Did you know that hot melt adhesives have properties and advantages that make them very useful for a variety of different purposes? So, to choose between hot melt adhesive manufacturers, one first needs to understand who they make it for. Different manufacturers make different types of hot melt adhesives, which are used for different purposes.
Properties of Hot Melt Adhesives
Hot melt adhesives are generally made from a polymer with a high molecular weight, a tackifying resin, and a plasticizer. These three elements combine to give them their properties and advantages. These adhesives do not contain solvents. They are thermoplastics that melt between 120 and 180 degrees Celsius, and they are used in the melted state.
Advantages of Hot Melt Adhesive
One of the primary advantages of hot melt products is in their definition—they stay solid at room temperature and melt into an adhesive at high heat. This makes storage and handling much simpler than with a liquid adhesive. Hot melt adhesive can generally be used with less space for production equipment, a lower inventory of raw materials, less preparation, better environmental impact during manufacture and disposal, and less energy costs.
Hot melt adhesive products form bonds quickly to both porous and non-porous materials, allowing for faster line speeds in automated operations. The final bond has a higher tolerance for moisture, so these adhesives are great for high humidity applications.
Types of Hot Melt Adhesives
As with most adhesives, hot melt adhesive manufacturers tend to make products for specific applications. There are adhesives made specifically for packaging, which feature good temperature tolerances and strong bonds with cardboard and other shipping materials. There are hot melt adhesives for woodworking that work best with porous materials, and there are container-labeling adhesives that work with both porous and non-porous materials.
Uses for Hot Melt Adhesives
Hot melt glue is a popular product for household and light business use, but there are numerous commercial uses for the adhesive as well, with several manufacturers providing the product for specialized niches. Perhaps the most common use is in packaging, particularly the creation of corrugated shipping material. It is also used to assemble products, bind books, and make pressure-sensitive labels and tapes.
If you need hot melt adhesive for making corrugated shipping material, you can find it through RapidBond. For your corrugated production supply needs, visit rapidbond.net.
