Divan beds manufactured in the UK typically have a timber frame upholstered in various fabrics, and a separate matching mattress. The divan base usually incorporates drawers that provide extra storage space.
Drawer components are bonded together by manually applying the adhesive using a ‘squeezy bottle’, or via a trigger gun and pressure vessel. Traditionally, divan beds have been manufactured using water-based PVA furniture adhesives, which have been found to have several disadvantages. PVA can limit the process speed because it has a drying time of several hours. This means that great care is needed to make sure that the adhesive does not contaminate the fabrics used in the bed upholstery. Another shortcoming of PVA is that it has very little or no green strength, which can lead to drawers twisting and distorting if not handled carefully and stored correctly during the curing process.
With these shortcomings of PVA products in mind, the development team at Chemique Adhesives decided to create a more suitable product. What it produced was a strong hot-melt adhesive with a fast setting time.
Hot melts are a type of thermoplastic adhesive that are generally 100% solid and are brought to a liquid state by applying heat. Hot melt pillows are melted using a hot melt tank / hopper and are then applied to a substrate in its liquid state. As the hot melt cools to room temperature, it solidifies and a strong bond is created. Protak hot melt adhesives are based on EVA, PUR and polyolefin resins.
It was tested by one of the UK’s bed manufacturers, which was said to have reported impressive timings and the complete elimination of adhesive-related product returns. The new Protak hot melt adhesive cures almost instantly and, in destructive tests, substrate failure was achieved within seconds of the bond being made. What’s more, the new adhesive is easy to apply with a specially configured hot-melt machine designed and supplied by Chemique Adhesives.
