Now over 50 years ago, hot melt adhesives revolutionized the packaging industry. Hot melt adhesives are thermoplastic compounds or polymers that are solid at room temperature and liquefy upon heating, and re-solidify with cooling to create a bond. Hot melts save energy because they require less energy to melt than water or solvent based adhesive require to dry or cure. Hot melts also save you on costly solvent extraction equipment, associated with solvent based adhesive. With the elimination of drying ovens or clamping areas, they save plant space too.
