October 2008 - When You Need the Toughest Binding Available – PUR is the Ideal Solution

Muscle Bound Bindery recently introduced PUR (polyurethane reactive) glue into an already impressive lineup of offerings. For the past couple of months, we’ve explained PUR’s strength and durability. Today, we’re going to list some specific product applications that make PUR an ideal choice for attractive, cost-effective book binding durability.

• Coated text. If your book project has signatures with coated stock, PUR is a stronger choice than traditional perfect binding. PUR’s superior adhesive properties hold fast to even the most densely calendared, clay-laden coated stocks.

• Cross grain text layouts. Wrong grain direction in the text will have fewer paper fibers exposed in the adhesion area and also will exhibit resistance on the page when the book is opened. This causes the text to trap shut and users must force the pages open, often resulting in the adhesive bond failing and pages falling out. PUR adhesive creates a stronger bond with the existing fibers and will remain flexible while holding the pages permanently in place.

• Frequent or rough use. Product catalogs, reference materials, manuals for use in the automotive industry, heavy machinery and industrial applications should be bound with the glue that can take any challenging end use: PUR.  If your customer has had issues with other binding methods’ page failures, PUR is their solution.

• Thick or oblong books. Regardless of the heft of your book, PUR glue has the strength to endure. Thick books that carry a lot of text weight can work against the strength of the book.  PUR will withstand and hold the excess bulk. If your project has an oblong (landscape) format, PUR holds firm no matter how short the binding spine.

• “Showcase” books. Not only is PUR strong, it has an understated, non-obtrusive elegance. Since less PUR glue is required than traditional perfect binding EVA hot melts, machine operators don’t need to force glue too far up the spine, reducing the chance of an unsightly “nail-head” appearance. Consider PUR for high-end products like coffee table books, annual reports and other showcase pieces.

• Digitally-printed books. Books printed on digital print engines often use toners with fuser oils.  These “digital inks” don’t allow conventional hot melt glues sufficient adhesion strength and can breakdown the initial bond over time.  PUR adhesive is impervious to any type of toner and ink migrations into the adhesive binding area, meaning the adhesive strength will simply not degrade.

• Lies flatter. Cookbooks, instruction manuals and other books that need to lie reasonably flat should be PUR bound. PUR is more flexible than traditional hot melt perfect binding glues and pages do lie flatter with less resistance when opened. Also, PUR won’t break when users crease the spine.

• Temperature extremes. Outdoor guidebooks, maps and other products that will be used in extreme environmental conditions should be bound with PUR. Traditional perfect binding glues can cold-crack in sub-zero temperatures, melt on hot dashboards in the southern heat or have pages detach in high humidity.

• Adhesive bound, hard cover books. Adhesive bound hard cover book blocks often are an economical choice for hard cover case binding, especially when compared to thicker Smythe sewn styles.  Now you can combine page strength and dollar savings by choosing PUR adhesive bound text when sewing is not an option.

The Muscle Bound Advantage