Adhesive Applying

Spraying and Applying Adhesives Correctly

Spraying adhesives, glues, and other thick mastics is common in industries including upholstery, woodworking, and a variety of others. Spraying is by far quicker than most other methods. For you to properly apply the adhesive with a spray gun, you want to ensure that you select a proper type of spray gun as well as proper fluid supply equipment to be able to spray effectively.

Since adhesives are more viscous and shear differently than most other liquids commonly sprayed, you will need to spray adhesives with a conventional spray gun or gun specifically designed for adhesives and glues.

A conventional spray gun will be most effective at atomizing glue allowing you to effectively spray across the surface. If you try another technology like HVLP or LVLP you may not be able to adequately break the glue apart or achieve the desired pattern for spraying.

In general water-based adhesives are more viscous than solvent-based adhesives. Additionally, water-based adhesives are more corrosive to the majority of metals than are solvent-based adhesives. Since water-based adhesives are more viscous in general, you typically need a larger fluid nozzle than you use with solvent-based adhesives. If you're spraying solvent-based material, you’ll typically use a similar air cap with a slightly smaller fluid opening. The smaller fluid opening will be effective because the material is not as thick allowing it to be supplied effectively with the smaller nozzle.

If you will be applying adhesives in high volume like a 5 or a 55 gallon supply you will typically want to consider a double diaphragm pump. The advantage of a transfer pump is the ability to pump material at an increased pressure, which can be needed when spraying higher viscosity adhesives. If you will be considering a double diaphragm pump, typically want to try to ensure your diaphragm pump has stainless steel balls and seats. Stainless steel balls and seats will help reduce issues with the pump becoming stuck due to the adhesive.

If you will be spraying adhesives in a smaller volume, you can consider a basic pressure pot system. The important thing to remember is if you are spraying water-borne adhesives you want to consider getting a stainless steel pressure pot so that you do not experience significant rusting in your pressure pot. If you are spraying solvent-based adhesives, you can typically use a standard zinc plated or galvanized pressure tank.

If your adhesive has two components that are mixed that result in an instantaneous bond or near-instantaneous bond, you may need to consider a plural component application system. A plural component application system will keep the two components separate and use a plural component spray gun to mix the two components at the tip of the spray gun. By mixing the two components just prior to the application of the product's surface, you can eliminate the issue of the adhesive prematurely hardening and ruining your spray equipment.

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