Among the many different ways hot melt adhesive systems can be utilized for product assembly, perhaps no industry benefits from hot melt adhesives more than the mattress industry. From laminating and joining multiple foam layers to affixing insulation, pillow tops, and non-woven fabrics, hot melt adhesives are used extensively throughout the assembly process. Even so, choosing the right hot melt equipment for efficient mattress assembly is key to making your investment dollars go as far as possible by keeping production costs down for the long term. Let’s walk through the needs that mattress manufacturers have when shopping for a high-performance, high-volume, and high-speed hot melt system.
Different Hot Melt Applicators for Different Stages of Assembly
Whether you’re bonding multiple layers of foam to each other, laminating foam and fluff or affixing the fabric finish, each stage of mattress assembly calls for a different hot melt application process. Depending on your own workflow, you may need a variety of applicators at various points along your line, along with a number of melt units and hot melt hoses. Your glue dispenser configuration may also use a combination of automatic and manual applicators.
- Automatic hot melt adhesive applicators: automatic applicators are best suited for quick, precision applications across a larger scale. Your assembly process may require extrusion, spray or precise slot coat configurations to ensure the adhesive is applied in the right place at just the right amount.
- Manual hot melt adhesive applicators: For smaller-scale uses (for example, for intricate handcrafted designs, or for spot application of adhesive during final inspection), you may want to have some manual application systems in place, as well. This type of hot glue dispensing equipment is most similar to the traditional hot melt glue gun style like you might see at a commercial craft store with the thermoplastic glue sticks.
How the 90-Degree Mattress Machine Uses Hot Melt Equipment
Because of the particular challenges faced by mattress makers — and because there is such a high demand for hot melt solutions in this industry — Sure Tack has designed a special 90-Degree Mattress Machine to help manufacturers streamline their production. This unique configuration consists of an “L”-shaped assembly line with automatic hot melt applicators and melt tanks along each leg, allowing the operator to apply hot glue both top-to-bottom and left-to-right without having to stop and rotate the mattress. Talk to one of our representatives to see if something like a 90-Degree Mattress Machine with an attached adhesive dispensing system would be useful to your production line.
Choosing the Right Hot Melt Equipment
Which types of hot melt equipment are best for efficient mattress assembly? That question is best answered individually, company to company. If you are a manufacturer, no doubt your process differs from that of your competitors as you have proprietary designs. For that reason, the best way to select the right hot melt adhesive equipment is by consulting with one of our team experts.
Sure Tack Systems can evaluate your workspace and your assembly process to help you determine the exact hot melt equipment you need for maximum output at each stage of assembly — from hot melt handguns and other adhesive applicators to melter supply units and hot melt hoses. To find out more about how a high-performance hot melt adhesive application system can revolutionize your workflow, give us a call today at 770-926-3419.