Industrial Glue Blog - LD Davis

Why We Need So Much Detail to Recommend a Glue

Written by Maria Ceschan | May 8, 2018 12:22:00 PM

If you've worked with us before, you're probably pretty familiar with how our technical team makes a glue recommendation. New prospects are sometimes a little surprised at the number of questions we ask about their glue application before quoting a product.

Here's why we ask those questions...

 We manufacture and sell thousands of different glue formulas.

From eco-friendly animal glues and liquid glues to more aggressive EVA and PUR glue formulas, we provide solutions for a variety of applications. When a prospect contacts us, we will usually direct them to our short technical survey to collect the information our Technical team will use to make a proper glue recommendation. 

This information covers three main categories of information.

Substrates

Our goal is to get familiar with your substrates. What are you trying to bond?  Are the surfaces porous, smooth, coated? Are they similar or dissimilar? 

All of these details will help us determine which glue is best suited for your application.  If you are unsure on some of these details, our Lab is fully equipped to test your substrates in-house (for free!). 

Application Details & Limitations

Now that we know what you are applying the glue to (substrates), we will need more information on how you plan to apply the glue. Will it be applied with automated equipment, spray, roller, glue gun, squeeze bottle, brush?  What speed or open time are you working with between when the glue is applied and when the bond is made? 

This information will help us determine if you need a fast or slow setting glue formula. 

End Use Requirements

How does the bonded finished product get used? How much strength is required of the bond? For example, bonding wood requires much more strength than bonding  two paper towel plies.  

What kind of environment will the finished product be exposed to?  Will it be exposed to water or extreme temperatures? 

On the surface, many of these details may seem insignificant. When it comes to glue performance, this information will help our technical team to narrow down our formulas to one that will perform best for you.

As you can probably tell, a lot more goes into a glue recommendation than you may have thought. Our goal is to become as familiar with the application as possible so we can get you on the way to efficient production. 

Have a question for our lab? We're happy to help!