Water-based – or waterborne – adhesives have come into their own as the high-performance alternative to solvent based adhesives in the manufacturing of many products, including air and liquid filters. Plus, these adhesives actually offer manufacturers a number of benefits over their solvent-based counterparts. Here’s a look at the top five advantages of using water-based adhesives in filter and filter media assembly.
1. Ease of Use. Water-based emulsion adhesives are one-part products. You don’t have to mix components before use, saving time and the cost of mixing equipment. In addition, you can easily apply any number of ways: spraying, roller coating, immersion or screen-printing.
2. Cost-effective. Solvent costs more than water. Period. So it’s no surprise that water-based adhesives typically cost less than other adhesive systems. You generally save on the cost of the adhesive itself – and, perhaps, on any equipment you might otherwise need to mix adhesive components, melt the adhesive before application or cure it afterward.
3. High versatility. The lab can readily develop formulations to meet a wide range of specific application and performance requirements, including tack, bond strength, open time/set time and water resistance. Franklin Adhesives & Polymers, for one, has advanced the performance of water-based adhesives well beyond the industry’s early expectation. We’ve even sped up assembly time to less than a minute or slowed it down to allow for more open assembly time depending on your process. In addition, these products have proven stability, ensuring a high-quality bond over time.
4. Good spreadability. Water-soluble formulation also means water-based adhesives are easy to clean-up with water when wet. They don’t gum up machines the way other adhesive types can – causing downtime and reducing productivity.
5. Environmentally friendly. The drive toward environmental friendliness – and away from the volatile cost of oil – were primary factors in increased interest in developing high-performance water-based emulsions as early as the 1970s. Unlike their solvent-based counterparts, water-based adhesives are low in VOCs and formaldehyde-free. They are as safe to use as they are effective.
The multiple benefits of water-based formulation has led our company to focus on producing one of the broadest offerings of water-based adhesives for industrial use. This includes our respected
FilterFAB line of adhesives for filter and filter media assembly – advanced technology based upon our 15-plus years of service to your industry, and the company’s 80-year history as a leader in adhesive and sealant development.