An Overview of Polypropylene Bonding with Hot Melt
Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer commonly used in manufacturing. It is specifically beneficial in manufacturing due to its particularly durable and chemically resistant nature. Polypropylene also has the benefit of being highly sustainable. As stated by Milliken Chemical,
"PP, together with PE, consumes the least amount of energy during production and produces the lowest carbon dioxide emissions when compared to other plastics. Its lower density also means that switching to PP reduces the absolute amount of waste. Parts made from PP can be recycled multiple times in a wide variety of applications before incineration is necessary. When that time comes, it is possible to recover more energy from PP during incineration than from any other comparable plastic. It also flows more easily as it degrades, without cross linking, gel forming or off-gassing."
However, despite all of these benefits, Polypropylene does come with its disadvantages due to the fact that it does not bond well to itself. Because it can tend to have a somewhat slick nature to it, Hot Melt can serve a significant advantage when it comes to product assembly involving Polypropylene. Hot Melt utilizes the chemistry principle of "like likes like", or in other words, similarly composed materials tend to bond well to each other. Consider this quote from Nova Films & Foils, Inc.,
"If materials are similar and compatible with each other they will tend to mix and stay together. The solution will look uniform. If the materials you are mixing together don't like each other, they will tend to separate over time. Visualize how oil and water mix together. The oil and water will separate once you stop mixing. With diffusion and the proper solubility, a pressure sensitive adhesive may penetrate and 'mix' with the surface you are bonding to depending on how similar the adhesive is to the surface."
With Hot Melt, if the particular adhesive has a similar chemical makeup to the material that it is joining then it can easily fuse to the material, forming a particularly strong bond. As you can see, product assembly with Hot Melt has some substantial benefits to it. Let's explore that in more detail below.
Hot Melt is Fast Setting
One particularly beneficial characteristic of Hot Melt is that it is fast setting. This is of course of great advantage when manufacturing as it speeds up assembly time and maximizes efficiency. When you consider this in context of working with Polypropylene, you have a winning combination of both quick-acting and strong-forming that allows you to manufacture quality products in a short amount of time.
Hot Melt is Non-Toxic
Another great benefit of working with Hot Melt when compared with other bonding options is that it is non-toxic. This has considerable benefit when it comes to disposal as there aren't any real precautionary methods that need to be taken. It can also give you the added assurance that you are not contributing negatively to the environment or providing a product that will adversely impact the health of your customers.
Hot Melt Doesn't Require any Mixing
With Hot Melt, you also will not have to worry about any mixing. Hot Melt functions perfectly on its own without requiring any added epoxy. In other words, this means that you have a means for bonding that is strong enough to perform its job without any help from other adhesives. This is especially true when using a glue such as hot melt to bond Polypropylene. SuperTac 500 bonds well to Polypropylene due to the fact that it has a similar chemical make up allowing the materials to mix well and strongly adhere to one another.
Hot Melt is Cost-Effective
Another benefit of utilizing Hot Melt for your manufacturing is that it is cost-effective. Hot Melt can be purchased in bulk, allowing you to acquire large quantities at a reasonable price. In addition to this, Hot Melt will help you maximize cost by its fast-acting nature, allowing you to quickly manufacture your products saving you money and boosting your profits.
What Hot Melt Product is Best for Bonding Polypropylene?
Now that we have looked at some of the particular benefits of using Hot Melt in manufacturing, it would be helpful for us to explore what product has the greatest advantage when working with Polypropylene. The product we recommend for this is SuperTac 500. SuperTac 500 is specifically designed for bonding to Polypropylene and is a high-performance adhesive that is incredibly resistant to heat as well as working well in low temperatures. Super Tac 500 works great in manufacturing settings such as automotive and textiles and also eliminates the need for any pre-treatment, solving a significant problem often associated with the bonding of Polypropylene. If you are looking for an adhesive specifically designed for working with Polypropylene that will save you both time and money, SuperTac 500 is just the solution you are looking for.
Conclusion
If you are interested in the benefits that Polypropylene offers in durability and chemical resistance and you are looking for the best method for bonding it, hot melt can be a great option. Hot Melt, and specifically the SuperTac 500 offers many benefits in its particular ability to bond to an otherwise resistant material as well as being fast setting, non-toxic, not needing mixing and cost-effective. If you have any questions about SuperTac 500 or about any of the other Hot Melt products we offer, please be sure to contact us today. We look forward to changing the way you look at manufacturing.