Consolidating international technological leadership in industrial adhesives

AB-Tec develops global markets with new applications

Iserlohn/ Germany, June 18, 2009 - Glued to Germany. German-made industrial adhesive products enjoy an excellent reputation for their outstanding quality the world over. AB-Tec specializes in the production and processing of thermoplastic, heat-activatable adhesive webs and it is one of the first movers in the global adhesive technology sector. The introduction of new applications for TecWeb®, a universal high-tech adhesive by AB-Tec, has now taken the German adhesives industry's innovative strength, to an even higher level.

"We're already using TecWeb® for applications where conventional powder coating or flame laminating were the only choices until now," said Kenneth Keuchel, AB-Tec's CEO. The 46 year-old American is an internationally sought-after web expert who supports a wide range of industrial clients in the process of restructuring their complex production processes to environmentally responsible solutions. Keuchel is committed to extending AB-Tec's portfolio of international advisory services. The joint venture with Spunfab and Hänsel provides the companies with an important additional source of revenue from solution-oriented advisory services for the industrial manufacturing sector.

"AB-Tec provides a comprehensive range of customer support services, extending from the initial feasibility studies, through the planning process, to made-to-order in-house production," summarized Keuchel. The close proximity to the Hänsel Group in Iserlohn provides AB-Tec with valuable advantages in its low-risk, made-to-order production operations. "Testing and initial production can be implemented at low investment and with negligible business risk exposure," said Keuchel, disclosing a "company secret".

TecWeb® is an AB-Tec product with a very promising future. "In some applications we're now using TecWeb® in place of powder scatter coating because although powder coating is generally accepted as the low-cost option, it can deliver inaccurate results," explained Sales Director Bernhard Kaschner. "We've also discovered that adhesive webs can actually compare very positively with powder scatter coating in terms of cost effectiveness. That's because TecWeb® allows us to apply the exact amount of adhesive necessary for lamination directly to the glue line. We don't have distribution loss as a result of penetration into open or porous substrates". What's more, TecWeb®'s high adhesive surface plasticity enables the much more precise adjustment of the softness of hand of the laminates.

TecWeb® as an alternative to flame laminating
TecWeb® is also suitable for replacement of flame laminating, a process which is widely used in Europe. "We conducted a series of tests confirming that higher levels of bond strength can be achieved with TecWeb® than are possible with traditional flame laminating," said Kaschner. "There also is no PU foam oxidation when TecWeb® is used, maintaining the foam’s original strength."

"Flame laminating isn't one of the most environmentally friendly laminating processes, so this innovative industrial adhesive product offers considerable potential for improving lamintation efficiency without any time-consuming and costly cleaning requirements,“ said Keuchel. This is the reason why AB-Tec's CEO believes that his company has the pole position. Continuous production process optimization, in-depth materials research and an industrial specialization in roll widths of more than 2 meters make AB-Tec an innovative system provider in the growing market segment for thermoplastic, heat-activatable adhesives.

AB-Tec GmbH & Co. KG is a joint venture between Hänsel-Textil GmbH, Iserlohn/Germany and Spunfab Ltd., Ohio/USA. AB-Tec produces roll-form thermoplastic heat-activatable adhesives in Germany. Its success is based on the combination of Hänsel Textil's experience and extensive know-how and Spunfab's innovative production processes. Hänsel Textil was founded over 100 years ago and is considered to be a leading specialist in the production, finishing and sales of technical textiles. Spunfab has more than 35 years of experience and is one of the leading manufacturers of adhesive non-woven fabrics. Visit the website at www.ab-tec.com for further information.

Please address queries to:
Maria Aleixo, m aleixo ab-tec com
AB-Tec GmbH & Co. KG, Pütterstr. 22, 58636 Iserlohn
Tel. +49 (0) 2371 9491-25, Fax +49 (0) 2371 4601-93

Thomas Sauerbier, sauerbier mmh ag
mmh kommunikationsagentur GmbH, Herscheider Landstrasse 89, 58515 Lüdenscheid
Tel. +49 (0) 2351 6790-0, Fax +49 (0) 2351 6790-199

This release was published on openPR.