Glue Guns for Various Ratios
Cartridge glue is often times formulated to be most effective as a two part (or bi-component) adhesive that becomes an adhesive compound when the two parts are mixed. So, keeping the two parts separate from one another until the reaction is needed to make the product set and cure is vital. Therefore, cartridge adhesives are packaged in containers that have two "barrels" so-to-speak. Each of the cylinders in the cartridge contains the proper amount of the component needed to create the perfect reaction when mixed in the proper ratio.
To get the proper ratio from the glue gun, the cylinders are made to be proportioned so that the plunger of the cartridge gun pushes the right amount from each barrel (cylinder) of the dispenser. Some of the common proportions (or mix ratios) that cartridge adhesives are made in include:
Mixing Tips
Bi-component cartridge glues must be properly and evenly mixed so they perform well. Therefore, specially designed mixing tips are used for the adhesive cartridges so that the two parts are mixed as they move through the tip. After "priming" the mixing tip (a.k.a. mixing nozzle) the blend of the two components needed to create the reaction is even and perfectly mixed.
Choosing the proper cartridge gun is important because the gun must be made to accommodate the right cartridge. There are though, cartridge gun that are designed to work with many cartridge types. Having a universal cartridge glue gun makes working with various adhesives easy.