Inserting and product attachment are vital parts of Print Finishing. Every day we see mailers with gift cards, credit cards, gas cards, and more. Whether your company is sending out a promotional flyer or attaching a card, coupon or mailer, using an efficient, cost-effective adhesive applicator is an important condition. Obligations to produce excellent print quality, complex folds, special perforations, and the need for speed are growing. It is critical to your brand reputation that this product maintains its integrity even after reaching the end-user. Furthermore, with today’s competitive landscape, producing these materials with a consciousness for sustainability is a requirement. In our line of business, that means using less adhesive and producing less waste. Here are five ways one hot melt gun can start lowering your adhesive usage today.
1.“Opt-In” on Options. One of the most critical aspects of adhesive application on a mailer or graphic is the ability to customize the adhesive pattern so that the system can maintain the flexibility it needs for each customer’s specific requests. Because accuracy and precision are a necessity, it is critical to administer an adhesive application that meets these standards. In a market that is constantly reinventing itself, whether you need microbeads, large beads, are folding or perforating the mailer, or need 30 beads versus 15 beads, the electric valve that provides you with the ability to select an option from a limitless number of bead sizes and pattern lengths is the way to go. Valco Melton’s Ecostitch™ Valve is one of the only valves to provide these options to its customers.
2. Eliminate Stringing. Another critical aspect of applying a perfect and efficient adhesive pattern on mailers and graphics is the ability to eliminate stringing and provide a clean cut-off. In other words, when the mailer arrives at the end-user, it is important that they can open the seal without tearing, ripping, or damaging the mailer. If the end-user tears or damages the mailer that is associated with your company name, it can affect what they think about the quality of your brand.
3. Ensure the Dispensing Valve is Multi-Use. Many mailers are glued with permanent, fugitive, and pressure-sensitive adhesive. It is important to have an adhesive applicator that can work with nearly any adhesive to provide the clean finish and quality application you are looking for.
4. Utilize the “Zipper Stitch.” Valco Melton’s Ecostitch™ adhesive applicator applies adhesive in what they have started to call a “Zipper Stitch™.” This adhesive pattern type is truly unique and far superior to the traditional adhesive application method used on mailers. Traditionally, manufacturers would apply a long line or series of lines of adhesive to seal the end piece. More specifically, a large bead of glue is applied to the surface and spread out across the sealing area, which causes the end-user to bend, fold, and tear the mailer when opening the seal. The Zipper Stitch is a superior pattern because it provides a perfect, uniform seal across the sealing area. Instead of a thick bead of adhesive stretched across the surface, there is a series of microbeads applied across the surface to provide a seal that can withstand any quality control test. Simultaneously, this allows the “at home” user to open and re-seal the mailer without tearing it. The Zipper Stitch provides a clean opening while eliminating any tearing or other damage. This increases the integrity of the mailer, which in turn gives the end-user a more positive experience.
5. Long Lives the Clean Valve! With speed and ceramic materials, electric valves are able to produce a tight closure that pushes out and pulverizes any char or debris that comes through the valve. Essentially, the valve cleans itself. By using a top-down adhesive path and electromagnetic coil, low pressure and large orifice size, the valve is able to virtually eliminate nozzle plugging. Additional features support easy change-outs and variable valve configurations with options like a “quick-connect” coil.
As an example of how powerful a little adhesive valve of this kind can really be, Valco Melton’s Ecostitch™ adhesive applicator is built with a ceramic seat and carbide-tipped plunger. It easily reaches 3000 cycles per minute continuous duty with a lifetime of up to 300,000,000 cycles. This solution has produced every case I’ve seen with instant ROI– Payback has occurred in as little as four months.
By selecting a Hot Melt Adhesive Applicator that can achieve these 5 things, your adhesive can be reduced by up to 75%. Don’t believe me? Check out this case study.
If you’d like to see how an electric valve of this kind works, you can watch that here. To learn more about how this electric valve can start generating savings specific to your requirements today, let us know here.
