, “set time”, “tack”, and “surface energy”, your job probably involves some form of hot melt adhesive, or HMA. Popular among hobbyists for use in crafting projects (think of those glue sticks used in glue guns), it is even more popular in industrial applications as an alternative to water-based adhesives. These advantages include: Reduction or elimination of volatile organic compounds Elimination of the drying or curing step Long shelf life Disposable without specific precautions No loss of thickness during solidification Lower shipp ..read more

Before you try to fight warpage and other moisture-related issues, it’s important to understand what’s causing it and why. When substrates are laminated and die-cut, a variety of problems can occur. For example, differences in moisture content between the printed topsheet and corrugated substrate can lead to warp in the finished product. Also, variations in moisture, combined with misapplication of the wrong adhesive, can create bubbles, “tunneling,” and score crack between the printed topsheet and corrugated substrate. At a microscopic level, the printed litho sheet and corrugated substrates ..read more

Most consumers interact with some kind of case and carton packaging almost every day without realizing it. This special, versatile kind of packaging brings you your food and drinks, household products, and many other things you use on a regular basis. But this crucial packaging category wouldn’t be possible without a specific kind of adhesive, one that’s both strong and durable while also being adaptable for many different uses. Why is case and carton packaging adhesive important? This adhesive might sound like a narrow application, but it has wide-ranging uses throughout the packaging industr ..read more

1) Hot melt is the most popular bonding adhesive when it comes to case and carton sealing. 2) It’s about sealing the flaps. Application of the adhesive is typically an end of the line process and involves the adhesive being applied at an elevated temperature to open flaps, which are then placed in contact with the remaining flaps and compressed to form the final bond. Often times the adhesive is applied to a minor flap, which is then bonded to a major flap. 3) In your environment, pay attention to the following factors: Full adhesive equipment melt tanks (stable application temperature) Glue b ..read more

Industrial adhesives are typically organized by either their reactiveness properties (whether it chemically reacts in order to harden), or by its origin (natural or synthetic.) In the reactiveness category, one of the world’s most popular bonding solutions is the pressure sensitive adhesive or PSA. So, what is a Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive? Pressure-sensitive adhesives are designed to form a bond by the application of light “pressure ” to marry the PSA with whatever needs to be adhered together. Why use a Pressure Sensitive Adhesive? For the right applications, PSAs offer a unique balance betw ..read more

“An environmental turning point is lurking in your drink,” says CNBC, and they’re right. The straws you use to sip your beverage of choice at your favorite restaurant could be the next big point of contention in the war on waste. Seattle, Fort Meyers, and Malibu have already banned plastic drinking straws, and fast food giant McDonald’s plans to eliminate plastic straws at its 1,300 locations in the United Kingdom. But why the controversy at all? Plastic straws can be harmful to the environment—but there is a solution Consider how long you use a typical drinking straw. Even if you linger over ..read more

Let’s start with who loves dextrin adhesives. The packaging industry for one. That’s because dextrin is especially good at bonding paper materials together. Think no further than that popular corrugated box that Amazon just shipped to your home or office and you get the picture. Now, throw in anyone who manufactures tapes, bottle labels, envelopes and other paperboard cartons and you begin to see the wide-ranging impact that dextrin adhesives have in the marketplace. Where does dextrin come from? In a word “starch”, that natural polymer derived from plants like corn, wheat, rice, potatoes, etc ..read more

Hot melt adhesives (HMA) are as numerous as they are versatile. In general, hot melts are applied by extruding, rolling or spraying, and the high melt viscosity makes them ideal for porous and permeable substrates. HMAs are capable of bonding an array of different substrates including paper, rubbers, ceramics, metals, plastics, glass, wood and more. Today, hot melt adhesives are available in a variety of different types, allowing for use in a wide range of applications across several industries. For use in industrial processes, HMA adhesive is supplied in larger sticks and glue guns with highe ..read more