This presentation by Tom Rolando, Chief Technical Officer at Wisdom Adhesives, covers challenges with bookbinding adhesives. It includes information on different types of adhesives used in bookbinding as well as outlines challenges and solutions for warping, adhesion including coated stock adhesion, case making and set time.

2. Presented by Tom Rolando
Wisdom Adhesives
HBI/LBI 2010 Fall Conference – Springfield, IL
October 23-26, 2010

3.  “I don’t like my salesperson”
 “The adhesive smells”
 “The labels aren’t on correctly”
 “Pricing is too high”
 “The product isn’t running like the last
batch”
 “The truck-driver was rude”
 “We don’t pay on time”

4.  “The adhesive isn’t melting”
 “The adhesive is drying too slow or
too fast”
 “I’m not getting the adhesion I need”
 “The adhesives is too thin or too
thick”
 “Can I get this in a different
container”
 “Can the adhesive be made a
different color”

5.  Use of the Adhesive
 Protein Adhesive
 Waterbased PVAc
 Hot Melt
 PUR
 Warping
 Coated Stock Adhesion
 Case Making
 Adhesion in General
 Set Time

6.  Main Adhesive Technologies
◦ Protein Adhesives
 Finicky to run, susceptible to swings in the
environment (summer/winter versions), moderate
adhesion capabilities.
◦ Waterborne PVAc Adhesives
 Removal of water, set times.
◦ Hot Melt Adhesives
 Runnability (degradation, charring), adhesion to
difficult surfaces, brittleness.
◦ PUR Adhesives
 Runnability, Reaction to moisture.

7.  Main Attributes
◦ Selection
◦ Runnability
◦ Adhesion
 Main Properties
◦ Handling of the Adhesive
◦ Determining Success of the Adhesive
 Main Goal
◦ Zero Defects

8.  Likely the single
biggest issue for
binders involving
the use of
adhesives.
 Many factors
involved including:
 board
 process
 adhesive

9.  Much written,
comparisons are
general, specifics
are limited.
 Warping can be
very costly involved
re-working and/or
re-binding of
product.

10.  Binder is having difficulty with warping in
the late winter months.
 Resolution: Summit meeting called with
Binder, Board Supplier, Equipment Supplier
and Adhesive Supplier.
◦ Specify the moisture content of board and
density.
◦ Apply consistent and minimal amount of adhesive
for both case-making and casing-in.
◦ Control entire process for repeatability –
conditions, speeds, application weights

11.  Adhesion to coated
stock can be
difficult.
 Gloss, matte and
plastic films (mainly
PP, Nylon, PET) is
difficult with all
types of adhesive
technologies
(protein adhesives,
waterborne PVAc
adhesives, hot melts
and PURs).

12.  Many factors to
consider including:
◦ type of coating
◦ surface tension of
coating
◦ application
equipment

13.  Binder having difficulty with coated stock
adhesion with hot melt spine adhesive.
 Same coated stock, same hot melt adhesive
as always used.
 Resolution: Lab testing demonstrated that
the coated stock had varied from previously
used stock. Alternate hot melt used in the
interim until stock depleted. Pre-testing
saved the day.

14.  Protein Adhesives
predominately
used on case
making.
 Viscosity and
adhesion are keys
to success.

15.  Binder ordered
new casing
making
equipment. Case
making adhesive
was not
performing
(runnability and
poor adhesion)
on the new
equipment.

16.  Resolution:
On-site meeting
with OEM,
Adhesive
Manufacturer and
Binder to map out
plan. Adhesive
change to faster
set and lower
viscosity resolved
runnability and
adhesion issues.

17.  Difficult to adhere to surfaces.

18.  Case-making
adhesive not
adhering to new
coated stock.

19.  Resolution:
Know the surfaces
you are bonding
to.
◦ Pre-testing the new
surface for
adhesion to ensure
current adhesive
will work (it didn’t).
◦ Ask for help
(supplier
intervention).
◦ New product
suggestion made,
pre-test successful,
scale-up on
product.

21.  Binder having difficulty
with line speeds on
casing-in line during
summer months. The
adhesive appears to be
setting slow.

22.  Resolution:
Conference call with the
board and adhesive
suppliers.
◦ Higher humidity
environment means a
change in conditions.
◦ Options are change
environment, board
moisture/density content
or use summer & winter
month adhesive. The later
chosen.

23.  An ounce of prevention
◦ Can’t be emphasized
enough. Nothing can be
done once the product is
made.
 Advanced testing
◦ A must for any new items
or for troubleshooting
existing ones.
 Co-Supplier Meetings
◦ Best approach to resolution
of issues, prevention and
advanced testing a must.

24.  Selection of Adhesive Key to the Process.
 Match Performance with Expectation Based on
Ever-Changing Environments.
 Change Mentality from Hating Adhesives to
Loving Adhesives.

27.  Address each challenge from a new perspective.
 Gather all applicable information:
◦ Bonding what to what (determines adhesive technology)
◦ Type of application equipment (determines physical property
of adhesive)
◦ Expectation (determines performance properties like rate of
set, open time, application weight, etc..,
economic impact)
 Do it right the first time,
however, be ready for
ever-changing parameters.