The manufacturing sector has relied on various adhesives for decades, but in recent years, the advancement of high-quality hot melt adhesive systems has revolutionized many of these processes. These days, a large number of industries have turned to hot melt adhesives as opposed to solvent-based adhesives, including a few industries you probably didn’t realize. Hot melt adhesives are preferable to solvent-based adhesives for a number of reasons, including the fact that they are safer, “greener” and generally easier to apply. If you’re considering implementing a hot melt adhesive system for your manufacturing process, here are the basics you need to know.
Choosing a Hot Melt Adhesive System
Selecting the right hot melt adhesive system for you will depend on a number of different factors. To start, you’ll need to evaluate your process to decide on what kind of glue equipment you’ll need for your particular application. For example, would your assembly process benefit more from an automated spray application or an extrusion system? Which types of hot melt adhesives would be best suited to your needs? Would your company work best with a manual application system or an automated system, and in case of the latter, what should you look for in an automated hot melt adhesive dispensing system? Sure Tack can help guide you through these decisions according to your specific processes, needs, and budget.
Using Your Hot Melt Adhesive System
Once you have selected the right hot melt adhesive system for your needs, understanding how a hot melt system works can go a long way toward helping you make the most of it. Take some time to learn the equipment and educate yourself and your team on the best ways to utilize it most efficiently. For instance, setting up individual workstations often works best for manual applications, and learning the best dispensing techniques for each piece of equipment will help improve productivity while reducing costs. Learning the correct way to support your hose will also prevent costly, dangerous wear-and-tear to the equipment. Read here for additional useful tips and tricks for getting the most from your system.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting
As with any piece of complex equipment, your hot melt adhesive system requires regular maintenance, and even with a consistent maintenance plan in place, occasionally you may experience some common problems with your adhesives. Cold temperatures can affect the performance of pressure sensitive adhesives, for example. Incorporating a glue pressure gauge can help you monitor your dispenser’s performance and detect signs of trouble. Proper preventative maintenance will greatly improve your hot melt adhesive efficiency. If you’re experiencing performance issues, our troubleshooting guide can help. Click here for additional maintenance tips.
Sure Tack Systems is committed to helping you learn all you need to know about how to choose, use and maintain the right hot melt adhesive system to elevate your business. Contact us to learn more.