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Author: James Clarke

What are hot melt adhesives and where are they used?

Written by James Clarke on . Posted in Company, Technical Information. No Comments on What are hot melt adhesives and where are they used?

Hot melt adhesives – three short words that contain a lot of intricacy. This technology has revolutionised bonding across multiple industries, with its versatility and performance opening a wide range of applications. Understanding the ins and outs of these powerful adhesives can significantly enhance production processes and product quality.

A Brief History of Hot Melt Adhesives

The exact origins of hot melt adhesives are unclear, dating back to the mid-20th century. Some sources claim that this technology was invented during the 1940s by a man called Paul Cope, an employee at Procter & Gamble, but earlier references to similar products can be found. In the 1950s, the discovery of polypropylene by US chemists Hogan and Banks opened new industrial applications, and in the 1960s hot melt adhesives began to be widely used in the packaging sector.

In terms of adhesive applicators, it wasn’t until 1954 that the item often considered to be the first industrial glue gun was created by George Schultz. However, this design has some significant differences to the technology that is commonly used today, and took repeated iterations by multiple people before what could be called a modern glue applicator was created.

How Do Hot Melt Adhesives Work?

Hot melt adhesives are unlike other adhesive formulations in that they exist as 100% solids at room temperature. These products are designed to be solvent-free and do not contain water. When heated above their melting point, they transform into a liquid, enabling easy application to a surface. The adhesive rapidly solidifies as it cools, generating strong bonds with high cohesion and adhesion.

Building Blocks of Hot Melt Adhesives

Hot melt adhesives are typically composed of three main components: polymers, resins, and waxes. Each of these elements plays a vital role in supporting adhesive performance:

  • Polymers form the backbone of the hot melt adhesive providing cohesion and viscosity.
  • Resins enhance the adhesive’s ability to adhere to surfaces and provide immediate hot tack.
  • Waxes control viscosity and setting speed.

The solid formulation of hot melt adhesives means that compared with solvent-based adhesives, they offer reduced or eliminated VOC emissions. Adhesive formulations can be tailored for specific applications, by adjusting the chemistry of the formulation to achieve the desired properties.

Industries and Applications

Hot melt adhesives have seen widespread adoption across a range of industries. With rapid bonding and setting times, these products can significantly reduce production idle time, and their ability to bond with a wide variety of materials grants them unmatched versatility across multiple applications.

Packaging: Hot melt adhesives are often used for sealing cartons, corrugated boxes, and other packaging materials, with fast setting times making them ideal for high-speed production lines.

Construction and trade: The strong bonds created by hot melt adhesives make them useful for joining surfaces in everything from woodworking and carpentry to precast fabrication.

Industrial and manufacturing: Hot melt adhesives are core to securing materials within composite manufacture and are widely used to fix and protect electrical componentry.

Product assembly: From mattresses to automotive components, hot melt adhesives are commonly used for fast, efficient bonding across a range of consumer goods.

DIY, home, and recreation: The ease of application for hot melt adhesives means they can be easily used for home improvement tasks, repairing sports equipment, and even arts and crafts.

Power Adhesives Hot Melt Solutions

Power Adhesives offers a comprehensive range of solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of our customers. Our products offer superior bonding strength, and a wide range of open and setting speeds that excel across challenging applications. In addition, our selection of application equipment ensures optimal performance and efficiency, making adhesive use a breeze.

With a wide range of products, we can offer a hot melt adhesive tailored for any solution. To find out more about which hot melt adhesive is right for your needs, contact our sales team by emailing sales@poweradhesives.com

Power Adhesives sets new benchmark with DNV certification

Written by James Clarke on . Posted in News, Press Release, Vactac. No Comments on Power Adhesives sets new benchmark with DNV certification

Power Adhesives, a leader in hot melt adhesive technology, is celebrating the latest achievement of its positioning spray range, Vactac, securing official certification from DNV, the globally recognised authority in assurance and risk management.

This milestone makes Power Adhesives’ Vactac solution the first positioning adhesive solution to achieve DNV certification, setting a new industry benchmark for quality and reliability.

DNV certification is widely regarded as the gold standard for safety and compliance in the marine and wind energy sectors. It ensures that materials meet the highest standards for performance, durability, and risk management.

As a positioning adhesive, Vactac plays a crucial role in the composite manufacturing process, helping to secure reinforcement materials such as glass fibre and structural core material such as PET, PVC or Balsa during production.

Will Quinn, International Sales Manager at Power Adhesives, said: “We are incredibly proud that our Vactac solution had become the first positioning adhesive solution to achieve DNV certification. It reflects our commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries of adhesive technology. This certification is more than just a milestone for us, it’s a game-changer for our customers. It provides them with complete confidence that Vactac meets the highest industry standards for safety, performance, and compliance.

“As we continue to grow globally, we remain focused on working closely with manufacturers to develop solutions that enhance their processes and meet the evolving demands of composite production.”

Designed as a direct replacement for solvent-based aerosols, Vactac offers a VOC- and solvent-free formulation, eliminating the need for protective clothing, air extraction systems, and specialist waste disposal. This makes it a safer, more sustainable, and cost-effective solution for composite manufacturers.

Compared to traditional solvent-based adhesives, where only 20–30% of the content is actual adhesive, the Vactac system ensures 100% adhesive usage, reducing material waste, overspray, and associated costs.

DNV is an independent expert in assurance and risk management, committed to safeguarding life, property, and the environment. Its rigorous certification process assesses manufacturing standards, material suitability, and overall compliance to industry best practices. For manufacturers, this approval provides peace of mind, ensuring that all certified materials are fit for purpose and reduce operational risks.

By securing DNV certification, Power Adhesives continues to drive innovation and quality standards in adhesive technology.

Insights from JEC World 2025

Written by James Clarke on . Posted in Company, Exhibitions, Vactac. No Comments on Insights from JEC World 2025

JEC World 2025 proved to be an exciting and insightful event for Power Adhesives, as we showcased our latest innovation, the new and improved Vactac range. The show was extremely busy, with a strong turnout from across the composites industry, reinforcing the growing demand for efficient, reliable, and sustainability led bonding solutions.

Addressing VOC concerns

One of the key themes emerging from conversations at JEC World was the increasing focus on reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in adhesive applications. Many visitors to the Power Adhesives stand expressed concerns about the impact of VOCs on employee health and workplace safety.

Prolonged exposure to VOCs has been linked to respiratory issues, skin irritation, and other health risks, making it a pressing issue for manufacturers aiming to create safer working environments. Additionally, with growing regulatory pressures, businesses are being urged to reduce their reliance on solvent-based adhesives that release harmful emissions.

As a result, manufacturers across multiple sectors are actively looking for effective alternatives to traditional adhesives that offer high performance without compromising on worker well-being or regulatory compliance.

Our Vactac range, designed as a high-performance alternative to aerosol adhesives, eliminates VOCs while maintaining exceptional bonding strength. Unlike solvent-based sprays, Vactac provides a sustainability-focused controlled application that enhances efficiency.

Enhancing composite strength

Another recurring discussion our team found themselves having with visitors to the stand centred on the degradation of composite strength caused by certain aerosol adhesives. Several manufacturers raised concerns about how the use of some aerosol technologies can affect resin flow in the infusion process which can result in poor structural integrity once cured.

This is where Vactac stands out, its unique chemistry and application method ensures less degradation/reduced mechanical knockdowns in the laminate once cured. The precision and efficiency of our system captured the interest of a lot of design and manufacturing engineers looking for superior performance in critical applications.

Expanding applications beyond wind and marine

While wind energy and marine industries remain core sectors for composite applications, JEC World highlighted a growing demand for high-quality adhesives across a range of industries, including automotive, rail, aerospace, and construction.

Across this diverse range of industries, we are presented with many interesting and complex challenges which we are keen to work on and create innovative solutions.

Recognising the evolution of Vactac

The Power Adhesives team found it particularly rewarding to meet with distributors and customers who had previously trialled the Vactac system several years ago. Many of them were quick to notice the improvements in adhesive pattern and performance, demonstrating how our ongoing research and development have refined and enhanced the product. Their recognition of Vactac’s evolution reaffirmed our commitment to continuous innovation in composite bonding solutions.

JEC World 2025 reinforced the industry’s movement towards safer, more effective, and sustainability centred adhesive technologies. The enthusiasm and feedback our team received for the Vactac range was overwhelmingly positive, and we are excited to support businesses in transitioning to VOC-free, high-performance bonding solutions.

50 years of innovation at Power Adhesives

Written by James Clarke on . Posted in Company. No Comments on 50 years of innovation at Power Adhesives

For half a century, Power Adhesives has been setting benchmarks in adhesive technology. The company’s world-leading hot melts and applicators are firmly established as leading solutions across a range of markets, supporting customers worldwide to improve efficiency and sustainability with eco-conscious, easy-to-use solutions.

As it celebrates its 50th anniversary, Power Adhesives remains as committed to innovation as ever. This milestone is more than a celebration of its past achievements – it marks a pivotal moment in the company’s goal of driving innovation in the adhesives industry.

50 years of innovation

Although Power Adhesives today is renowned as a leading manufacturer of industrial adhesive solutions, its history did not start this way. Founded in 1974, the company began as an importer and distributor of industrial hot melt glue guns and adhesives. It wasn’t until 1981 that Power Adhesives took its first step into manufacturing, establishing its own plant for adhesive production and creating its own designs for new applicators.

The intervening years have seen the company grow to become a leading supplier for high-performance, reliable adhesive solutions and technology, and this success saw it relocate to a larger production facility in Basildon in early 2005 that could better accommodate new machinery and line extensions. Eight years later, this area was extended again, introducing an additional 12,000 new sq. ft that bolstered its production capacity by 60%.

In 2022, Power Adhesives was purchased by Longacre Group and new CEO Brendan Colgan joined the business. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength and today Power Adhesives’ major brands – Tec and Tecbond – are household names in the adhesive industry.

Applicator products

Power Adhesives offers the largest industrial applicator range on the market. Used around the world in various industrial, professional, and DIY environments, the company’s Tec products are stalwart partners for adhesive applications everywhere.

The 300 series provides a lower-volume applicator solution. Designed for DIY and light industrial applications, the Tec 305 and Tec 308 are lightweight and easy to use, making them perfect for tasks requiring smaller amounts of adhesive.  The 800 series doubles the output of the 300 series to take hot melt bonding to the next level. From the light industrial Tec 806-12 to the heavy-duty Tec 830-12 with an output of 2.5kg/hr, this range provides added efficiency.

For more demanding applications, Power Adhesives has developed its 3000, 6000, and 7000 series applicators, ensuring the company has the ideal solution for its customers whatever their requirements. Built to the highest standards at Power Adhesives’ production facility, the Tec range is a landmark product for the industry that has for decades redefined how hot melts are used.

Adhesives

For more than 40 years of its 50-year history, Power Adhesives has been supplying Tecbond hot melt adhesives to its customers. Designed to provide instant, permanent bonds on a wide range of materials, Tecbond products simplify the adhesive process, paving the way for efficiency in industries including:

  • Packaging and print
  • Construction and trade
  • Industrial and manufacturing
  • Product assembly
  • DIY, home, and recreation

More recently, the company demonstrated its commitment to advancing adhesive technology by launching Tecbond 214B, the world’s first fully certified biodegradable shaped hot melt adhesive. Made with 45% bio-based materials, this formulation breaks down harmlessly post-disposal leaving behind no residues or microplastics. This offers a more sustainable adhesive for hot melt applications that maintains high performance standards.

Using the same data-driven R&D expertise and approach that drove the success of Tecbond 214B, Power Adhesives has also made significant advancements in adhesive solutions for composites manufacturing. This has culminated in the launch of its Vactac advanced solution. Serving as a direct replacement for solvent-based spray adhesives, the Vactac adhesive system offers a more cost-effective and environmentally conscious alternative based on 100% solids, which eliminates VOC emissions and removes the need for special storage conditions when not in use.

Looking ahead

As Power Adhesives enters its sixth decade, it remains focused on advancing hot melt adhesive technology while keeping an eye on the environment. The company plans to expand its Tecbond biodegradable adhesives into bulk systems and will continue to refine existing product lines. With five decades of expertise under its belt, Power Adhesives is poised to keep pushing the forefront of adhesives, delivering reliable products that meet evolving market needs.

Biodegradable adhesives: A step towards more sustainable packaging

Written by James Clarke on . Posted in Applications, New products, Packaging & Print. No Comments on Biodegradable adhesives: A step towards more sustainable packaging

Every journey starts with a single step – and on the path towards sustainability in the packaging industry, some steps leave a smaller carbon footprint than others. With waste reduction increasingly important to modern Paper & Board converters, biodegradable hot melt adhesives are emerging as a key enabler for more sustainable packaging solutions.

The Power Adhesives Tecbond range, including Tecbond 214B and the new Tecbond 110B-PR, is leading the way on reducing the industry’s environmental impact, offering more eco-conscious adhesive solutions for the Paper & Board industry.

The role of biodegradable adhesives in more sustainable packaging

Power Adhesives has achieved a significant milestone with the development of Tecbond 214B, the world’s first fully certified biodegradable range of hot melt adhesives. Manufactured with 45% bio-based materials, Tecbond 214B is designed for use across various paper and board substrates and meets stringent international standards such as ASTM D6400 and EN13432, which certify its compostability and ability to biodegrade.

Tecbond 214B offers:

  • High performance with the same bond strength as conventional hot melts
  • Fast setting time with almost instant bonding upon application and compression
  • Environmental benefits by breaking down completely when exposed to natural conditions, leaving behind no harmful by-products
  • Versatility with approval for indirect food contact, making it suitable for applications including wrap-around cartons, boxes, and shipping packages

However, waste is not the only concern when it comes to the environment. To support converters in minimising energy consumption, Power Adhesives has launched Tecbond 110B-PR – a high-speed packaging adhesive designed specifically for case sealing and carton closing. Its low viscosity formulation enables the adhesive to run through narrow nozzles, even when applied at lower temperatures. This means converters can use less energy for sealing and closing, saving them money as well as reducing their carbon footprint.

How do biodegradable hot melt adhesives work?

The science behind biodegradable hot melt adhesives lies in their ability to break down after their operational lifespan. Oxygen, UV light, and heat initiate the degradation of the adhesive’s long-chain polymers so that the substance can be consumed by micro-organisms. This process requires only the continued presence of oxygen and other naturally occurring environmental conditions and leaves behind no harmful byproducts.

The innovative design of Tecbond biodegradable hot melts ensures that they not only perform reliably during use but also contribute positively to waste reduction efforts after disposal. These products align with circular economy principles by facilitating complete decomposition, and support packaging converters to demonstrate their commitment to the environment without sacrificing efficiency or product quality.

A vision for the future

Power Adhesives’ commitment to sustainability extends beyond its current product range. With further biodegradable adhesive launches planned in 2025, the company aims to lead by example in developing innovative hot melt adhesive solutions that address key sticking points in the packaging industry.

The introduction of Tecbond 214B and Tecbond 110B-PR marks a pivotal moment in hot melt adhesive technology. These products empower converters to meet growing demands for more eco-conscious packaging, while aligning with requirements around compostability and biodegradability. By choosing biodegradable adhesives from Power Adhesives, converters can take an important step towards packaging that is functional and environmentally responsible.