Fixatti is a world niche player in thermoplastic & thermosetting adhesives and coatings. Our high quality polymer powders and hotmelts are used in the woven and non-woven industry for various end applications in the textile, automotive & building industry and as a coating for conveyor belts and metal coatings.
Polymers
The word polymer is derived from old Greek :
- (poly) meaning ‘many’
- (meros) meaning ‘part’
A polymer is a long molecule, like a long chain, that is composed of repeating small molecules called monomers.
The word polymerisation means the making of a polymer. Polymers are either hard, brittle, flexible, soft or liquid. This depends on the chemical composition and temperature:
There are 2 types of Polymers:
- Thermoplastic polymers
- Thermosetting polymers
Thermoplastic polymers
A thermoplastic polymer is a polymer that can be melt to a liquid. The process of this melting and cooling/hardening is reversible.
Thermosetting polymers
A thermosetting resin is a polymer in a soft solid or viscous state that changes irreversibly into an infusible, insoluble polymer network by curing.
Curing is induced by the action of heat often under high pressure. A cured thermosetting resin is called a thermoset or a thermosetting polymer.
Adhesives
Adhesion is the tendency of molecules to stick together between different types of molecules due to attractive forces.
- Adhesion = all the forces or mechanisms that keep the adhesive with each substrate
- Cohesion = all the forces or mechanisms that hold the adhesive itself
POWDER adhesives
Why the choice for powder has been made?
- Economical reasons (most investment choices are cost-driven)
- Low investment cost
- Compact machine layout
- Low energy consumption
- Environmental reasons
- Low emissions
- Less waste production
- Weight reduction
- Technical reasons
- Good bonding
- High flexibility
