Have you seen the inside of this hot melt tank?
This tank was brought in to us for professional cleaning after the owner noticed problems with the hot melt set-up. When we opened up the tank to take a look, we weren’t at all surprised – we’re looking at completely charred glue!
How Did This Tank Get Into That State?
Simply put, the glue cooked. Over a prolonged period of time, the workers who operated this tank continuously left the tank switched on at full heat, presumably to avoid having to switch off and then switch back on again the following day. Eventually this equipment had to be sent to us, and the company who had been using this tank had to deal with production downtime.
We understand that sometimes it can seem more convenient to leave hot melt tanks switched on around the clock, because then you avoid those 10-20 minutes a day of waiting for the glue to reheat up to suitable level. But it’s crucial that you don’t do this, at least not regularly or every day. Glue that is continuously subjected to high heats will, over time, degrade, turn solid and begin to block up tanks and glue guns. This will then lead to performance failure and will cost you a significant amount in lost productivity while having to have everything professionally cleaned.
Protect Your Hot Melt Equipment
You can avoid a situation like this by using the standby button on your tank. Standby buttons keep the glue at a steady temperature so that it doesn’t continue to heat but it doesn’t totally cool down either. It’s a perfect middle ground – you will have to wait a few minutes to reheat the glue (in which you can go and make yourself a cup of tea!) and you’re far less likely to end up with charred hot melt parts on your hands. The standby button can save you electricity money, too.
What Are Some Signs That You’ve Been Overheating Your Glue Up To Now?
1. Keep an eye on the colour of the glue in the machine. The correct colour is close to translucent or a pale brown. If the glue is starting to resemble honey, it’s been over-heated – you need to cool your tanks down intermittently. Glue will degrade in a hot melt tank as it reaches temperatures of 150 Celsius.
2. If you’ve never used the standby button, but always left machines running, that’s a reliable hint that your glue is being “cooked”.
3. Lastly, if you notice that your tanks are operating slower, that is likely a sign of an internal blockage, often by solidified, degraded glue.
The standby mode is just one handy button, and it can save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
Adhesive Laundry Can Help
If you’re noticing that your production lines seem to be slowing down, your equipment may be in need of professional cleaning. Get in touch, to find out more about how Adhesive can help restore your hot melt parts and get your business back up and running full speed again.
