Henkel celebrates 25 years of Technomelt Supra

Henkel Adhesive Technologies’ Technomelt Supra product range has stood for high-performance hotmelt adhesives for 25 years. With thermal stability and strong adhesion even on challenging substrates, it laid the foundation in 2001. 

‘Technomelt Supra was not only a milestone in hotmelt technology but also in our 150-year company history,’ said Marcel Hübenthal, global director technology hotmelts at Henkel. ‘This innovation is both proof and driver of the continuous advancement of our packaging solutions.’ 

The original goal was to replace hotmelts based on ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), which often led to quality and efficiency losses due to limited temperature and aging resistance. With Technomelt Supra, Henkel set a new standard, a polyolefin-based adhesive that delivers significantly higher processing reliability while reducing consumption rates marking the beginning of an entire generation of modern hotmelts, the company reported. 

Technomelt Supra is thermally stable than conventional adhesives, protecting application equipment and nozzles. It is also colorless and odorless, making it suitable for food packaging. Thanks to its broad application range, manufacturers have been able to bond diverse substrates and packaging types with a single adhesive technology since its introduction, a major simplification in production. In addition, its highly efficient formulation reduces consumption by up to 30 percent, resulting in cost savings. 

Over the years, Henkel has continuously evolved the product line to meet changing requirements. One example is Technomelt Supra Cool, which lowers energy consumption thanks to significantly reduced application temperatures. 

Another milestone toward sustainability was achieved in 2021 with the launch of Technomelt Supra Eco. This hotmelt family, based on bio-based raw materials, improves the CO2 footprint without compromising performance. It is the first hotmelt solution to enable a negative cradle-to-gate CO2 balance, a breakthrough that has won multiple awards, according to Henkel. Technomelt Supra Eco first received Henkel’s internal Fritz Henkel Award for Innovation and, a year later, the Packaging Europe Sustainability Award in the ‘Climate’ category. 

For high-speed applications, such as those common in the pharmaceutical industry, the Supra range also offers a tailored solution with the high-performance hotmelt Technomelt Supra Pro.

'With Technomelt Supra, we are making a significant contribution to transforming the packaging industry and providing our customers with solutions that combine efficiency and sustainability,' added Hübenthal.