Hot Melt News

Improved efficiency is an overriding concern in today’s competitive environment.  An easy place to start is with adhesive usage.  Most automatic hot melt applications can be adjusted to operate with less hot melt adhesive. When planned and executed properly, adhesive reduction can offer significant long term cost savings.

Before making any changes to your hot melt system or adhesives, you should produce sample blanks with non-compressed hot melt and glued samples for evaluation by your hot melt adhesive and hot melt machinery suppliers.

To make thorough recommendations for your adhesive process, it is important to include the following information with your samples:

• Hot Melt System Temperatures
• Air Pressure Used for the Pump
• Nozzle Tip Orifice Size
• Adhesive Specification Sheet
• Current Consumption per Package
• Type of Hot Melt System Currently in Use
• Speed of Operation
• Frequency of Hot Melt System Maintenance
• Pattern Coverage Requirements.
  To include:
  • Number of Beads
  • Bead Profile
  • Centers Between the Beads

It can also be helpful to have your engineering, maintenance, and production personnel review these same samples. They are often able to provide valuable insight into your adhesive application and consumption process.

Too often, hot melt adhesive is used to compensate for other deficiencies in the production process. Dirty and/or poorly maintained hot melt systems can result in reduced adhesive bond quality. Nozzle cloggage issues can merely be the result of an incorrect orifice size on the nozzles. Another point to consider with regard to potential adhesive waste is hot melt application temperature.If the temperature is too hot, the adhesive is too thin, and this can result in excess amounts of adhesive being dispensed.

The case, carton, corrugated box sealing and erecting industry is one that has seen significant improvements on adhesive savings with the use of professional and in-house adhesive consumption consultation. It is important to note that incorrect compression of the adhesive and substrate on the erector or sealer can affect the sealing capacity of hot melts between substrates.

Be sure to also read our article, “Use Lower Cost Hot Melt” to learn about the benefits of using “Melt on Demand” Hot Melt Tanks and how they too can reduce your production costs.

Contact Glue Machinery Corporation today to discuss your application and how we can improve your adhesive savings.

During the last downturn in the US economy, we were invited to speak at a major hot melt supplier annual sales meeting. We discussed the use of lower cost hot melt adhesives as a cost saving measure for their customers. This was a viable alternative as a result of the “Melt on Demand” technology we provide.

Lower cost adhesives typically have more limited “pot life” than those of higher cost and quality. The “pot life” is the amount of time it takes for hot melt to start degrading when held at application temperature in a melt tank. These “Melt on Demand” hot melt tanks can process these lower cost adhesives because they melt and condition hot melt adhesive at lower temperatures than all other tanks.

The “Melt on Demand” tanks are tall and narrow with a high power melt grid in the bottom. They are specifically designed to melt hot melt as needed, rather than heating the entire tank of hot melt to application temperature. The “Melt on Demand” tank creates a graduated viscosity of the adhesive and it insures that the adhesive is used in a first in – first out order. Other tanks mix the adhesive, presenting an opportunity for the adhesive to exceed its “pot life”. In the standard 20 pound “Melt on Demand” tank, there is a temperature differential of 50 to 100 degrees F between the melt grid on the bottom of the tank and the top of the tank.

In addition to saving cost on adhesive, these “Melt on Demand” tanks help to reduce downtime due to system maintenance, while lowering the need for disposable spare parts, such as nozzles and filters. Finally, “Melt on Demand” tanks can dramatically reduce or eliminate the fuming of hot melt and decrease operator exposure to molten hot melt, providing a safer work place.

In today’s economy we are all looking for effective cost saving measures. The “Melt on Demand” technology provided by Glue Machinery is one way to have an immediate positive impact on your process as well as your bottom line.

The assembly of speaker cabinets and sub woofers has greatly improved using the Champ 3 hot melt gun with GIA1051 hot melt adhesive available only from Glue Machinery Corporation.

Click on image for larger version

Champ 3 Bulk Hot Melt Adhesive Glue Gun

GIA 1051 Hotmelt

These self contained adhesive hotmelt guns melt and apply hot melt adhesive with accuracy and speed to countless substrates and surfaces. In this featured application, hot melt adhesive is applied to the wooden speaker cabinet and sub woofer components.

The hot melt applied to the speaker cabinet and sub woofer by the Champ 3 is both a bonding agent and an acoustical sealant.

Please review the included unsolicitied testimonial regarding our gun and glue:

Champ Industrial Hot Melt Guns & High Hot Melt Rate Tips

Bulk self contained hot melt handguns, such as Glue Machinery Corporations Champ Hot Melt Handguns, process hot melt in an internal reservoir located inside the gun.  This gun has very high output capability, far in excess of the guns ability to melt adhesive.

Adhesive should be regularly introduced into the gun in small quantities of less than one ounce to maximize the melt rate of this industrial equipment. A tank of molten hot melt adhesive dramatically increases the guns ability to melt hot melt and insures that the glue pattern is not affected with cooler, lower viscosity hot melt.

The Champ Guns all have adjustable temperature controls. It is important to keep the gun at or below the recommended adhesive application temperature of 350 F. The Champ 5, featuring the easily adjusted temperature dial on the back, is recommended if you need to ramp up the melt rate for short intervals.

Over-heating hot melt is counter-productive and usually causes adhesive degradation and/or charring.  Charring of the adhesive creates debris that can clog the nozzle or hold the check valve nozzle tip.

We recommend the following Hot Melt adhesive tips:

1. Reduce the temperature of the gun to suggested levels
2. Fill the gun regularly
3. Use higher quality hot melt for improved consistency, strength, and ease of application
4. Add a second gun for backup and streamlining purposes
5. Purchase a melt tank to supplement the melt rate of the guns and lower the temperature of the guns
6. Consider purchasing a larger hot melt system to include tank with pump, flexible hose, and handgun. These systems are able to handle your higher melt rate requirements

Dynamini Bulk Hot Melt Tank from Glue Machinery Corporation

Most Hot Melt Stick Glue Guns offer insufficient melt rates,  poor application precision, and no long term performance.  The new Champ™ Stick 400, a 120 VAC 400W Industrial glue gun from Glue Machinery Corporation™, addresses these hot melt stick glue gun shortcomings.

Champ™ Stick 400 Industrial Stick Glue Gun

This heavy duty hot melt stick gun is totally different from other standard hot melt stick guns. It melts hot melt sticks much faster than most stick glue guns and also applies hot melt faster with less trigger pull. The key to the Champ™ Stick 400 Hot Melt Stick Gun’s high output is the large heater which can melt in excess of  4 lbs per hour (appx. Twenty 1/2″ x 10″ sticks per hour) . The large internal heater also insures that the adhesive flows properly when needed and does not back up into the gun, causing damage and rendering your tool unuseable.

Most hot melt  stick guns are replaced frequently due to their poor durability and  light-weight construction.The Champ Stick 400 is constructed with a high impact plastic shell and industrial componentns.   The Champ Stick 400 is  is fully rebuildable and servicable (all parts and service available from Glue Machinery Corporation) and offers advanced features such as temperature and shot size adjustability.

Champ™ Stick 400 Heater Schematic

The Champ™ Stick 400 also greatly reduces or eliminates the “Stringing” often found in stick guns by using its heck valve ball and spring nozzle. This nozzle pulls the adhesive back into the nozzle tip upon trigger release, thus solving the common problem of stringing.

The Champ™ Stick 400 hot melt stick gun can operate for long periods of time without maintenance and is one of the only hot melt stick guns on the market with an adjustable temperature control (284 to 428 Fahrenheit) allowing for a wide range of applications and adhesives . The Champ™ Stick 400 also has a unique patent pending ‘Shot Size’ stroke adjustment knob. This adjustment allows you to determine how much adhesive flows with each trigger actuation.

Gone are the days of messy hot melt application and constant hot melt stick gun replacement. The Champ™ Stick 400, only available from Glue Machinery Corporation, is the answer and solution to all your advanced and precise glue stick needs.

Champ Stick Glue available exclusively from Glue Machinery Corporation

Be sure to visit our Stick glue adhesives page to choose from our high quality, manufacturer approved, and recommended glue sticks for this gun.  Glue Machinery currently offers their Champ™ Stick Adhesive in  basic varieties- Clear General Purpose, White General Purpose, and Yellow Stick Glue (often used for packaging). Using the approved ½” (11.2 to 11.8mm) glue stick size helps prolong the life of these guns dramatically.

Keep posted for information on custom nozzles we will be offering for the Champ™ Stick 400 in the near future.

Contact Pierce Covert at Glue Machinery Corporation™ today to discuss your project needs and how Glue Machinery can drastically improve your adhesive results.

(see also: Red, White, and Blue Hot Melt Stick Glue )

In manual assembly and packaging applications, the actual hot melt adhesive usage is often twice as much as is required.  Precise manual application of hot melt can be difficult; therefore operators apply additional adhesive to insure a sufficient bond.  Packaging and/or product failures are more expensive than the cost of adhesive overuse, so managers simply accept higher adhesive consumption as a cost of doing business.

With skyrocketing raw material and shipping costs pushing the average cost of hot melt to more than $2.00 per pound, it makes sense to take another look at hot melt consumption.

Tips to Control Hot Melt Adhesive Consumption:

1. TRAINING — Operators have the ultimate control over adhesive usage.  Thorough documentation and training on approved assembly procedures will help operators gauge the correct amount of adhesive usage.
2. EVALUATION — Regular quality control checks should be performed to ensure that the appropriate amount of adhesive is being applied.  If not, additional communication and training with operators might be necessary.
3. EQUIPMENT – There are many options within adhesive application equipment.  Melting, pumping and applying capabilities of equipment should match assembly requirements.  Under-specified hot melt equipment may require operators to overheat the system in order to maintain sufficient melt rates.  This overheating can degrade adhesive and affect subsequent bonds.  In addition, this can lead to increased system maintenance requirements.
4. ADHESIVE – It is critical that the adhesive have the appropriate open time, set time and bond strength for the application.  This can only be accomplished with thorough testing.  If any characteristic of the adhesive does not match the application, consumption will certainly be affected.  Keep in mind that more adhesive does not necessarily mean a better bond; the amount of adhesive affects set times and subsequent bonds.
5. ERGONOMICS – Make it easy for operators to manipulate their tools.  Ease of operation enables operators to apply consistent patterns.
6. ASSEMBLY TIME – Operators need to have sufficient time to focus on the application.  This will allow for correct and standardized adhesive patterning on each package.
7. AUTOMATION – Consider ways to go “Hands Free.”  Benchtop units and XY Tables can provide more consistent and controlled adhesive application.

With proper training, monitoring, supplies and tools operators can produce better products, in less time with less adhesive.  Please visit www.gluemachinery.com/ergo-erector for an example of a system that has produced significant adhesive usage reductions in the case erecting industry.

Be sure to check in next month for information about reducing adhesive consumption in auto glueing applications.

Contact Pierce Covert to discuss your particular process and application needs to find out how we can improve your consumption rates.

Booger Glue, what is it!?

Booger Glue is a glue that allows you to attach and detach/remove products from each other without causing damage to either substrate.

Booger Glue is used in credit card attachment, tipping of inserts into magazines, gift baskets, direct mail and hundreds of other applications.

In a more formal sense this glue is referred to as a Fugitive/Removable adhesive.

This glue is available as dots on release liner for small applications and in bulk hot melt form to be processed in a bulk hot melt handguns, benchmount hot melt systems, or fully automatic systems.

Fugitive adhesive usually stays attached to the substrate it is applied to. If one of the two substrate is porous, or easier to attach to, the fugitive glue will tend to remain with that substrate when separation occurs.

Please remember that there are many different types of Fugitive/ Removable adhesives that offer different bond capacities. Be sure to consult with Glue Machinery Corporation to determine the best adhesive for your needs.

Further reading: Recently we posted a youtube video of label application. The video is linked in our 04 Apr 2008 entry “Removable Label Gluing”

Further information:

Champ 5 with GIA1051 Hot Melt

Beads of GIA1051 hot melt applied to different density EPS Foams.

Beads of GIA1051 at 334 F burn very little into substrate.

GIA1051 has a long open time that also gives good initial tack.

Bond between substrates is repositionable.

Bonds between EPS foams are permanent and destructible bonds.