Hot melt adhesive, in short.
Hot melt adhesive is a solid glue that you melt, apply hot, and that bonds as it cools, usually within seconds, with no solvent and nothing to dry. Its type decides what it sticks to and how much heat it can take. Its form (granulate, pillows, chips, sticks, blocks or cartridges) decides which gun or melter it goes into. We supply the adhesive with the gun and recommend the grade for your job.
How it works
Two words you’ll hear when choosing one: open time, how long you have to join the parts, and set time, how long before the bond holds.
The main types
| Type | Good at | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) | The everyday packaging hot melt: paper, cartons and board. Good value and easy to run. | Softens with heat, so not for hot places or hot products. |
| Polyolefin (PO, including metallocene grades) | Low odour, better heat and cold resistance, good on coated and difficult board. | Costs more than EVA, and needs steady temperature control. |
| Polyamide (PA) | High heat resistance. | Runs very hot. A specialist grade. |
| Pressure-sensitive (PSA) | Stays tacky after it cools: labels, tapes, and bonds you can peel off. | A lighter bond by design. |
| PUR (reactive polyurethane) | Cures with moisture into the strongest bond, resistant to heat and water, and holds on plastics and metal. | Can’t be remelted once cured. Kept sealed, so it runs from a cartridge. |
The forms it comes in
More on the forms and the guns that take them: stick gun or bulk gun? and cartridges and refills.
We supply the glue too
We have worked with hot melt since 1991. Tell us what you bond and where it goes, and we’ll recommend the adhesive and supply it with the gun. The wider Mahisa adhesive range is on mahisa.com.
Questions.
What is hot melt adhesive made of?
A base polymer, such as EVA or polyolefin, blended with resins that make it tacky, waxes that help it flow, and stabilisers that protect it from heat.
Can hot melt be remelted?
Standard hot melt can: glue left in a gun remelts next time. PUR cannot, once it has cured.
Is hot melt the same as a glue stick?
A glue stick is one form of hot melt. Industrial hot melt also comes as granulate, pillows, chips, blocks and cartridges, for bulk guns, cartridge guns and melters.
Which hot melt should I use?
It depends on what you bond, where the product goes and how fast you work. Tell us the job and we recommend a grade, and supply it with the gun.
Tell us your job.
Tell us what you are bonding and how many a day. We will suggest the gun, nozzle and glue, with prices.
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