Excessive temperature
Tiles transfer heat to the cardboard, rapidly degrading hot melt.
Analytical Case Study
Cold PVA: cardboard bonding at 150°C without hot glue.
How Colceramica (Corona Group) eliminated cardboard detachment in packaging while maintaining efficiency and plant cleanliness with tiles at 150°C.
The critical phase of hot-tile packaging.
On many ceramic lines (especially high-throughput ones) tiles reach the boxing phase straight from the kiln, with temperatures above 150°C.
This apparently secondary condition becomes critical at the packaging step, where cardboard must be formed around the tiles and then glued. The customer was using a traditional hot melt system, which loses effectiveness under such conditions.
The residual heat of the tiles compromises the adhesive's grip, causing detachment and non-conformities in packaging.
Bonding at 150°C without losing adhesion.
The problem is not just the adhesive, it’s the interaction between temperature, material and process. Hot melt loses effectiveness, boxes open during handling and storage, and atomized alternatives introduce new issues with cleanliness and maintenance.
A solution combining heat resistance, application precision and plant cleanliness was needed.
Poor grip
Boxes open or weaken during handling and storage.
Atomized PVA critical
Dispersion in the environment, residue buildup on machines, more maintenance.
Why standard solutions don't work.
During the technical analysis, a key point emerged: it’s not enough to change adhesive, you have to change how it’s applied.
PVA (polyvinyl acetate) is a valid chemical alternative, but atomized application introduces more problems than it solves. The solution must act on the application method, not just on chemical composition.
| Parameter | Previous solution | New solution |
|---|---|---|
| Heat resistance | Low (hot melt) | High (controlled PVA) |
| Precision | High | High |
| Plant cleanliness | Critical (atomized PVA) | Optimal |
| Maintenance | Medium-high | Low |
| Adhesion at 150°C | Compromised | Stable |
Cold PVA application system, controlled and without atomization.
The proposed solution is a cold-application bonding system using PVA adhesive delivered in a controlled (not atomized) way.
Goal: ensure stable adhesion even at high temperatures, avoiding contamination and waste.
-
Precise application
Controlled nozzles deposit adhesive only where needed.
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No atomization
Complete elimination of overspray and environmental dispersion.
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High-temp compatible
PVA outperforms hot melt up to 150°C.
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Lower maintenance
Fewer interventions than spray systems, always-clean plant.
From technical request to optimal solution.
The customer was choosing between two alternatives: continue with ineffective hot melt, or adopt an atomized PVA system with operational risks.
The approach was to fit the solution to the real problem, not to the initial budget. Through technical analysis and direct comparison, a third way emerged: a cold-application, controlled-circuit PVA system capable of delivering performance without introducing new issues.
The customer purchases a first PVA cold-application machine to try on a real case. The test works very well, both in adhesive durability over time and in application cleanliness, without need for continuous maintenance. Once the test is passed, they decide to roll the system out on 5 more production lines.
In the Field
Photo gallery of the project
Stability, cleanliness and production continuity.
Before
Cardboard detachment
Previous adhesive
After
100% box integrity
Current system
After implementing the controlled cold-PVA system, the customer reported complete elimination of cardboard detachment, drastic maintenance reduction and scalability to 5 additional lines after the pilot.
| Metric | Result | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Box integrity | 100% | No detachment at 150°C |
| Maintenance | Reduced | On all scaled lines |
| Lines served | 6 total | 1 pilot + 5 extension |
| Overspray | Eliminated | Always-clean plant |
What this case demonstrates
The Colceramica case shows that the most effective solutions come from process analysis, not from adapting to the customer's initial budget or explicit request.
01
Tailored solution
Not the most requested or cheapest product, but the one that really solves the problem in real conditions.
02
Application innovation
Don't just change the chemical product, change how it's applied. The lever is method, not raw material.
03
Validate and scale
A well-run pilot on a single line opens the path to scaling across the entire plant, from case to system.
Next step
Got a similar situation?
If you manage high-temperature packaging lines with adhesion criticalities, contact us for a focused technical consultation on your specific process.
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