Adhesive manufacturers for the footwear and leather industry have developed a variety of water-based, hot melt, and solvent-based products. These adhesives deliver many technically desirable characteristics such as excellent durability against various impacts during manufacturing and end use, and good workability for speedy production. There are various products available to meet specific requirements by manufacturing line, assembly, and upper preparation, as well as environmentally friendly formulations that are hazardous-solvent free.

Sports shoes, dress shoes, and sandals are the main shoe types that require adhesives in the assembly process. Sports shoes often have components which are difficult to bond, usually due to a wide range of materials, but also because excellent workability and high productivity are needed. Environmental concerns about the adhesives in sports shoes have also become more complex and intensive. Traditional indoor sandals, outdoor walking sandals, and fitness sandals all share a need to be durable, yet they must be specially formulated for the unique processes involved in manufacturing.

Key technical requirements for the footwear and leather adhesive industry are:

• Precise viscosity control for optimized adhesive application.
• Open and setting time.
• Correct adhesion/cohesion balance.
• Excellent durability.
• Good low temperature performance.
• Adhesion to a variety of dissimilar and difficult to bond to substrates.
• Aging stability.
• Water-resistance.

Tacolyn resin dispersions provide excellent performance in water-based EVA, polychloroprene and PU-based adhesives for shoe applications.

Staybelite-E rosin resin and Picco C9 aromatic hydrocarbon resins are used in traditional solvent-based contact adhesives based on polychloroprene rubber.