Application of Fischer-Tropsch wax in hot melt adhesives

Fischer-Tropsch wax is the ideal synthetic wax for EVA-based hot melt adhesives. The high melting point of the wax improves the heat resistance and fast drying properties of the adhesive.

Global hot melt adhesive market demand continues to grow steadily, and the hot melt adhesive market is mainly driven by technological advances and innovative products. 2010 global hot melt adhesive market sales were $3.4 billion, production was around 2 million tons, and hot melt adhesive production accounted for about 40% of total adhesive production; estimated 2016 sales were about $7 billion and production exceeded 2.5 million tons.

According to the latest report on “Global Hot Melt Adhesives Market” released by Lucintel, a U.S. market research firm, the global hot melt adhesives market will reach $9.3 billion in 2022, with a CAGR of 4.5% from 2017 to 2022.

Packaging, disposable hygiene products, automotive, bookbinding, and other sectors requiring fast processing and environmental performance are the major drivers of growth. Among these, packaging and disposable hygiene products are the largest markets for hot melt adhesive demand. The automotive segment is expected to grow at a faster than average rate during the reporting period.

Regionally, Asia Pacific continues to be the largest market for hot melt adhesives. Increasing industrial activities in the electronics, energy, transportation, construction, and industrial sectors in China and India are expected to drive the hot melt adhesives market in the region. Benefiting from the growing demand for packaging and disposable hygiene products in China and India, hot melt adhesives in Asia Pacific will grow at a faster than average rate.

In recent years, VOCs emission control has been carried out across China, the environmental protection situation is getting tighter, people’s awareness of environmental protection has increased sharply, and relevant laws and regulations are getting stricter and stricter, forcing all industries to adopt more environmentally friendly products.

Hot melt adhesives have great advantages over other adhesives, which also brings great opportunities for the development of the industry. Such as the rapid development of hot melt adhesive for air filters and EVA hot melt adhesive film for green energy solar in 2016.

Hot melt adhesives for automotive interiors, hot melt adhesives for shoes, hot melt adhesives for packaging and other alternatives to water-based adhesives and solvent adhesives have also developed at a faster pace, all thanks to the advantage of hot melt adhesives being green and environmentally friendly.

The market of hot melt adhesives has become more and more different in different applications, and the differentiation is becoming more and more obvious, which also illustrates this trend from another side.

The scale of Chinese hot melt adhesive manufacturers is generally small, and their products can basically meet the demand of domestic low-end and middle-range products, while the gap between middle- and high-end products and foreign countries is obvious. High melting point Fischer-Tropsch wax as a good additive for high performance hot melt adhesives is bound to get more and more attention and application, and the market development and application prospects are good.

The quality ratio of wax added in hot melt adhesives is 10% to 30%. It is expected that the sales volume of hot melt adhesives in China will reach 1.5 million tons by 2022, and only 20% of hot melt adhesives with 15% of high melting point Fischer-Tropsch wax will need 30-50 thousand tons of high melting point Fischer-Tropsch wax,  according to the forecasts of fischer tropsch wax manufacturers.