From fully automated production lines to manual assembly applications, adhesive hot melt supply units continue to be a vital component in the manufacturing process across a variety of industries.
In order to ensure that adhesive supply units function effectively within a process, new technologies are being introduced to reduce, minimize and prevent adhesive related stoppages to production.
It has been found that one of the most common failures experienced in adhesive hot melt systems is char. Char occurs when hot melt is (1) exposed to excessive temperatures and is (2) exposed to heat and oxygen for a prolonged period of time.
Melt-on-Demand technology, innovated by ITW Dynatec, has effectively minimized occurrences of this issue and has been a vital feature of ITW Dynatec adhesive supply units for decades.
Recently, new “tankless” adhesive supply units have been introduced and offer many features and benefits similar to ITW Dynatec’s systems outfitted with Melt-on-Demand adhesive technology.
ITW Dynatec Melt-on-Demand History:
You probably weren’t thinking of
Melt-on-Demand technology in the 1960’s, but luckily the innovators at ITW Dynatec were! At the time, most adhesive supply units had a uniformly heated reservoir/hopper that essentially cooked the glue at the same temperature throughout the reservoir. As mentioned above, this method created an environment ripe for generating char and damaging/blocking various components of the adhesive supply unit. In order to combat this problem ITW Dynatec created a system that only heated the glue to the maximum temperature prior to its application.
This ITW Dynatec technology has been refined over the years and continues to stand guard at the front lines of combating char.
The “Other” Melt-on-Demand Technology:
Like all great ideas, other adhesive supply unit manufacturers have attempted to mirror the feature of
Melt-on-Demand technology. Recently, these manufactures have unveiled “tankless” adhesive supply units that boast the same capability of reducing char. A tankless system may be a good fit for your production needs, however, there are certain limitations that are presented. Due to the small reservoir, tankless systems require an adhesive hopper feeder, which can maintain a constant flow of solid adhesive to the reservoir. However, if the hopper feeder ever fails, constantly filling the low capacity tankless reservoir would be a near impossible task. Using a hopper feeder also limits the form of adhesives that can be used. Hopper feeders use a tubular vacuum system to supply the reservoir and require pelletized adhesives to function. Adhesive in other forms such as pillows and chips are not suitable for hopper feeders supplying tankless systems. New tankless systems also typically come at a premium. Purchasing one of these systems will likely cost a company 30% more than a similar ITW Dynatec system with similar
Melt-on-Demand technology. Manufacturers of tankless systems advertise that these systems can achieve the set temperature 10 minutes after start-up. This is a great feature to reduce production start-up time.
ITW Dynatec systems do take longer to heat up to set temperature, however, many ITW Dynatec systems are equipped with seven day schedulers to automatically begin the start-up process prior to the arrival of the operator.
Choosing the Appropriate System:
Companies must now navigate through a wide variety of adhesive supply units to determine a system that will be the best fit for its operation. A system must be reliable, supportable (parts, maintenance, and service support) and be capable of meeting the demands of the production line or application it supports. The right system can assist with efficient production which typically translates into greater profits.
(Your local HAR Adhesive Technologies representative is willing to assist you with identifying the appropriate hot melt units or system for your needs).
The bottom line is that Melt-on-Demand technology, pioneered by ITW Dynatec, is still relevant and can help your company mitigate char and meet your adhesive application needs.
Chaz Downing, Technical Sales Manager
chaz.downing@haradhesive.com
440-485-1777
HAR Adhesive Technologies has a presence in seven distinct states, uniquely focused on serving the adhesives, adhesive application, and equipment needs of each region.