What Must You Know About Adhesives Used in Corrugated Boxes?

Adhesives are mostly used for joining the medium to the single facer and double facer lines using adhesives. Corrugating adhesives and the tools used to make them have advanced from straightforward low-solids mixes, such as completely cooked wheat flour pastes, to high-solids adhesives based on cornstarch made in fully automated mixers.

Most of the world's corrugating plants utilize various tools and formulae between the two. Whatever its composition or method of mixing, a corrugating glue must:

·   Be cost-effective -

•     Be adjustable to specific client demands, such as water resistance;
•    Be simple to prepare and capable of being pumped to the corrugator and returned to storage

·   Then, create a bond between the liner and the medium in each sheet.

Types of Adhesives Used in Corrugation Carton Manufacturing -

The adhesive utilized for corrugated cartons can be categorized based on the raw materials used in production. There are three general categories of corrugated box adhesives.

1.      Sodium Silicate:

As an adhesive, sodium silicate is no longer used. Previously, it was utilized to secure the top paper to the 2-ply liner. This glue, which is very alkaline, is also known as liquid glass or water glass. The high alkalinity of this glue decreases the lifetime of the created board.

With time, the created board's paper entirely degrades. The printing starts to diminish and eventually disappears. Many nations, including India, have outlawed sodium silicate as an adhesive for corrugated boxes used in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

2.      Synthetic Adhesive:

An adhesive created from resin-based emulsions, such as a suspension of polyvinyl acetate in water, is called synthetic adhesive. Hardly any synthetic glue is used to produce corrugated cartons, a small portion of the market. Because it is exceedingly expensive and significantly raises the cost of manufacture, this glue is not widely used. The price of this glue is over two times that of starch-based adhesive.

3.      Starch-Based Adhesives:

The term "starch-based adhesive" describes glue made from starch extracted from sources such as maize and tapioca. Due to its low price and strong capabilities, it has become quite popular. It is now the most extensively used glue that manufactures corrugated cartons.

Hopefully, this post has served as a guide to corrugated box adhesives. The corrugated board has several uses. Consumers need a sturdy product when moving, purchasing new devices, or inspecting point-of-purchase displays. Manufacturers of corrugated boards know that only high-quality adhesives can produce the best boxes.