What Adhesives Are Used in Packaging?

In the packaging industry, a wide variety of packaging adhesives are used, selected according to different application needs and material characteristics. Here are some common types of packaging adhesives:

1. Water-based Adhesive
   Features: Low toxicity, good environmental protection, easy to handle, fast drying speed.
   Applications: Widely used in food packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, daily consumer packaging, and other fields, especially where environmental protection and rapid production are needed. These water-based packaging adhesives are ideal for various applications.

   
   

2. Solvent-based Adhesive
   Features: Strong bonding strength and chemical resistance, but may contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
   Applications: Widely used in packaging materials requiring high strength bonding, such as some industrial packaging and special packaging.

   
   

3. Solvent-free Adhesive
   Features: Completely solvent-free, excellent environmental performance, and high bonding strength.
   With the improvement of environmental awareness, solvent-free adhesives are increasingly used in food packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, and other fields, making them effective packaging adhesives.

   
   

4. Hot Glue
   Features: Coating and bonding in the molten state, curing speed, high bonding strength.
   Applications: Suitable for high-speed automatic production lines, such as carton sealing and label pasting, where cost-effective packaging adhesives are essential.

   
   

5. Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA)
   Features: Sticky, can be bonded by applying pressure, and easy to peel and reattach.
   Applications: Often used in the production of tapes, labels, and other products. They are also used in some packaging occasions that require temporary or repeatable bonding, making pressure sensitive adhesives for packaging highly versatile.

   
   

6. Reactive Adhesive
   Features: Bonding through chemical reaction, with high bonding strength and durability.
   Applications: Used in packaging occasions with special requirements, such as industrial packaging requiring high strength and durability. These are among the best adhesives for plastic packaging.

   
   

7. Domain Specific Adhesives

• Adhesives for Food Packaging: These need to meet food safety standards and ensure no harmful substances contact food. They may include water-based polyurethane and acrylic emulsion among other environmentally friendly adhesives.

  
  

• Adhesives for Medical Packaging: Medical packaging has stringent requirements for adhesives. They must be non-toxic and have good biocompatibility and chemical resistance. Commonly used adhesives include medical grade hot melt and solvent-free polyurethane.

  
  

To sum up, there are a wide variety of packaging adhesives used in the packaging industry, each with unique characteristics and application areas. When selecting packaging adhesives, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the specific packaging materials, production process, and use environment. At the same time, with increasingly strict environmental regulations and consumers' focus on product safety, the application prospects of environmentally friendly adhesives in the packaging industry will be broader. A packaging adhesive selection guide can further help in making informed choices.