Hot melt coating

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Hot melt coating is the application of a layer to a substrate by pre-melting the desired material and then allowing or forcing the material to cool, solidifying the layer. The process is widely used in industry, including pressure-sensitive adhesives, [1] labels, pharmaceuticals, [2] etc.

Contents

Introduction

Coating is the application of a layer to a substrate. In general, in order for a thin uniform layer to be applied, the application must be done at low or moderate viscosities. In many cases this low viscosity is achieved by dissolving or dispersing the desired coating in a liquid such as water or a solvent, but this then necessitates the subsequent removal of the liquid by, for instance, a drying process. Hot-melt coating achieves this low to moderate viscosity by melting the desired material before applying it to the substrate. The substrate and coated layer are then cooled, generally by passing over a chilled roller. There is no liquid to remove, so the process is, in principle, much faster than water- or solvent-based equivalents.

Terminology & use

The process has been used so extensively for the application of adhesive layers by slot-die coating that the use of the term ‘hot melt’ often implies slot-die coating, but hot melt methods have also been used for other coating processes, such as metering rod or roller coating.

Transfer coating

If the desired substrate is too temperature-sensitive to allow direct hot-melt coating, the product may be made by coating a transfer belt which is then brought into contact with the substrate after cooling: if the relative adhesion is correct then the coating will transfer to the new substrate from the transfer belt.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adhesive</span> Non-metallic material used to bond various materials together

Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Label</span> Material affixed to a container or article with printed information

A label is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed directly on a container or article can also be considered labelling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primer (paint)</span> Preparatory coating put on materials before painting

A primer or undercoat is a preparatory coating put on materials before painting. Priming ensures better adhesion of paint to the surface, increases paint durability, and provides additional protection for the material being painted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ionomer</span> Polymer containing many ionic or ionizable functional groups

An ionomer is a polymer composed of repeat units of both electrically neutral repeating units and ionized units covalently bonded to the polymer backbone as pendant group moieties. Usually no more than 15 mole percent are ionized. The ionized units are often carboxylic acid groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powder coating</span> Type of coating applied as a free-flowing, dry powder

Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. Unlike conventional liquid paint, which is delivered via an evaporating solvent, powder coating is typically applied electrostatically and then cured under heat or with ultraviolet light. The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a thick, tough finish that is more durable than conventional paint. Powder coating is mainly used for coating of metal objects, particularly those subject to rough use. Advancements in powder coating technology like UV-curable powder coatings allow for other materials such as plastics, composites, carbon fiber, and MDF to be powder coated, as little heat or oven dwell time is required to process them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot-melt adhesive</span> Glue applied by heating

Hot-melt adhesive (HMA), also known as hot glue, is a form of thermoplastic adhesive that is commonly sold as solid cylindrical sticks of various diameters designed to be applied using a hot glue gun. The gun uses a continuous-duty heating element to melt the plastic glue, which the user pushes through the gun either with a mechanical trigger mechanism on the gun, or with direct finger pressure. The glue squeezed out of the heated nozzle is initially hot enough to burn and even blister skin. The glue is sticky when hot, and solidifies in a few seconds to one minute. Hot-melt adhesives can also be applied by dipping or spraying, and are popular with hobbyists and crafters both for affixing and as an inexpensive alternative to resin casting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pressure-sensitive adhesive</span> Type of non reactive adhesive

Pressure-sensitive adhesive is a type of nonreactive adhesive which forms a bond when pressure is applied to bond the adhesive with a surface. No solvent, water, or heat is needed to activate the adhesive. It is used in pressure-sensitive tapes, labels, glue dots, stickers, sticky note pads, automobile trim, and a wide variety of other products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic extrusion</span> Melted plastic manufacturing process

Plastics extrusion is a high-volume manufacturing process in which raw plastic is melted and formed into a continuous profile. Extrusion produces items such as pipe/tubing, weatherstripping, fencing, deck railings, window frames, plastic films and sheeting, thermoplastic coatings, and wire insulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermal spraying</span> Coating process for applying heated materials to a surface

Thermal spraying techniques are coating processes in which melted materials are sprayed onto a surface. The "feedstock" is heated by electrical or chemical means.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermal paper</span> Adding machine, cash register and credit card terminal paper

Thermal paper is a special fine paper that is coated with a material formulated to change color locally when exposed to heat. It is used in thermal printers, particularly in inexpensive devices such as adding machines, cash registers, and credit card terminals and small, lightweight portable printers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heat-shrinkable sleeve</span>

Heat-shrinkable sleeve is a corrosion protective coating for pipelines in the form of a wraparound or tubular sleeve that is field-applied.

Adhesive bonding describes a wafer bonding technique with applying an intermediate layer to connect substrates of different types of materials. Those connections produced can be soluble or insoluble. The commercially available adhesive can be organic or inorganic and is deposited on one or both substrate surfaces. Adhesives, especially the well-established SU-8, and benzocyclobutene (BCB), are specialized for MEMS or electronic component production.

Extrusion coating is the coating of a molten web of synthetic resin onto a substrate material. It is a versatile coating technique used for the economic application of various plastics, notably polyethylene, onto paperboard, corrugated fiberboard, paper, aluminium foils, cellulose, Non-wovens, or plastic films.

Glass frit bonding, also referred to as glass soldering or seal glass bonding, describes a wafer bonding technique with an intermediate glass layer. It is a widely used encapsulation technology for surface micro-machined structures, e.g., accelerometers or gyroscopes. This technique utilizes low melting-point glass and therefore provides various advantages including that viscosity of glass decreases with an increase of temperature. The viscous flow of glass has effects to compensate and planarize surface irregularities, convenient for bonding wafers with a high roughness due to plasma etching or deposition. A low viscosity promotes hermetically sealed encapsulation of structures based on a better adaption of the structured shapes. Further, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the glass material is adapted to silicon. This results in low stress in the bonded wafer pair. The glass has to flow and wet the soldered surfaces well below the temperature where deformation or degradation of either of the joined materials or nearby structures occurs. The usual temperature of achieving flowing and wetting is between 450 and 550 °C.

Low pressure molding (LPM) with polyamide and polyolefin (hot-melt) materials is a process typically used to encapsulate and environmentally protect electronic components. The purpose is to protect electronics against moisture, dust dirt and vibration. Low pressure molding is also used for sealing connectors and molding grommets and strain reliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pressure-sensitive tape</span> Type of adhesive

Pressure-sensitive tape or pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is an adhesive tape that will stick with application of pressure, without the need for a solvent or heat for activation. It is known also in various countries as self-stick tape, sticky tape, or just adhesive tape and tape, as well as genericized trademarks, such as Sellotape, Durex (tape), Scotch tape, etc.

A die in polymer processing is a metal restrictor or channel capable of providing a constant cross sectional profile to a stream of liquid polymer. This allows for continuous processing of shapes such as sheets, films, pipes, rods, and other more complex profiles. This is a continuous process, allowing for constant production, as opposed to a sequential (non-constant) process such as injection molding.

The chemistry of pressure-sensitive adhesives describes the chemical science associated with pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSA). PSA tapes and labels have become an important part of everyday life. These rely on adhesive material affixed to a backing such as paper or plastic film.

Adhesive bonding is a joining technique used in the manufacture and repair of a wide range of products. Along with welding and soldering, adhesive bonding is one of the basic joining processes. In this technique, components are bonded together using adhesives. The broad range of types of adhesives available allows numerous materials to be bonded together in products as diverse as vehicles, mobile phones, personal care products, buildings, computers and medical devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slot-die coating</span> Technique for coating flat substrates

Slot-die coating is a coating technique for the application of solution, slurry, hot-melt, or extruded thin films onto typically flat substrates such as glass, metal, paper, fabric, plastic, or metal foils. The process was first developed for the industrial production of photographic papers in the 1950's. It has since become relevant in numerous commercial processes and nanomaterials related research fields.

References

  1. OBrien (November 2007). "Fundamentals of hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes: the effect of tackifier aromaticity". J. Adhesion Sci. Technol. 21 (7): 637–661. doi:10.1163/156856107781192328. S2CID   96357881 . Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  2. Lopes (November 2017). "Designing optimal formulations for hot-melt coating". International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 533 (2): 357–363. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2017.08.086 . PMID   28842310.