Product Assembly

In today’s crowded market coupled with high consumer demand, speed is everything when it comes to order fulfillment. The more a company can shorten the time between when a customer orders their product and when the customer receives it, the more competitive that company will be. Depending on the size of your own company, you might find it more difficult to compete when space and budget limitations require you to manufacture products on demand. In situations like these, using hot melt adhesive systems for product assembly can greatly streamline your supply chain, helping you stay toe to toe even with your larger competitors.

Challenges with Smaller-Scale Manufacturing

For many companies, the problem with their supply chain boils down to a cascading set of events that essentially “clogs up the works” can cause a backlog. To illustrate, consider the following scenario:

Suppose your startup company makes and sells affordable modular furniture targeted to college-age and young adult buyers. Due to a combination of budget constraints, space limitations and a desire to manufacture your products here in the U.S., you opt for an on-demand manufacturing model. Suppose your launch goes quite well and you get a large number of orders at once. Now you have a problem: Your water-based adhesives take at least a day to cure, and you don’t have the storage space for more than a few pieces at a time. Suddenly, you’re faced with having to tell half your customers that their products will be delayed—and since they’re sitting on the floor of their empty apartments waiting for their furniture, they’re not likely to be pleased. They cancel their order and go to your competitor, who guarantees delivery in two days.

Hot Melt Adhesives Provide the Solution

What could have prevented the backlog in your supply chain as described above? Simple: Shorten the drying time of your adhesives. This is where hot melt adhesives can help.

Unlike water-based adhesives which take a day or longer to dry, hot melt adhesives cure within minutes — and they are every bit as strong and durable as their water-based alternatives. By installing a high-quality, well-designed hot melt system, you can greatly shorten the amount of time it takes to make your products, and depending on what you’re manufacturing, you may be able to fulfill orders within hours, rather than days. As you might imagine, this streamlined approach typically results in much greater customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

If space and workflow limitations are hindering your ability to compete in a high-demand market, it might be time to streamline your supply chain with a hot melt adhesive system. Sure Tack Systems can help you configure a system perfect for your manufacturing needs, and we provide stellar customer support, technical support and training to ensure that you’re getting the most benefit from your system. To learn more, call us today at 800-580-2803.

Over the past decade, bed-in-a-box mattresses have been taking the world by storm. With all the typical headaches involved in mattress shopping — from visiting the showroom and choosing a mattress to expensive delivery and setup costs — the idea of receiving a compressed foam mattress shipped to one’s home in an easy-to-handle box appeals to millions of consumers. From the original Bed-in-a-Box created in 2007, we now have close to 200 companies now following the same model — and demand continues to increase.

Obviously, with all these companies now contending for market share, the field has become quite competitive, and manufacturers are now under increased pressure to get their mattresses built and shipped more quickly than ever. For a business model that essentially builds mattresses on demand, this presents some unique challenges, causing some to re-think how their bed-in-a-box mattresses are produced. Many have discovered that using hot melt systems for product assembly can greatly shorten the amount of time it takes to build and ship a mattress. Let’s take a look at how these mattresses are made and how hot melt systems can reduce production time.

The Manufacturing Process

For many bed-in-a-box companies, if not most, their mattresses are made to order, and construction doesn’t begin until the customer places an order online. The reasons for this range from customization options to logistical space (many of these boutique companies don’t have room to store large amounts of inventory). Each mattress is constructed of state-of-the-art memory foam which has the ability to be highly compressed and rolled for shipping. The biggest delay in the manufacturing process is in applying the adhesives to build the mattress itself — water-based adhesives require 24 hours or more for curing. When a company has limited space, they can only cure so many mattresses at a time, which can cause even more delays in the supply chain. Before long, customers get impatient. Needless to say, a company that can overcome these delays and streamline the manufacturing process can be highly competitive.

Some companies have overcome this challenge by using hot melt adhesives in place of the standard water-based adhesives. Hot melt adhesives are just as effective and enable the same level of quality in bed-in-a-box mattresses — they just cure much more quickly. Using a hot melt system, a manufacturer can produce, compress, roll and ship a bed in a box within hours, rather than days, greatly streamlining their workflow and keeping customers happy in the process.

Sure Tack offers an array of hot melt systems that are perfect for companies looking to streamline their production. If you’re a bed-in-a-box company or another manufacturer looking to shorten your turnaround time, a hot melt adhesive system can greatly accelerate your manufacturing process without impacting quality control. To learn more about whether a hot melt system is right for you, call us today at 800-580-2803.

These days, more and more companies are moving away from stock production and instead gravitating toward on-demand manufacturing. This comes from a need to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of supply chains in an economy increasingly dominated by online retail. This shift is a stark contrast to the days when large quantities of a product used to be constructed on assembly lines and then kept in storage facilities for weeks or even months until they are ready to be shipped to a customer. Hot melt adhesive systems are a critical component of much on-demand manufacturing, but before we get into why, let’s dive a bit deeper into the benefits of on-demand manufacturing for product assembly operations.

• Ensures a speedy, responsive turnaround. Depending on the type of item, products can often be constructed on-site and shipped off to a store (or in some cases, a direct customer) on the same day an order is placed.
• Reduces overhead costs by saving on storage space. There’s no need to store large quantities of products for multiple weeks or months since everything is shipped soon after they come off the production line.
• Cuts down on product markdowns and waste. With on-demand manufacturing, you never need to produce more product than you need. That means you can reduce the amount of product you must discount or throw away.

The Role of Hot Melt Adhesive in On-Demand Manufacturing

With on-demand manufacturing, speed is the name of the game. Once an order is received, the goal is to build the item, package it, and ship it out within the same day. Having a hot melt adhesive system on your assembly line for constructing products makes this possible. Hot melt adhesive is simple and easy to apply to a variety of materials, and best of all, it cures incredibly fast (it’s dry to the touch within seconds). This represents a stark contrast to other methods for adhering products on an assembly line. For example, a water-based adhesive can take 24 hours or more to fully cure, which can really bog down the process and cause logistical storage headaches. After all, where are you going to store all this product while you wait for the water-based adhesive to cure?

Mattress manufacturers are one industry that relies on the speedy qualities of hot melt adhesive to fulfill on-demand production goals. Both traditional mattress companies and newer bed-in-a-box online mattress retailers benefit from hot melt adhesive’s ability to speed up production and fulfill orders quickly. Mattresses can be constructed and then loaded directly from production lines onto trucks that ship them out the same day the order was received.

Ready to streamline your company’s manufacturing process? A hot melt adhesive system is ideal for constructing products in an on-demand manufacturing setting. As an industry leader in hot melt adhesive application equipment, Sure Tack Systems’ hot melt glue systems are reliable, simple to operate, and easy to maintain. Contact us to learn more about how a hot melt adhesive system can improve the bottom line of your company’s manufacturing process.

Bed-in-a-box mattresses are becoming more popular than ever as customer purchasing behaviors shift from brick and mortar mattress stores in ecommerce-based mattress retailers. Instead of worrying about physically driving to a mattress store, enduring sales pitches, wondering if you’re getting a good deal, and then dealing with transporting your mattress, these bed-in-a-box companies are simplifying the process for all parties involved.

The bed-in-a-box mattress industry has exploded over the past five years, but the concept actually dates back to 2007 when a Nashville-based entrepreneur named Bill Bradley built the first machine designed to compress and tightly roll foam mattresses for simple shipping. This piece of equipment was key in the founding of Bradley’s mattress business, Bed in a Box, and it was long before other major bed-in-a-box companies — like Casper and Tuft & Needle — threw their hat in the ring.

Fast forward to 2019 — there are now nearly 200 online mattress manufacturers that follow the bed-in-a-box model for compressing, rolling, and shipping foam mattresses direct to customers. These companies represent about 12 percent of the mattress market (it was only 6 percent in 2014). As this niche market grows in dominance, bed-in-a-box mattress businesses are looking for new ways to innovate their product assembly and improve the experience of customers.

One way bed-in-a-box companies are streamlining their manufacturing process is by switching from water-based adhesive to hot melt adhesive for adhering the mattress’ multiple foam layers. How? Well, it all comes down to curing time.

Bed-in-a-box mattresses are often built to order, which means that when a customer orders a mattress, the company immediately gets to work on constructing the mattress before compressing, rolling, and boxing it up to be shipped. If a company is using water-based adhesive during the construction phase, they must wait a minimum of 24 hours for the adhesive to fully cure before it can be compressed and rolled. This poses two problems. First, water-based adhesive slows down foam mattress production. Second, water-based adhesive requires a bed-in-a-box manufacturer to have enough space to store multiple mattresses while they undergo curing process. Given how large mattresses are, that’s a lot of space if you’re flooded with hundreds of customer orders per week.

That’s where hot melt adhesives come in to save the day. Unlike water-based adhesives, hot melt adhesives cure incredibly fast. When applied to mattresses, hot melt adhesive will dry within a few seconds, as opposed to a day or more. This means bed-in-a-box mattress companies are able to construct, compress, roll, and ship a mattress within several hours of receiving a customer’s order.

Ready to maximize the efficiency of your bed-in-a-box mattress manufacturing process? A hot melt adhesive system is the way to go. Sure Tack Systems is an industry leader in hot melt adhesive application equipment. Our hot melt glue systems are reliable, simple to operate, and easy to maintain. Contact Sure Tack Systems to learn more about implementing hot melt adhesive into your bed-in-a-box manufacturing process.

Hot melt adhesives play a key role in the manufacture of many products, including non-woven fabrics. But what, exactly, are non-woven fabrics, and how does the right hot melt adhesive system help to streamline product assembly for these fabrics?

In the broadest sense, non-woven fabrics are engineered fabrics consists of fibrous materials bonded through some method other than weaving. In most cases, these fibers are bonded in a sheet or web form through mechanical, chemical adhesive or thermal bonding processes. Of these three processes, thermal bonding (using a hot melt adhesive) is often considered the least expensive and safest option when possible.

Benefits of Non-Wovens

Non-woven fabrics provide a wide range of versatility across a number of applications compared to their woven counterparts. For example, non-wovens can be designed to be single-use or biodegradable, limited in scope or highly durable, depending on the need. They can be designed to resist tearing under piercing or high pressure; they can also be flame retardant, temperature-resilient, water absorbent or water repellent, stretchable, washable, anti-bacterial and so much more. Effectively, non-woven fabrics give us much more control over what we need these fabrics to do.

Examples of Non-Woven Fabrics

Non-woven fabrics can be found in nearly every aspect of our lives, from industrial applications to home-use products. Examples of non-woven products include:

• Disposable diapers
• Carpeting
• Upholstery
• Jacket lining
• Household wipes
• Insulation
• Automotive coverings
• Roofing
• Laundry aids
• Hygiene products
• Medical use products
• Fiber envelopes

How Hot Melt Adhesives Help with Product Assembly for Non-Woven Fabrics

Hot melt adhesives are made up of thermoplastic resins that become pliable under heat and pressure, yet are also able to cool quickly after application. These properties make hot melt adhesives an excellent option for manufacturing non-wovens because:

• They create the necessary bonding without affecting the properties of the material itself (e.g., the product retains its softness, flexibility, etc.).
• They accelerate the manufacturing process because there no drying, curing or cooling stage is necessary.
• They are more economical than other bonding options.
• They are safer and more eco-friendly than other bonding options.

Whatever your non-woven manufacturing needs, Sure Tack hot melt adhesive systems are designed for the fast, efficient and uniform application of just the right amount of adhesive to help you maximize productivity with minimal downtime. Contact Sure Tack Systems to learn more about which our systems and tools are right for you.

From assembling mattresses and furniture to automobiles and picture frames, a hot melt adhesive system is a critical component in most product assembly applications. Many manufactured products rely on an efficient hot melt system, including some products that might surprise you. Even fugitive glue, the temporary adhesive that holds credit cards in place while traveling through the mail, is applied with hot melt.

Choosing the right hot melt system for assembling your products can greatly increase productivity to meet the growing demands of your customers. Let’s explore a bit further the role of hot melt adhesive in product assembly and discuss how having the right tools can greatly enhance your assembly line.

Automotive

From the instrument panels to the upholstered seats to weather stripping, a huge part of automobile assembly depends heavily on hot melt adhesives. Thanks to modern advances like high volume configuration hoses, hot melt adhesive systems are radically changing the automotive industry in a number of interesting ways — for example, adhesives make automobiles lighter in weight while reducing production costs. Due to the variety of needs and applications, an automotive production line needs a number of glue systems working in tandem for maximum results. Click here to learn more about the best glue systems for automotive product assembly.

Furniture

For years, furniture products in general, and wood furniture have relied on adhesives for reinforcement, consumer safety, quality control, and cost control. Spray adhesive systems often work quite well with furniture assembly, allowing for increased production volume as well as greater precision. Learn more about the best hot melt adhesives for woodworking applications.

Mattresses

Over the years, adhesives have become an integral part of quality mattress assembly. Not only do hot melt adhesive systems improve factors like production volume and cost control, but the adhesives used are also non-flammable and mold-resistant, both of which make mattresses safer for consumers. In recent years, the 90-degree mattress machine has revolutionized the mattress industry by automating adhesive processes that once had to be applied manually.

Packaging

Not only are thousands of consumer products assembled using hot melt adhesives — so is the packaging used to contain and ship those products. In fact, the packaging industry relies on hot melt adhesive systems perhaps more than any other industry on the planet. From keeping our food safe and fresh to bonding foam to packaging for reinforcement — to sealing the packages themselves — it’s hard to imagine how we’d package products without these systems. Even so, as the technology keeps evolving, hot melts continue to change the packaging industry by making systems more efficient and streamlined.

Non-Woven Fabrics

Non-woven fabrics are textiles made from long fibers that are bonded together through means other than weaving. Products made from non-woven fabrics include disposable diapers, feminine hygiene products, and certain medical/surgical products. Understandably, hot melt adhesives offer a number of benefits in the manufacture of non-woven materials — for example, they help create flexible bonds without affecting the quality of the product, and they keep costs low. Learn more about the best machines used for bonding non-woven fabrics.

Sure Tack Systems offers a wide range of products and services that can greatly enhance the product assembly process through hot melt adhesive systems. Contact us to learn more about how our tools and machines can improve your production.

Further Reading on Product Assembly

• Why Do I Need Different Nozzles for Assembly?
• The Best Hot Melt Adhesive Systems for Product Assembly
• How to Automate a Product Assembly Line’s Adhesive System