Preview · about 1 minute
Plant-floor overview. Full converter checklist below.
New labelers, coatings, and speed keep changing what a bottle adhesive has to do. Cattie runs a full labeling line, from older dextrins to synthetics and hot melts. Pick from the bottle and the machine, not from a generic “label glue.”
Water-based types
Ready-for-use dextrins. The early table-gummer products. Fine when machines were slow and glass was easy. Still used; volume keeps dropping.
Resin-dextrins. When coated glass is in the mix. High wet tack, easier cleanup than many synthetics, better adhesion to coated glass and some plastics than a straight dextrin.
Jelly gums. Viscous, high tack. Not highly water-resistant, but good humidity resistance for dry bottles that go into a refrigerator. Viscosity can be built for high-speed labelers.
Water-resistant dextrins (non-casein). After about three days of dry, they pass a water-immersion test on a labeled container. They do not dry as fast as casein. Wide viscosity range.
Casein. The brewery standard when you need water resistance and caustic wash-off on returnable bottles. Bonds glass coatings that jelly gums miss. Fast dry, high mileage, helps stop foil-label flagging, and will pick up cold, very wet bottles. Viscosity is steep with temperature. A typical casein, summer vs winter, in centipoise:
- 50°F — 108,000 / 88,000
- 70°F — 60,000 / 46,000
- 85°F — 30,000 / 21,000
- 100°F — 19,500 / 10,500
Synthetic resin emulsions. For PVC, PET, polypropylene, and untreated plastics, and for some glass. They machine cleanly if viscosity is high enough for tack and label pickup.
Hot-melt labeling
100% solids thermoplastics. Heat to apply; they set as they cool. Set is faster than water or solvent because heat leaves the bead faster than water dries. No freeze, settle, or decompose in storage the way a water-based can. Needs: low viscosity, clean machining, light color, hot tack, adhesion to mixed substrates. Hot pickups (light amber, opaque) were built for can and jar service about 32–150°F. Spot-labeler hot melts beat water-based on set speed and on two nonporous faces (plastic-coated label to polystyrene), where water cannot evaporate. Labelers in this work: B&H, Krones, Labelette, Trine. Viscosity and open time are machine-specific. PET cup grades are a separate family: clean extrusion, impact, wide temperature.
Storage, plastic bottles, labels
Store water-based at 70–80°F. Keep about 60 days of stock, first in, first out; some grades climb in viscosity after 60 days. If a shipment arrives cold, hold 24 hours at 68–80°F. Ice crystals on a drum wall mean it froze — do not run it. Viscosities from about 2,000 cps (table gummer) to more than 100,000 cps (automatic).
PE. Flame-treat (ASTM D2578 wetting tension). Treated: synthetic resin. Untreated: latex or hot melt only. PVC, PP, PS: resin adhesives; flame-treat PP like PE. Label a few bottles and wait 24 hours before a production run.
Foil-backed labels wet out slower than paper. Grain should be horizontal so the label does not curl. Paper, foil, metallized, and plastic-coated stock are different adhesive jobs. Condensation on cold bottles and fill spillage both kill the bond. Call 800-249-0337 or email sales@cattieadhesives.com with the machine model, wet vs dry, and a labeled sample.
Related Cattie grades
Examples, not a full catalog. 8275 resin/dextrin laminating, FDA indirect food contact. 8241 water-based acrylic PSA for tapes and labels. 9810 PSA hot melt for packing slips and security bags. Call 800-249-0337 to match a grade to the line.
Call 800-249-0337 Request a sample
Longer plant training (5–10 min)
Coming soon — downloadable deep-dive for the floor.
General plant guidance only — not a substitute for your process, SDS/TDS, or line trials. Call 800-249-0337 to match a grade.