Thermal Fusing: Featuring adhesives now, later or none at all

Thermal fusing is one of our primary services at Dal-Bac Manufacturing. We use thermal fusing to bond thin flexible materials in situations where it is not practical to utilize other laminating techniques. This process is ideal for fusing materials like:

  • Textiles
  • Plastic films
  • Papers
  • Foams
  • Non-wovens

The finished products have enhanced durability and performance that stands up in a wide range of environmental extremes.

Selecting the correct adhesive is a critical part of any thermal fusing project. Our engineering team works closely with our customers to gain a complete understanding of the bond requirements in the finished product. This can depend on where and when the adhesive will be fully activated. There are three primary options:

  1. The project involves creating a finished product consisting of one or multiple layers of materials bonded together for use in downstream production.  In this case the adhesive is fully activated creating the final composite product.
  2. The project requires that adhesive be added to a material but not fully activated. The adhesive will be reactivated at a later production stage to create bonds between the original material and other surfaces.
  3.  The project does not require any adhesive because of the nature of the materials being bonded together. With some materials we can create a strong bond by using controlled melting of one of the lamination materials. The melted material flows into the other materials and creates an exceptionally strong bond while eliminating adhesive application and cost.

Regardless of the type of project, the keys to successful thermal fusing are carefully controlling the temperature, dwell time, pressure and selecting the best adhesive substrate. This requires a dedication to a manufacturing process that is confirmed by our ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Dal-Bac understands the importance of meeting your requirements and we strive to always exceed customer expectations. That’s why we offer prototypes and samples to demonstrate our expertise and allow for your internal testing.