Packaging hot melt adhesives

In the intricate world of manufacturing, where precision, reliability, and efficiency reign supreme, hot melt adhesives stand out as the unsung heroes. These versatile adhesives have become the go-to solution for a myriad of industries, ranging from the production of hygiene and furniture items to the intricate realms of medical, electronic, and automotive applications. Amidst the plethora of choices in the market, Henkel emerges as a trailblazer with its TECHNOMELT® products, embodying trust and innovation. As pioneers in hot melt adhesive technology, Henkel's dedicated teams consistently push the boundaries, delivering cutting-edge solutions that redefine the industry standards. Manufacturers worldwide turn to Henkel not just for products, but for a legacy of reliability, quality, and proven results. Unlike many counterparts, Henkel's hot melt adhesives have undergone rigorous testing and refinement, making them the unequivocal choice for those who demand perfection in every bond. The allure of hot melt adhesives lies not only in their ease of application but also in their cost-effectiveness, extended shelf life, and minimal environmental impact. For businesses seeking a seamless fusion of efficiency and excellence, hot melt adhesives emerge as the adhesive of choice, providing a fast, reliable, and eco-friendly solution to the demands of modern manufacturing.

As one of the most experienced hot melt adhesive manufacturers in the industry, Henkel has an excellent range of products to choose from. Over the years, we have developed a number of different types of hot melt adhesives that help businesses improve efficiency on the production line. This allows us to meet the demands of a number of different industries and maintain our position as one of the most trusted hot melt adhesives suppliers.

From bonding the spines of books, to sealing packaging, to manufacturing tape, hot melt adhesives have a wide range of uses. Different types of hot melt adhesives have different properties. Available chemistry platforms for hot melt adhesive materials include:

• Copolymers of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)-based hot melt adhesives
• Polyolefin-based hot melt adhesives, including metallocene-based formulations
• Amorphous poly-α-olefin-based hot melt adhesives
• Synthetic rubber-based hot melt adhesives, also known as block copolymer hot melt adhesives
• Polyamide-based hot melt adhesives
• Polyurethane-based hot melt adhesives, commonly called PUR hot melt adhesives

Hot melt adhesives are formulated from a variety of thermoplastic polymers. Each polymer has its own properties and benefits. Thermoplastic polymers are solid at room temperature and become liquid when heated. Most of the thermoplastic polymers used to make hot melt adhesives become molten at relatively low temperatures (above 80˚C). This helps to protect heat sensitive substrates.

Henkel pioneered a line of low application temperature adhesives known as TECHNOMELT® COOL. Initially designed to work with heat sensitive applications, low temperature hot melt adhesives offer the added benefit of improving worker safety with reduced burn risks to employees on production lines. The lower operating temperatures also reduce energy consumption and offer sustainability benefits at manufacturing sites. Many manufacturers adopted TECHNOMELT® COOL as a preferred general-purpose hot melt adhesive solution for applications requiring standard heat resistance. 

As factory footprints shrink in size and line speeds increase to keep up with growth and equipment advancements, hot melt adhesives continue to adapt. Henkel meets these new requirements with TECHNOMELT® SUPRA, a range of high-performance adhesives. When metallocene catalyzed polymers were introduced, Henkel further enhanced the TECHNOMELT® SUPRA line with adhesives that increase stability, achieve longer pot lives, deliver less downtime and char, and result in less machine maintenance. TECHNOMELT® SUPRA products are more robust than previous technologies and can withstand greater temperature extremes resulting in fewer pop opens. Additionally, they support faster set speeds and longer open times, making them more suitable for more complex operations with faster equipment.

Henkel’s TECHNOMELT SUPRA PRO® offers different thermoplastic polymers specially tailored for food packaging applications. Within this product line, there are several high-performance hot melt adhesives available for different food packaging substrates all while supporting increased production efficiency.

Polyamide-based hot melt adhesives offer excellent resistance to heat, oil, grease, plasticizers, and solvents. They are also very strong and flexible. These qualities make them a good choice for difficult to bond, low energy substrates. Polyamide-based hot melt adhesives are generally used in electronics, filtration, automotive, and aerospace applications due to their high heat and chemical resistance properties.

TECHNOMELT® PA hot melt adhesives offer beneficial characteristic properties necessary to excel in demanding performance environments. They have higher thermal stability and good chemical resistance to common solvents, plasticizers, and oils. TECHNOMELT® PA adhesives have higher creep resistance under load and better heat resistance with thermally stability up to 160°C.

TECHNOMELT® PA provides protection for modern electronic components, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and lighting applications. The product family delivers electrical insulation, as well as temperature, vibration and solvent resistance for many applications. These products protect electronics from the harshest environmental conditions, including high humidity, long-term UV exposure and extreme thermal cycling. TECHNOMELT® PA also supports low pressure molding, which is a faster and more efficient process than conventional potting. The products range includes one-part material – no mixing or curing – and reduces material consumption through streamlined, multi-level, contour-exact encapsulation. This is a sustainable option with its green chemistry and reusable formulation.

Polyamide-based hot melt adhesives have high cohesive strength with strong inter-chain hydrogen bonds, which is the reason for their relative high strength and chemical resistance properties. TECHNOMELT® PA formulations offer a flexible open time from a few seconds up to about a minute and provide excellent adhesion to a wide variety of substrates including metal, paper, wood, and many plastics such as PVC and surface-treated polypropylene and polyethylene. Polyamide hot melt adhesives are also used for bonding textile fabrics because they have good resistance to dry cleaning fluids. Other important applications include furniture assembly, shoe making, automotive assembly, and gas/oil filter bonding.