The history of bookbinding dates back to the 6th century. Today, modern bookbinding is no less than an art. It is quite beyond the basic securing printed pages or fastening the sheets together. Hand-bound journals are extremely artistic and beautiful with leather, wood or high- quality paper.
Adhesives are an important part of the entire process. They help to ensure durability and functionality to a great extent. No wonder, the bookbinding adhesives market size was $1.8 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.2% reaching $2.1 billion by 2027. Binding formulations usually come in three forms: emulsion, reactive hot melt, and hot melt. Learn about a few tips and tricks.
Soft Book Cover
Purmelt is especially useful for the bookbinding industry since it ensures ultra-flexibility at both high and low temperatures. Books can survive heat more than 80°C as well as cold below -20°C so the joy of reading can go on for years. Purmelt can outperform dispersion adhesives and is an excellent alternative to stitching.
These are one-part formulations that mix the power of structural adhesive and the speed of hot melt adhesive for strengths of 1,000+ lbs. It polymerizes after coming in contact with moisture and creates stronger bonds once the curing process is over. The glue is made from many types of polyols along with an isocyanate which causes the adhesive to polymerize.
Reactive hot melts or PUR perform well with glue nozzles since:
● application quantity is precisely metered.
● high speed is assured.
● Less waste is created.
Purmelt-bound soft covers books can withstand 5 times more pull forces than bindings made via conventional hot melt adhesives.
Hard Cover Book
Hard cover book binding glues come in 7 different types:
1. Case Making: Animal glue/protein glue/gelatin glue made from connective tissues,
bones and hides are used.
2. Casing-In: This is a glue made from polyvinyl acetate copolymers. This is used at
room temperature and sets by water loss.
3. Lining Up Glue: A thin line of hotmelt or animal glue is used. It is used to adhere
kraft paper and cloth mesh to impart string to the spine of the book.
4. Hinge Glue: This is a hotmelt used to bind the case to the end sheets on the book block.
5. Tight Backing: Hotmelt glue is used on the book spine to secure the case to the book block.
6. Headbands: These are supportive strips that are glued to the kraft paper, and it’s only used is to improve the aesthetics of the book. Computerized Binders
7. Tipping: There are sheets that are bonded either with hotmelt or liquid adhesive to the book block prior to the casing-in operation.