URBANREC

The Mattress manufacturing industry uses both hot-melt adhesives in the form of synthetic rubber and amorphous polyolefin adhesives and water-based adhesives, usually polychloroprene and polyurethane derivatives.

Hot-melt adhesives have some decided advantages. They allow for rapid processing and packaging because their open time ranges from 10 seconds to four minutes, and they don’t cause odor and humidity problems after packaging. They’re also very stable, tolerating temperatures of up to 50 ºC. The mattress manufacturing industry uses hot-melts for pocket and box spring manufacture as well as the gluing of covering materials to the foam core while allowing for easy automation and production line efficiency.

The only limitation is the Velcro-like noise that rubber-based adhesives can make if there is a gap in the bonded area with dried adhesive top and bottom.

Water-based adhesives tolerate higher temperatures than hot-melts. This is of particular importance during transport when the inside of a truck or container could become very hot. They can also be applied using rollers, giving coverage over the entire surface of the substrate. Application costs less because they don’t have to be heated first.

However, water-based adhesives contain a lot of water, so hot-melt adhesives cost less in terms of the adhesive itself. The 12-24-hour time that’s needed for water-based adhesives to dry presents a drawback that slows the manufacturing process and limits the feasibility of their use. There’s also a greater chance of the adhesive spoiling in the container before it is ever used.

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