Centrifugal force causes this common challenge due to overfilled adhesive pots, adhesive accumulation on rollers, and adhesive drying too fast. Adjusting the adhesive thickness often resolves the issues.
Softness, strength, and absorbency are key components consumers want in their tissue and towel products. While providing a unique mix of requirements for facial tissues, napkins, bath tissue, and paper towels, manufacturers must simultaneously increase the efficiency of their production lines. Beyond performance, tissue and towel manufacturers are also concerned with optimizing their operations while keeping an eye on sustainability. Henkel’s innovative adhesives deliver high-quality tissue products with water-based and hot melt chemistries.
by 2030
Global paper towel market size.
2023
Global facial tissue market size.
by 2028
Global bath tissue market size.
Tissue manufacturers have unique formulas to achieve their various products–softness, fragrance, and absorbency are critical for consumer loyalty. In some cases, the various additives are diluted with the water used in the process. AQUENCE XTRA allowed tissue manufacturers to reduce these different additives. Its active ingredients are formulated to deeply penetrate the tissue fiber structure and enhance softness. Learn how the AQUENCE XTRA portfolio can improve the quality of tissue products.
- Core winding
- Lamination
- Tissue pick-up
- Tail sealing
- Tissue softener
Henkel’s adhesives used in core winding achieve the desired final quality of the core, from rigid to soft. Our product range, from dextrin-based products to polyvinyl-acetate-based adhesives, can work with any kind of paper/cardboard under different machine conditions, including high-speed manufacturing processes. Henkel’s core winding adhesives assure the toilet roll tube remains intact and lightweight. Our portfolio of core winding adhesives offer a full range available for specific technical requirements, provide fast drying for high-speed machines, assure efficient consumption, support application on any type of cardboard in the market, and comply with FDA/BfR requirements.
Henkel's laminating adhesives are tailored to meet customer needs for fast setting, smooth application, and cleanliness. Our AQUENCE® water-based adhesives cover a wide range of options, from custom solutions to ready-to-use versions, including those for TAD applications, all with an excellent price-to-performance ratio. Whether it's soft, rigid, or medium roll, toilet paper, or kitchen paper, trust Henkel for adhesives that offer full range available for specific technical requirements, fast setting time, clean machine running, good adhesion for 2 to 4 plies, optimal cost in use, and FDA/BfR conformity.
The different tack and structure of Henkel´s adhesives support getting the best final release as well as to benefit from any application system. Henkel‘s broad product range of tissue pick-up adhesives assures the final quality of the roll and the production process to achieve optimal consumption. The special chemical nature of Henkel adhesives produces the best machining properties as well as very clean processing. This reduces the need for cleaning and helps to decrease downtime and increase efficiency. The Henkel range includes customized products and ready-to-use solutions. Henkel tissue pick-up adhesives provide, full range available for specific technical requirements, high wet tack, excellent dry release, good cleanability, efficient consumption, and compliance with FDA/BfR requirements.
The tail sealing application is critical, as it presents the visible image of quality of the finished roll. Henkel has developed a complete product range for this application based on the technological improvements of the systems and the requirements of the market. TECHNOMELT® holt melt adhesives are the ideal fit for a range of teal sealing applications. Expect high performance on fountain, bar, gun, and nozzle systems, with a limited penetration into the sheets and an excellent release. Our tail sealing adhesives make it possible to choose the right “wet tack” for the paper in order to avoid dirt during cutting and to provide superior release. Our product line of tail sealing adhesives offers good wet tack avoiding flagging on converting line, assures excellent dry release, supports optimal cost in use, provides best quality look and feel for end user, and complies with FDA/BfR requirements.
Consumer demand for softness varies in different regions across tissue and towel applications. This means that fiber treatment softener (tissue softeners) are needed in order to produce tissues that consumers soft and comfortable . Manufacturers must do so without significant increasing costs or causing discomfort for skin. Henkel offers a variety of products to enhance the fibers to help you in the tissue softener process. Our portfolio of tissue softener solutions creates tissue softness and increases volume, supports room temperature application, dries quickly, includes selectable fragrances, is dermatologically tested, and supports end-product differentiation.
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Consumers expect premium softness and comfort, while manufacturers must balance product quality, efficiency, and sustainability.
Tissue softness is influenced by several factors, including fiber selection, tissue structure, and the use of specialty additives during the converting process. Modern tissue treatment technologies can enhance softness, smoothness, bulk, and overall hand feel by modifying the interaction and arrangement of fibers within the tissue structure. By combining the right materials and process parameters, manufacturers can create tissue products that deliver a more comfortable consumer experience while maintaining the performance required for production and end use.
Adhesive performance in tissue lamination depends on several interacting factors, including fiber composition, adhesive application rate, machine speed, humidity, temperature, and converting conditions.
Virgin fibers, recycled fibers, and blended fiber tissue qualities can behave differently and require different bonding approaches. Stable adhesive performance across varying operating conditions is essential for maintaining efficient production, consistent product quality, and reliable ply bonding. Manufacturers often evaluate adhesives based on bonding strength, process stability, compatibility with high-speed converting lines and cost in use.
The increasing use of recycled fibers introduces new challenges for tissue manufacturers. Recycled fiber streams often show greater variability in fiber quality, absorbency, surface characteristics, and contamination levels compared to virgin pulp.
As a result, adhesives must perform consistently across a wider range of substrate conditions. Solutions designed for fiber flexibility can help manufacturers maintain ply bond strength, softness, and converting efficiency even as recycled fiber content increases. This has become increasingly important as sustainability goals drive greater adoption of alternative fiber sources.
Downtime and waste are among the most significant cost drivers in tissue converting operations. Common causes include inconsistent adhesive application, poor bonding performance, equipment contamination, and process instability.
Manufacturers can reduce waste and improve line efficiency by selecting adhesives that provide stable performance at high machine speeds and under varying environmental conditions. Consistent bonding, optimized application rates, and strong technical support can help reduce breaks, rejects, and production interruptions while improving overall equipment effectiveness.
The purchase price of an adhesive represents only a portion of its true economic impact. Factors such as production efficiency, waste generation, machine uptime, product quality, and adhesive consumption often have a greater influence on manufacturing costs than the adhesive price itself.
For this reason, many tissue manufacturers evaluate adhesive solutions based on total cost of ownership. An adhesive that delivers lower consumption, improved runnability, higher quality consistency, and reduced downtime may generate significantly greater value than a lower-priced alternative.
When selecting a tissue converting adhesive, manufacturers typically evaluate several criteria beyond bond strength alone. Important considerations include fiber compatibility, application stability, overall equipment efficiency (OEE), sustainability credentials, and supply security.
The most effective solutions deliver reliable performance across different tissue grades and fiber blends while supporting both operational efficiency and product quality objectives. Access to technical expertise, line trials, and troubleshooting support is often equally important as adhesive performance itself.
Adhesives can contribute to sustainability by enabling lower application weights, minimizing waste, supporting recycled fiber use, and helping manufacturers maintain efficient production processes.
Many tissue producers are also looking for products with favorable environmental profiles, low emissions, and compliance with global sustainability requirements. As sustainability expectations continue to evolve, adhesive selection increasingly becomes part of a broader strategy focused on resource efficiency, environmental responsibility, and operational performance.
Adhesive suppliers can contribute to line efficiency through technical expertise, process optimization support, and products specifically developed for modern high-speed tissue converting operations.
Beyond product supply, leading suppliers often help manufacturers identify opportunities to optimize adhesive usage, reduce waste, improve runnability, and increase production stability. On-site trials, data-driven performance evaluations, and troubleshooting support can play an important role in achieving long-term operational improvements.
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