The increasing demand for consumer goods has brand owners focused on efficiency. It is critical to minimize downtime, keep the production lines running, and meet quality standards. Food and beverage manufacturers rely on hot melt packaging adhesives to assure a strong seal in their consumer products. To reduce unplanned downtime on the packaging line, it is important to avoid hot melt adhesive degradation by limiting its exposure to elevated temperatures for extended periods of time when the equipment is not running. Degradation of hot melt packaging adhesive can negatively impact:
- Appearance
- Processability
- Performance
Managing these three criteria allows manufacturers to keep production moving. Setback mode, a common feature of hot melt tanks, is a system feature to reduce hot melt adhesive tank temperature and minimize degradation. Also called standby mode, setback is typically a single button to lower the temperature of the hot melt system up to 38oC (100oF) and return the system to the original temperatures after pressing the button again. Prolonged exposure to heat can break down the adhesive formulation, accelerate gelling and lead to char formation.