Recycling Gelatin

One of the components of the L.D. Davis Green Advantage is the company’s recycling of pharmaceutical waste.  The gelatin we use is what’s left over in a sheet of gelatin after a soft gel capsule, like a Vitamin E capsule, has been manufactured.  We also recycle scrap hard capsule gelatin. Both the hard cap and soft gel netting are ground and cleaned before use in our adhesive, which is non-toxic and biodegradable. 

Reducing Gelatin Waste

L.D. Davis purchases this scrap material from pharmaceutical and nutritional companies, and then formulates many protein adhesive products that are widely used every day.  We are the largest purchaser of recycled pharmaceutical gelatin in the United States.  We go through a lot of scrap gelatin.  We help reduce pharmaceutical companies’ waste stream by utilizing their waste gelatin, and they help us by providing us with the necessary materials we need to manufacture our gelatin adhesives.  Everybody wins!

Gelatin and LD Davis Adhesives

The technical gelatin we produce from the netting goes through a few steps before it is turned into our glue.  It is inspected for quality as part of L.D. Davis Advantage Number 11, which is our implemented 12-point quality control system for all incoming raw materials and outgoing finished products.  In our lab, we mix in a special chemical that removes all color from the netting, which is usually colored with natural, water-soluble colors. The coloring must be natural and water-soluble because this netting is what’s left over after a pharmaceutical company produces gel caps that contain nutritional supplements such as Vitamin E.  The netting is then melted down into a mixture from which we produce our gelatin-based adhesives.

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Soft Gelatin Netting

(Well, tomorrow is at least!)

At LD Davis, we love manufacturing and distributing a wide variety of animal glue, liquid glue, and hide glue to our valued customers.  Our adhesives are used in a wide variety of applications such as book binding, packaging, box making, and more!

It might seem cheesy, but we really do love glue manufacturing and our customers.  LD Davis’s mission statement is “building life long bonds.”  We strive to meet this goal every day with our vendors, customers, and employees.

We have extremely solid, long-standing relationships with our vendors and raw materials suppliers.  LD Davis also has an AAA credit rating, which means our suppliers always get paid on time-making sure you can get your animal glue on time as well. Raw materials for animal glue/hide glue include:

•  Water
• Gelatin
• Glycerin
• Sugars
• Epsom salts

We always ensure that we have the materials we need in house to manufacture enough animal glue so that our customers can get the adhesive they need from us, when they need it.  We go to great lengths to meet customer deadlines, even in extreme situations.  Click here to read a blog about how we recently went above and beyond to help out a customer in need.

We value our customers more than anything and know that the relationships we have developed with them enable us to have customers that purchase animal glue from LD Davis year, after year, after year.

Without our dedicated staff to manufacture the animal glue, sell the animal glue, and control the company’s finances and marketing, we couldn’t provide the quality adhesive and service our customers have become accustomed to.  We have many staff members that have been with the company for ten, fifteen, even twenty years!   That really says something about the team spirit and the love that LD Davis employees have for the great company we work for.

It’s Valentines  Day…Spread a little love around!

Leave a comment or communicate with us via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+  <3

If you read our blog on Monday, you already read part of Barry’s interview on safety in our animal glue manufacturing plant.  Here’s the rest below!

What’s your “secret” for getting LD Davis’ animal glue production facility through these last 8.5 years without a lost time accident?

I had the opportunity to begin my career with US Steel in their Chemicals Division. Being a union shop and a hazardous chemical manufacturer our Safety program was next to none. The adage used in the USS plant was “Train, Tolerate, or Terminate.” There was very little toleration with respect to unsafe conditions or practices.  We have in-house testing procedures that must be passed before an individual is allowed to handle certain chemicals used in our animal glue plant.  In sixteen years I have only had to fire one employee for not following the procedure he was trained on.

What safety checks do you perform daily?

My guys see me on the floor, and talk to me.  None of them would not hesitate to come to me and say “come look at this,” say if they see an issue with a piece of our animal glue equipment.  I immediately know something needs attention and it gets it. They are my source of intimate knowledge of the animal glue plant.

What we do is not to unlike you taking your car in for a service. We look. The guys check oil levels, grease fittings, nuts and bolts are tight, guards are in place. They take care of their equipment because it protects their job, and themselves. If the animal glue kettles are running they know they will be working. Safety is more attitude than programs and it comes from the top down. Tripp Davis, our president, doesn’t want anyone hurt and neither do I.

The workers see I care about what and how they do things and if someone knows you care, it goes a long way in getting them to do things properly, meaning correctly and safely.  That way we can continue to manufacture quality animal glue for years to come!

Have a question for Barry? Please visit our website, leave a comment here, or communicate with us via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+

When we wrapped up the 2011 Hazard Communication Report (with no recordable incidents for the past year) we also hit a milestone of 8.5 years at LD Davis’ manufacturing plant without any lost time accidents in the workplace.  Safety protocol at our animal glue manufacturing plant is key to keeping everything running smoothly.  The responsibility (and congratulations) for this mostly falls with Barry Barto, our Operations Manager of 17 years.  Meet Barry here on our YouTube Channel!

Barry Barto, Operations Manager

What are some of the risks/dangers associated with animal glue manufacturing?

“This would be a very broad list, as in most manufacturing applications.  Animal glue manufacture is no different. Our compounders and packers work in close proximity to electrical equipment, heavy items, sharp tools, pinch points, forklifts, slippery floor areas and hazardous materials, and other people, which may or may not be paying attention.  Also, when we pour the animal glue mixture out of the kettles into the trays to dry (click here to see a video about this!) the glue comes out at a very high temperature, which adds a burn risk to the process. Our plant is not unlike other facilities that mix or process things and everyone has to pay attention to safety.”

What are the most common injuries?

“The most common accidents in manufacturing are ‘Slip / Trip and Falls’ or back injuries.  Slipping is one we need to watch carefully due to the nature of our animal glue materials; once they mix with water the mixture makes the area something like an ice arena. We spend a lot of time, effort and water cleaning our floors at least twice a day.”

Can you tell me about the safety measures you have in place in the animal glue manufacturing plant?

“My guys in the glue manufacturing plant are my best assets. They know I do not want to take chances, which might lead to someone getting hurt. They bring maintenance items to my Supervisor and me daily so that we can keep our plant running properly and safely. We also have routines laid out for a daily and weekly check on the equipment used to produce our animal glue.”
Come back to our blog on Thursday for part two of Barry’s safety interview!  Have a question for Barry in the meantime? Leave us a comment or communicate with us via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+!

Reports say that good old Phil saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter….we’ll see!

We’ve all seen the Bill Murray movie where he wakes up on the same day over and over again, on Groundhog Day.  Sometimes we can all feel like that.

LD Davis has done an amazing job of incorporating variety into the company over the past 85 years of adhesive manufacturing.  We of course have our staple products that we will constantly manufacture for many years to come: animal glue, hide glue, and liquid glue.  All of these adhesive products are eco-friendly, non-toxic, and totally biodegradable.  Eco-friendly animal glue always has been and will continue to be a staple of LD Davis Industries as long as we are around!

An animal glue manufacturing company doesn’t stick around for 85 successful years by accident.  Besides continuing to manufacture our solid, steady animal glue products, our adhesive lab is always ready and willing to create a custom animal glue formulation for a new or difficult application.  All of our animal glues and liquid glues are customizable for a number of different properties.

In addition, LD Davis is the major animal glue supplier for the bookbinding, packaging, and graphic arts industries in North America.  However, we will never sell ourselves short and only serve those industries.  We are constantly looking for and working with new industries that can use our existing animal glue products and formulations or maybe even use our products and materials in a new way.  We love a challenge and love working to find new uses for our animal glue and its raw materials.

In addition to the animal glue and liquid glue products we manufacture, LD Davis distributes hot melt adhesives, fugitive glue, and PUR glues from other respected chemical companies such as HB Fuller and Ashland Chemical.  We want to be able to provide the best possible product for our customers, and to do so we also want to provide a very large variety of adhesive products.

We hope your Groundhog Day is going better than Bill Murray’s, and encourage you to contact us for anything adhesive.  Please leave a comment or communicate with us via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+

The following is a quick thank-you note one of our salesmen, Jeff Palmiter, received from a client of his that works at a large packaging company:

“Jeff,

Just a short note to express our appreciation for the effort you made to take care of our glue shortfall.  Meeting our driver midway made a big difference in the timely delivery of the needed glue back to our facility as well as taking my call late last evening to discuss the possible scenarios to get the glue to Roanoke.

You displayed another example of way L.D. Davis is above all the others.

Look forward to seeing you next week when we will conduct the glue tests.

Thanks again,

Kurt.”

At LD Davis, we will do everything in our power to ensure that our customers get the animal hide glue that they need, when they need it.  The above communication came after Kurt discovered an unexpected shortage of their animal hide glue right before a big project.  His salesman, Jeff Palmiter, went above and beyond to get him the animal hide glue that he needed to do his job correctly.

Clients cannot go wrong with LD Davis’ customer service or quality adhesive products.  We have been manufacturing excellent animal hide glue and liquid glue, both eco-adhesives which are totally non-toxic and biodegradable for many decades.  We also distribute hot melt adhesives, PUR glue and fugitive glue from respected companies around the country.  We are here for your adhesive needs, no matter what.

For more information, please visit our website, leave a comment, or communicate with us via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Hide glue is made up of only a few raw materials, which are all natural:
• Gelatin
• Water
• Corn syrup/sugars
• Glycerin
• Epsom Salt

Which industries often use hide glue?

Hide glue is very commonly used in book binding, box-making, laminating, packaging, and graphic arts industries.  Other uses include match heads, abrasives, woodworking, and antique furniture restoration.

I noticed the hide glue I use seems to change slightly depending on the season.  Why does this happen?

Since hide glue is made up of only natural raw materials, it can be sensitive to changes in heat and humidity, and may run slightly different depending on the season.  Please visit our troubleshooting page for tips and tricks for adjusting the running parameters to combat these seasonal differences.  We also offer winter and summer formulas of some of our hide glues for this reason.  As always, if you cannot troubleshoot the problem on your own, contact LD Davis’ adhesive lab for help.  We are always here for you!

My hide glue is a little too viscous (thick.)  What should I do?

All of our hide glues can be easily modified for viscosity, tack, open time, and pH.  Contact us, and we can either give you some tips to adjust your current hide glue or we’ll be happy to formulate custom hide glue specifically for your application and specifications.

Hide glue needs to be heated and melted before use.  What makes it different from a hot melt adhesive?

Hide glue and hot melt adhesives have very different chemical makeups.  Hide glue is made up of all natural materials: gelatin, water, sugar, glycerin, and Epsom salt.  Hot melt adhesives are composed of polymers, resins, wax, antioxidants and plasticizers.  Hide glue is heated to about 140 degrees before use while hot melt adhesives must be heated to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Hide glue comes in dehydrated or cake form while hot melt adhesives come in sticks, pellets, or pillows.  While they are both useful for certain types of bookbinding and packaging applications, hide glue is all natural, eco-friendly, and recyclable while hot melt adhesives are not.  LD Davis distributes hot melt adhesives from HB Fuller and Ashland Chemical, but we manufacture our own line of custom hide glues.

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Many potential and current customers have questions, so we decided to aggregate some hide glue FAQ’s and post them here for everyone’s convenience.

What’s the difference between hide glue and animal glue?

Hide glue is sometimes referred to as animal glue, protein adhesive, or cake glue.  They are all the same product, just different names.  The term hide glue denotes the source of the protein i.e. protein extracted from the hides of pigs and cattle.  The term animal glue can encompass protein from both hide and bone.  Gelatinor animal protein refers to the adhesive portion of either cake glue or dehydrated glue.  Cake glues are heated to 140ºF prior to use.

Cake Glue

Does the gelatin used to manufacture hide glue always come from animals?

Through the 1970’s, yes.  However, since all gelatin comes from either hides or bones, a large percentage of our protein adhesive utilizes pharmaceutical scrap.  Pharmaceutical and nutritional companies find themselves with tons of scrap gelatin in hard cap and soft gel form after producing things like Tylenol and Vitamin E capsules.  They sell us this leftover gelatin so we can recycle it to manufacture our hide glue.  This is just another part of the LD Davis Green Advantage.

Raw Hide Glue

Is LD Davis hide glue safe for my employees to handle and safe for the environment?

Absolutely! Hide glue is totally non-toxic, water soluble, eco-friendly, biodegradable, and recyclable.  Not only is it safe to handle in any form (although it is heated for use so caution must be taken to prevent burns); it can be a great asset to companies manufacturing products that they want to be completely recyclable.  For example, our hide glue could be used in packaging for a product that has sustainable label saying that the product and packaging are completely recyclable.  If this same company chose a hot melt adhesive over hide glue, it would be much more difficult to recycle.  Once recycled back into the natural environment, hide glue will begin to break down and biodegrade over a matter of weeks.

Come back on Thursday, 1/26 to read Part 2!

For more information, please visit our website, leave a comment, or communicate with us via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google+

We manufacture our own line of eco-friendly animal glues and liquid glues.  We distribute fugitive glue, hot melt adhesive, and PUR glues from reputable companies around the country.  This adhesive product is commonly known as credit card glue, or sometimes even “booger glue.”  It is often used in direct-mail campaigns, marketing applications, and any other product that requires that the glue be removable yet still forms a strong bond.  You’ll find fugitive glue attaching your new credit card to the letter it comes with.  Fugitive glue is a very unique and useful product, and there are also easy-to-use dispensers and applicators to make fugitive glue even more user-friendly.

Fugitive Glue Dispensers

Hand-held applicators, such as the one shown in the photo are used similar to a label gun you might see in a supermarket.  Fugitive glue dots for this applicator come in rolls that easily feed into the applicator.  Many different tack-levels of fugitive glue are available.  Hand-held applicators such as this one are great for smaller-volume applications as each glue dot does need to be applied individually.  Fugitive glue is available in dot form, strips, liquid, and hot melt form. Other available applicators for fugitive glue for larger-scale and larger-volume use a foot pedal for increased speed and ease of use.

Handheld Fugitive Glue Dispenser

Fugitive Glue Facts

Fugitive glue is easy to use and convenient to work with.   It is an innovative adhesive product that forms a strong bond while removing easily from the surface to which it was adhered with no damage to the product.  Fugitive glue should only be used once; it should not be reapplied after its removal from the initial surface.

For more information about fugitive glue, please visit our website.

Tell Us What You Think!

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In the past, adhesives were left as an afterthought when it came to packaging and sustainability, since they make up such a small percentage of the actual packaging.  Adhesives are incredibly important in packaging, not only because they hold things together, but because the choice of adhesive can determine whether a package is actually recyclable or not.  If the adhesive cannot be recycled, neither can the packaging.

An article from Packaging Digest’s Newsletter, “Sprint calls for higher packaging sustainability,” touches on this aspect of adhesives in packaging.  Sprint/Nextel is working to put in higher sustainability standards for both their phones and for their packaging.  When it comes to more sustainable packaging, their standards are:

• “The elimination of plastic laminate”
• “Use of vegetable-based or low VOC (violate organic compound) inks”
• “Use of water-based or other environmentally-friendly adhesives.”

LD Davis can help with the last packaging standard.

The adhesives we manufacture, animal glue and liquid glue, are an excellent choice for sustainable packaging.  They are safe to use and form strong, long-lasting bonds, but are also totally eco-friendly.  Benefits to using L.D. Davis packaging adhesives include:

• Safe for the environment
• Safe to use
• Water soluble
• Non-toxic
• Biodegradable
• Recyclable.

LD Davis Packaging Adhesives

Adhesives need to be in the forefront of the sustainable packaging decision-making process.  If adhesives are a part of the early planning stages of a sustainable package, the company will have a much smoother ride from concept to production.  L.D. Davis packaging adhesives are a great choice for green packaging because they are safe, non-toxic, and totally recyclable.

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