Home / Resources
Adhesives Education Corner
Fix bond, coating, and laminating problems on your line — without waiting for a site visit. Watch a short preview, then leave your work contact to unlock the full article and Education video. Free calculators. Need a grade or sample? Call 800-249-0337.
Browse guides & how-tos Open a free calculator Request a sample Request an SDS
Plant product
Adhesive Problem Solving Kit — $695 + freight
Bond-failure test kit with manual PDF after purchase and mailed case. Phone tech support available.
What you can do here
Pick a guide below when you need a faster answer on packaging, coating, laminating, heat seal, or hot melt. Preview free — unlock the full short with your plant contact so we can help match a grade or sample.
Adhesive guides by topic
Short preview on each page — leave your work contact to unlock the full Education short. Calculators stay free (no gate).
General plant guidance only — not a substitute for your process, SDS/TDS, or line trials. Call 800-249-0337 to match a grade.
Adhesive Selection and Costing
- Comprehensive Adhesive Selection Guide
- Adhesives for laminating
- How to select a tackifier resin for your hot melt formulation
- Should you choose extrudable hot melts for new market access
- How to choose a pressure-sensitive adhesive by end use
- How to compare hot melt cost per MSI at various coat weights
- Adhesive usage / cost calculator
- Hot melt cost calculator
- How much energy do you use: solvent vs water vs hot melt
- How to choose the application method for hot melt adhesives in the apparel market
Hot Melt Handling, Viscosity, and System Care
- How to apply, handle, clean up and store reactive hot melt adhesive
- Why should you control viscosity
- Viscosity measuring cups: seconds vs centipoise
- Hot melt system cleaner instructions
- How to apply hot melts to paper laminates
Surface Prep and Primers
- How to bond plastics
- How to bond low surface energy substrates
- Chart showing surface tension of various plastics
- Best treatment for adhesion to film: corona, ozone or flame
- Improving paperboard with corona treatment
- How to choose a primer for extrusion coating and laminating
- How to understand plastics terminology
- How to bond all types of rubber
Coater Selection and Metering Methods
- Converting a dry-bond coater to hot melt
- How to choose the right roller coating system
- Fountain-type gravure coating variations
- Best doctor blade angle
- Should you use a metering rod coater
- Anilox roll and cell count
- Best coater for the polymer system in use
- When is my coating method obsolete
- Reverse roll coating flaws
- Rod coating defects
Laminating Lines, Dryers, and Extrusion Coating
- How to choose a hot melt coating and laminating line
- Guide to Coating, Laminating, Slitting, Sheeting
- Basic Principles of Extrusion Coating
- Co-extrusion hot melt coating settings
- Line speed and the drying process
- Justifying multiple-zone dryers
- The nip station in laminating film and paper
- Linear feet vs web thickness on a 3 in core
Film, Foil, and UV/EB Lamination
- Foil laminating market: which adhesive should we choose
- How to fix common defects in laminated film structures
- Slip package for film adhesive lamination
- Aluminum adhesion: adhesive vs extrusion lamination
- Advantages of UV/EB lamination adhesives
- How UV and EB cured coatings and adhesives work
Labels, Heat Seals, and Lidding
- How to choose a label adhesive
- Bottle labeling adhesives for breweries
- In-mold labels made from film
- Understanding RFID labels
- Solving container labeling problems
- Heat sealing: how to qualify a heat seal product
- Heat seals: qualifying questions you must consider
- How to select heat seal coatings for lidding
- Heat seal characteristics from competing application technologies
- Common problems with induction seal cap liners
Paper Barrier and Protection Coatings
- Film formation of latex barrier coatings
- How to choose barrier film
- Sustainable barrier coatings for paper (moisture, OTR, oil, grease)
- Grease resistance testing with TAPPI UM 557 grease-kit solutions
- How wax coatings have been used over the past 50 years
- Surface treatment coatings for glass containers
Troubleshooting, Trials, and Lab Tests
- Hot melt application troubleshooting tips
- Hot melt system troubleshooting tips
- How to solve hot melt application problems
- Checklist for running a trial with a new adhesive
- Checklist for running hot melt, water-based or solvent-based adhesive
- Hot tack spring test
- Hot tack of EVA coating with a modified spring test
- Automatic hot tack tester vs spring test
- Blocking test for web-fed coatings
- Testing slip / COF in PE films
- Why COF measurements are inconsistent
Packaging, Profiles, and Specialty Applications
- How to use PUR hot melt for vinyl-wrapped uPVC glazing beads
- Flexible packaging — typical structures by end use
- What are the typical structures used in the flexible packaging market by end use
- How to use cohesive
- How to run cohesives on flexo and gravure presses
- Running cohesive on Flexo and Gravure presses based on natural and synthetic latex
- How to use contact cement
- How to choose the right adhesive for blister packaging market
- How to select a folding carton type for packaging your product
- How to solve washboarding adhesive problems making corrugated board
- How to solve bookbinding problems
- Troubleshooting animal glue / cake-flex protein adhesives
- How to screen hot melt components for repulpability
- Fundamentals of paper sizing technology
- Adding moisture back into paper (lay-flat)
- How to troubleshoot ink problems
- Printing Processes Guide
- When and how to hire a packaging consultant
- Tariff concerns with imported materials
- How to solve common edge gluing and laminating problems with wood glues
- Talk to us about your profile line