The key to successfully running water based adhesives in the winter is proper conditioning. Conditioning is a process that involves bringing all components of the adhesive assembly as close to the ideal temperature and humidity targets as possible. Manufacturers can save time and money in the long run by using products recommended by expert water based adhesive manufacturers and conditioning their adhesives, substrates, and workplace to get the most reproducible and highest quality results.

It is also important to ship and store the liquid adhesives in ambient conditions. Sometimes a heated delivery service is not as efficient as you hope, which means that you should maintain your inventory at levels where you are not using the adhesive that just came off the delivery truck. And the adhesive containers should not be stored up against uninsulated walls or even directly on concrete floors near outside access doors.

If the adhesive does get cold and a manufacturer wants to use it as is, don’t be surprised if the adhesive is thicker than anticipated. While this may seem like a minuscule detail, the thicker adhesive won’t flow or respond in the same way to your settings. In this case, adjusting the application equipment is necessary.

Typical adjustments may include increased pump pressures, larger application tips, or opening application rollers. However, making these changes will then require further adjustments once the adhesive returns to the ambient state. As a Canadian adhesive manufacturer with facilities throughout North America, we understand cold climate requirements and offer technical support when needed.

It should be noted – just because a substrate like paper, plastic, or wood won’t be damaged by the cold, that doesn’t mean that their temperature won’t be a factor while being assembled. It is just as important, but not as obvious, that the cold can also make your substrates more difficult to bond. Using cold substrates will chill the liquid adhesive and inhibit the usual flow. This will reduce the way it anchors into the surface and results in generally less efficient and weaker bonds.

It is sometimes difficult to see the value of working exclusively with specialty water based adhesive manufacturers or going through the process to condition the adhesive, substrates, and the workplace. It seems like waiting for these items to warm up will eat away at manufacturing efficiencies and increase costs. In the end, you must weigh that against the cost of putting out inferior or even defective material that will be returned and replaced.

Think of fueling a vehicle. Sure, you may save money in the short term by using a cheaper gas alternative. However, the reality is that typically the cheaper alternative takes a toll on your vehicle’s engine which will only lead to costly repairs in the future. Why gamble with cutting corners?

Address the issues and avoid future problems by using the best materials. Technical Adhesives is a Canadian glue manufacturer with facilities throughout the USA and Mexico that understands the importance of using quality raw materials. Since our inception in 1961, Technical Adhesives Limited has strived to become the most competitive and consistent, manufacturer of premium commercial and industrial adhesives for a wide variety of industries.