Water-based adhesives are one of the most versatile and widely used adhesives because of its universal applications and ease of use.

Bond Tech Industries offers a wide range of water-based adhesives for many applications in the adhesives industry, and for decades, customers have come to us to fulfill their water-based adhesive product requirements.

Why Water-Based Adhesives?

Water-based adhesives are formulated to suit a multitude of uses. Considered the workhorse of the adhesive industry, water-based glue is economical and versatile.

With their ability to adhere to a variety of surfaces and materials, they can be dialed in to suit a wide array of customer equipment and performance requirements. But sometimes, water-based adhesives fail. Why? Read on.

water based adhesive in jars

What Causes Water-Based Adhesives to Fail?

1. Poor Setting Speed

The first reason why your water-based adhesive isn’t working is because the glue may have set at a poor speed – either too quickly or too slowly.

How to fix it

  • Check if product has been diluted
  • Check if product has been stirred thoroughly before use
  • Check viscosity increase due to aging and dilute if necessary
  • Check for excessive application and reduce if necessary
  • Contact your technical sales representative. We have the expertise to troubleshoot.

2. Poor Adhesion

Another reason why your water-based adhesive might have failed is because of poor adhesion due to improper viscosity or compression.

How to fix it

  • Check viscosity increase due to aging and dilute if necessary
  • Check for uniform application pattern
  • Check compression (too little or too much)
  • Check head space if sealing boxes. Too much head space can hinder compression.
  • Check for improper scoring, which can cause springy flaps (If this is the case, you may need faster, tackier adhesive)
  • Check if board has proper glue assists (not coated where adhesive is applied)
  • Change stock or adhesive
  • Contact your technical sales representative.

3. Excessive Penetration or Holdout

The last reason why your water-based adhesive is not performing as well as it should be, is because there has been too much penetration or holdout in the application.

How to fix it

  • Check viscosity. Adhesive may be too thin or too thick
  • Increase or decrease application as required
  • Change stock or adhesive. Some stock is significantly more porous than others.
  • Contact your technical sales representative.

Still experiencing issues?

After going through the main reasons for water-based adhesive failure, are you still experiencing issues with your application?Download your FREE eBook

This free eBook is a comprehensive guide that covers all of the problems you might experience with water-based adhesives, how to fix the problem, and tips to prevent issues from arising again!

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Have more questions? Let’s talk!

If you’ve got more questions about adhesive troubleshooting, or if you need to know which adhesives would be right for you, contact us! We’d be happy to help!

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