The best-known types are glue sticks, glue cartridges, EVA, polyolefin, PUR and PSA.

ADHESIVE STICKS AND PATTERNS

Almost everyone knows patterns and glue from the hobby applications with the glue gun and a typical glue pattern of 11mm diameter. The samples are also available in other diameters such as 7mm, 15mm, 18mm and 43mm. These are almost exclusively EVA, rubber and polyolefin adhesives.

EVA HOTMELT

EVA hotmelt is at the beginning of the hotmelt revolution. Before EVA hotmelt was widely used, solvent-based or water-based adhesives were used. The advantage of a hotmelt is that it does not contain any solvent, but it dries much faster than a water-based adhesive.

PUR-HOTMELT

Due to the success of EVA hotmelt, the industry has come up with the idea that adhesives can be heated for processing and achieve a quick "adhesion" when cooled. This was applied to a completely new polymer for hotmelts, the polyurethane or PUR hotmelts were created.

PPE HOTMELT

PSA is an English term for "Pressure Sensitive Adhesive" and these are Dutch terms for "self-adhesive products" such as tapes, stickers and labels. PSA hotmelts are also often used for other materials to which a double-sided adhesive tape or laminate can be applied, but then directly by inline hotmelt application to, for example, foam, plastic or devices.