What is the Difference Between Hot Melt and Acrylic Adhesive?

We will look at the difference between these two adhesives and how these distinctions might affect your choice of tape.

Hot melt adhesive is a thermoplastic adhesive, also known as hot glue. Hotmelt tapes exhibit a significantly higher adhesion in comparison to acrylic tape. They possess superior holding power (referred to as shear value) and tensile strength, with quick tack. Hotmelt tape is ideal for applications involving machine applied tapes, overstuffed cartons, or cartons with a high degree of recycled content. They perform well in temperatures ranging from 45F to 120F.

Acrylic tapes on the other hand, offer a wider temperature range than that of the hotmelt tapes, ranging from 32F to 140. An acrylic carton sealing tape is ideal for applications that involve low and/or high humidity conditions. Acrylic tapes also have a stronger resistance to oxidation, allowing it to be uninfluenced by exposure to sunlight.

A good packaging tape should provide: Ease of use, excellent adhesion, holding power and resistance to damage.

When choosing a tape, you should think about the following:

Holding power:  It is critical that your adhesive resists continuous stress during shipping. Hot melt adhesive tapes offer a greater hold strength for handling external stress.

Application conditions: Humidity, cold weather, and dust can all affect a tape’s ability to stick. Acrylic adhesive has a lower viscosity, allowing it to stick better in dusty or humid environments.

Acrylic tapes are ideal for packaging applications involving extreme temperatures, such as refrigeration, and for sealing boxes that will be warehoused over an extended period of time.

Hot melt tapes, meanwhile, are great for machine application as they unwind quickly, offer instant adhesion and excellent holding power during automatic packaging processes.

Do you have additional questions about your packaging tape options?  Call us at: 813 242 6995 or sales@quickpakinc.com