Hot melt adhesive is a thermoplastic adhesive, also known as hot glue.
Hot melt
tapes exhibit significantly higher adhesion compared to acrylic tape. They have superior holding power (called shear value) and tensile strength, with a fast grip. Hot melt tapes have significantly higher adhesion compared to acrylic tape.A hot melt tape is ideal for applications involving machine-applied tapes, overfilled cartons or cartons with a high degree of recycled content. They work well in temperatures ranging from 45°F to 120°F. Hot melt tape is a strong adhesive tape that works well on recycled and corrugated boxes. A hot melt tape is ideal for applications involving machine-applied tapes, overfilled boards or boards with a high degree of recycled content.
Not all packaging tapes are created equal, especially when it comes to construction. The biggest difference is the type of adhesive. The two most common ones are acrylic and hot melt. Read on to see what makes them so different.
Other conditions where shear strength may be a factor are overfilled or thick-walled cartons where there is an upward force on the tape seal, heavy-content cartons where a downward force is applied to the bottom tape seal, or in transport situations stringent measures, such as the sending of individual packages, where external forces exert pressure on cartons. While it is only a small part of the overall operation of the packaging line, selecting the right packaging tape for your application is critical to successful carton sealing. For boxes that will be kept in storage for long periods of time, acrylic tape can hold its seal for more than three years and is more resistant to the extreme temperatures that occur in unconditioned storage spaces. The coating methods available in a converter often determine the type of pressure-sensitive adhesive for tape and label construction.
However, it is important to understand the advantages of technologies and adapt to the market to ensure the desired performance for the end use. Because these adhesives are more aggressive, once applied, extreme force would be needed to cause the adhesive to separate from itself. Today, I want to talk about the simplest thing about packaging or going back to basics, how to choose a packaging tape to use. For those of you who aren't masking tape experts, trying to figure out if your packages should have acrylic tape or hot melt tape may be easier said than done.
While both acrylic tape and hot melt tape have their separate features and benefits; both will work in room temperature environments for the daily sealing of general-purpose cartons. In the past, acrylic tapes were the choice for these applications, as hot melts were almost impossible to apply because their adhesive hardened too quickly. I know it sounds silly, but if you're not a packaging nerd like us, then packaging tape is just tape, but there's actually a difference in how they work and how much they cost. The Infinity CleanPack bulk hot melt has little or no odor, has an extremely clean burn, has minimal carbon and offers exceptional stability in the pot.
Not only does hot melt create a stronger and more attractive bond on the packaging, it also leaves a trace if someone handles a package. Additional tape features to look for include good adhesion for initial grip to the corrugated surface, a strong film backing for less stretch and tear, and good adhesion to the backing for those applications requiring shingles, or stacking multiple strips of tape to create the seal. BestPack's acrylic tape and hot melt tape are manufactured in ISO 9001 certified and ISO 14001 environmental certified facilities and are ROHS compliant. In general, when it comes to deciding between hot melt tape and acrylic tape to seal a package, hot melt tape does the job in most applications.
However, choosing the right packaging tape is vital to ensure proper protection, professional presentation and also correct use of your packages, depending on your needs. .
