How Do Glue Sticks Get Made?

Although glue sticks have been around since the late 1960s and are simple enough for even preschoolers to use, thanks to their twist-up function in tube-like applicators, making them is not an uncomplicated process. Just like for an award-winning cookie, the "recipe" for a glue stick requires a fixed set of ingredients and strict execution of the glue-making process, otherwise the end product will not pass quality control or the discerning eye of the consumer.

A chemical technician first mixes together a predetermined amount of the ingredients used to make glue sticks. Don't expect to find your favorite glue company handing out the recipe, though, because that's proprietary information. Also, each glue manufacturer uses a variation of the ingredients. However, the ingredients might include synthetic materials such as liquid starch, granulated soap, polymers and sometimes tackifiers. A polymer is a long molecular strand that can be naturally sticky. If it's not, the technician must add a tackifier for the glue to feel sticky and act as an adhesive at room temperature.

Once the technician mixes the ingredients together thoroughly and heats them to a specified temperature, he releases the liquid glue to the filling plant. While this is happening, a machine sorts hundreds of the empty plastic glue tubes, rights them and prepares them for filling. The hot, liquid glue then flows into the waiting tubes, where a mechanized "hand" then quickly caps them. Lastly, a conveyor belt transports the tubes of hot glue to their final destination: the cooling facility.

One of the most important processes of making a glue stick is the cooling-down period. Although most of the glue-making process up until this point has been computer controlled, an actual person is responsible for regulating the temperature at which the glue cools. Additionally, the glue must cool not only at the correct temperature but at a specific interval as well. In other words, making glue sticks is an exact process, and it is difficult to replicate it on your own without knowing the exact list of ingredients and the precise directions for mixing, heating, and cooling down.

Although ideal for young children and a staple craft supply in schools, due to their non-toxic and mess-free nature, the chemical properties of glue sticks limits their application to lightweight paper products.

Resources

• Watch how glue sticks are made.
• Read about the process of making a glue stick.
• Find answers to your questions about glue.