Assess Your Furniture Assembly Adhesive Options

With the variety of furniture adhesives available in today’s market, choosing the one best suited for your needs can be challenging. Take a look at three popular types of adhesives to help you know what to consider when making your furniture assembly adhesive selection.  

Hot Melt Furniture Assembly Adhesives

Hot melt adhesives are thermoplastic in nature. This means they are either a molten film or in a series of beads that solidfy at room temperature. When considering these adhesives for furniture assembly, it’s important to know they:

1. Can be easily moulded into the required form before they harden into a solid
2. Offer sufficient water, humidty and chemical resistance
3. Are ideal for vinyl, wood, textile and plastic surfaces
4. Withstand high levels of pressure

Because these adhesives can withstand high pressure, it means that you don’t need to worry about the bond coming loose.

Additionally, hot melt furniture assembly adhesives don’t require any special ventiliation during assembly and aren’t flammable. Further, they dry fast and do not require a lengthy set time. As a result, you’re able to keep production lines moving quickly and efficiently.

However, when using hot melt furniture assembly adhesives, it’s important that you set the substrates in the right position the very first time. They cannot be adjusted once set. Also, be aware that hot melt adhesives are temperature sensitive and must be applied between 100°C (212°F) to 230°C (446°C).

Fortunately, these adhesives have a long shelf life and can be disposed of without special precautions, making it easier on your plant’s disposal methods.

Solvent-Based Furniture Assembly Adhesives

Unlike solid glue products, solvent-based adhesives are malleable. This means they are able to reach surfaces other adhesives are not, which serves as a manufacturing advantage depending on your application needs. When considering these adhesives for furniture assembly, it’s important to know they:

1. Are available in liquid formulations and then activated via a chemical reaction
2. Deliver excellent performance to woods, plastics and metals
3. Are appropriate for assembly in varied temperatures

Additionally, these adhesives form strong and durable bonds and are able to remain stable even in high levels of humidty. This makes them an ideal option for climates or applications exposed to high moisture content. They are able to maintain their bond and not compromise on performance.

Further, solvent-based furniture assembly adhesives can withstand a wide temperature range. As a result, you don’t have to consider specific storage temperature needs when using these products.

Water-Based Furniture Assembly Adhesives

Water-based furniture assembly adhesives form a bond when the water evaporates or gets absorbed into the bonded substrate. When considering these adhesives, it’s important to know they:

1. Are easy to remove from equipment, which reduces the risk of blockages
2. Offer uniform consistency with a wet bond adhesive

However, because the water must first dissapate before a bond is formed, drying time is longer than other adhesive options. While it gives you the opportunity to adjust the substrates to be the perfect fit, the added time should be taken into account when assessing your assembly line needs.

Additionally, you’ll want to consider shelf life with water-based adhesives. They are perishable, and extended storage is not possible. Ensure they are kept at room temperature or wrapped in drums, pail warmers or blankets. You do not want these adhesives to freeze. Frozen water-based adhesives can damage the polymer chain and prevent the adhesive from functioning.

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While all of these adhesives work well for furniture assembly, they may not all meet your specific needs. A Bostik expert can help you assess your needs further! Contact [email protected] today.