Adhesives are a vital part of many businesses today. This is especially important for the corrugated materials industry. Some companies are turning to synthetic glues for their products and having some success. However, starch adhesive products are still some of the better choices. So, which one is the right choice for your company? Let’s look at both options to see.
Starch Vs Synthetic
Starches come from natural sources of carbohydrates. This includes wheat, potatoes, rice, and many kinds of roots. They are easily dissolved in water and make excellent bonding agents. For example, just mixing flour and water creates an effective paste. However, today’s starch-based glues have special additives to make them more soluble, and this creates stronger bonding agents.
Synthetic glues don’t come from natural ingredients like starches. They’re made from many chemicals and manmade substances. Some examples are:
* Epoxy
* Acrylics
* Thermoplastics
* Polyurethane
Costs
When you compare the cost of starch adhesive with synthetic, there’s not much to compare. The cost of synthetic glue is sometimes as much as double that of starch-based products.
Properties
Most synthetic glues have strong odors or fumes. In fact, they need a properly ventilated area for safety. Since starch-based glues are natural, you don’t have to worry about fumes. Also, natural glues are eco-friendly and don’t cause environmental concerns, while synthetic glues have some degree of toxicity.
Performance
Adhesive performance includes three factors:
* Compression strength – because starch adhesive easily penetrates a corrugated material, it increases its stiffness and this, in turn, increases compression strength.
* Bonding strength – solids content contributes to bonding strength and starch-based products have more than most synthetic glues.
* Bursting strength – paper fiber gets stronger when introduced to starch-based glues because they penetrate deep into the fibers. Synthetic glues have almost no impact on this feature.
