Conveying Hot Melt Adhesive Pellets and Chips
January 3, 2018
Hot melt adhesive pellets and chips are widely used in many production facilities to apply glue to products and packaging. The use of hot melt adhesive pellets and chips has resulted in reduced waste, greater process efficiency, and improved product and packaging quality. In this blog we look at two application challenges involving conveying hot melt adhesive pellets and chips.
Hot melt adhesives are commonly employed in industries that manufacture, assemble, seal, package, and label various products. Hot melt adhesives in pellet or chip form speed up production and assembly operations, save space, and decrease pollution and waste. Hot melt adhesives result in stronger bonds than other gluing methods because the adhesive completely covers the surfaces to be joined. Product or packaging attractiveness is enhanced and the adhesive is not generally hazardous, toxic or flammable.
Producers of hot melt adhesive pellets and chips often use conveyors to move input resins to mixers and blenders, and to move finished product from the drying operation to storage or directly on to final packaging for shipment to customers. Producers rely on conveyors to dependably handle product that is inherently free-flowing and which, if warm, may stick to conveyor surfaces. In addition, finished pellets and chips should be conveyed without breakage or degradation to the final product shape.
Supplied from producers to final customers in cartons, bags or other packaging formats, solid hot melt adhesive pellets or chips are typically consumed in product assembly or packaging operations. Often, the pellets or chips are manually emptied into a hopper directly above a melt tank or adhesive applicator. Once melted, the pellets or chips are transformed into liquid glue which is then applied onto a product or its packaging. A major challenge in this application is ensuring that the hopper remains filled with pellets or chips so that gluing operations may proceed without interruption.
For hot melt adhesive producers and consumers alike, UniTrak has several equipment solutions available for reliably and carefully conveying hot melt adhesive pellets and chips.
For producers of hot melt adhesives, TipTrak™ bucket elevators can be used to convey input materials into the production process, or to move finished pellets or chips on to storage bins or packaging lines. TipTrak™ conveyors are noted for their gentle handling, which makes them ideal for high-care applications such as those involving the transfer of hot melt adhesive pellets or chips. With a fully interlocking bucket assembly which prevents product spillage, hot melt producers can be sure their final product will arrive at packout with minimal degradation and throughput loss.
Because hot melt pellets are inherently free flowing, TipTrak™ S-2 and S-5 conveyors feature deep buckets which prevent pellets from bouncing out as they are fed into the conveyor. In addition, infeed baffles and other adjustments can be provided to further contain product and minimize the risk of any product loss at infeed. Finally, buckets made from acetyl-based plastic provide low-stick surfaces that reduce the risk of warm pellets sticking to the bucket walls.
Powderflight aeromechanical conveyors from UniTrak can readily move the resins, polymer mixes, waxes and other input ingredients that hot melt producers use to make finished pellets and chips. Operating on the principle of a fluidized airstream, Powderflight aeromechanicals offer a proven way to move substantial amounts of input materials from a bag dump station, manual feed, or other means of feeding.
For consumers of hot melt adhesive pellets or chips, TipTrak™ conveyors offer an excellent way to convey pellets or chips directly to melt tanks. Occupying a smaller footprint than an inclined belt conveyor, TipTrak™ units can reliably elevate pellets or chips into melt tank feeding hoppers, ensuring an uninterrupted supply of hot melt adhesive in processing, assembly or packaging operations.
If you are a producer or consumer of hot melt adhesive pellets or chips, UniTrak has conveying solutions that can work for you. To find out more about our equipment solutions for conveying hot melt adhesive pellets and chips, please contact our sales team.
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