Development and production of thermoplastic hot-melt adhesives as powders, granulates, spunbonds, nets and films
Abifor AG
Dübendorf (CH) · Wutöschingen (DE) · Shanghai (CN)New on Amplifa
About Abifor
Abifor AG develops and produces thermoplastic hot-melt adhesives for numerous industries such as the automotive industry, the textile and nonwovens industry, carpets and floor coverings, the footwear and leather industry, construction supply, and filter applications in the food sector. The product range covers all thermoplastic polymer types (including TPU, EVA, PCL, PP, HDPE/LDPE, CoPES, CoPA, PVA, biobased polymers) in all technically feasible media: powders, granulates, spunbonds (webs), nets and films, on request with flame retardancy and crosslinkers. Thermoplastics are ground using hot and cold processes and processed in largely automated grinding, sieving and mixing systems into customer-specific grain sizes and blends. Abifor deliberately refrains from having its own polymer production in order to remain independent and flexible in offering all polymer types. An in-house laboratory develops customer-specific adhesive solutions from adhesive trials through sampling to mass production. The headquarters are in Dübendorf near Zurich, the production and logistics center is located in Wutöschingen (Germany), and there is its own production with Shanghai Billeter Plastics Co., Ltd. in China.
- Site
- Dübendorf
- Processes
- Production of thermoplastic hot-melt adhesives as powders (customer-specific grain sizes and, Production of granulates (customer-specifically compounded, with flame retardancy and crosslinkers), Production of spunbonds (webs) from the desired polymer in various colors, Production of nets (particularly thin, with various properties), Production of hot-melt films in different thicknesses (including slit films), Grinding of thermoplastics using hot and cold processes into plastic powders in various, Mixing of adhesive powders and addition of additives (dry blends), Compounding of granulates
- Materials
- Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), Polycaprolactone (PCL), Terpolymer (TP), Polypropylene (PP), High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), Co-polyester (CoPES)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT
- Founded
- 1957
- Industries
- Automotive industry (Tier 1/Tier 2 suppliers, OEMs), Carpets and floor coverings, Textiles/nonwovens, Footwear and leather industry, Construction supply industry, Filters for the food sector
- 01
Laboratory and development of customer-specific adhesive solutions
- 02
Procurement of thermoplastic polymers (no in-house polymer production)
- 03
Grinding using hot and cold processes into plastic powders
- 04
Sieving, mixing and compounding (dry blends, granulates)
- 05
Spinning of spunbonds, production of nets and films
- 06
Customer-specific packaging
- 07
Logistics and worldwide export incl. customs clearance
Polymers and Processes
Thermoplastic polyurethane
Used, among other things, for flame-retardant dry-blend powder adhesives for nonwovens in automotive interiors.
Ethylene-vinyl acetate
Low-viscosity adhesive for carpet and façade applications with a high VA content.
Polycaprolactone
Basis for adhesives with high requirements such as shoe toecaps and women's boots.
Terpolymer
Low-viscosity terpolymer for strong adhesion values on difficult-to-bond materials.
Polypropylene
Thermoplastic adhesive in powder, granulate, web, net and film form.
High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
Polymer for customer-specific powder grain sizes and blends.
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
Used, among other things, for carpet backcoating of sports floors as well as carrier/protective films.
Co-polyester
Very thin, tear-resistant webs (up to 10 g/m²) for bonding automotive headliners.
Co-polyamide
Low-emission webs for leather and air filter applications.
Polyvinyl alcohol
Thermoplastic adhesive in all technically feasible media.
Biobased and biodegradable polymers
In the product range since 2005; biodegradable hot-melt adhesive powders for sustainable solutions.
Blends (dry blends and compounds)
Adhesive powders and granulates with additives, flame retardancy and crosslinkers.
Locations
Dübendorf
CHHeadquarters
Wutöschingen
DEProduction and logistics center (Degernau plant)
- Materials
- Thermoplastics (TPU, EVA, PCL, PP, HDPE, LDPE, CoPES, CoPA, PVA and others)
- Cold grinding system (grinding at -40 to -50 °C)
- Hot grinding system
- Grinding systems with different concepts
- Sieving systems
- Largely automated mixing systems
- Silos for intermediate storage
- Conveyor systems
- Automatic bagging, palletizing and wrapping machine
Shanghai
CNProduction (Shanghai Billeter Plastics Co., Ltd.)
Adhesive Solutions and Applications
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production of thermoplastic hot-melt adhesives as powders (customer-specific grain sizes andPlastics | – | – | – | – | TPU, EVA, PCL, Terpolymer (TP), PP, HDPE, LDPE, Co-polyester (CoPES), Co-polyamide (CoPA), PVA, Biobased and biodegradable polymers, Blends (dry blends and compounds) |
| Production of granulates (customer-specifically compounded, with flame retardancy and crosslinkers)Plastics | – | – | – | – | TPU, EVA, PCL, Terpolymer (TP), PP, HDPE, LDPE, Co-polyester (CoPES), Co-polyamide (CoPA), PVA, Biobased and biodegradable polymers, Blends (dry blends and compounds) |
| Production of spunbonds (webs) from the desired polymer in various colorsPlastics | – | – | – | – | TPU, EVA, PCL, Terpolymer (TP), PP, HDPE, LDPE, Co-polyester (CoPES), Co-polyamide (CoPA), PVA, Biobased and biodegradable polymers, Blends (dry blends and compounds) |
| Production of nets (particularly thin, with various properties)Plastics | – | – | – | – | TPU, EVA, PCL, Terpolymer (TP), PP, HDPE, LDPE, Co-polyester (CoPES), Co-polyamide (CoPA), PVA, Biobased and biodegradable polymers, Blends (dry blends and compounds) |
| Production of hot-melt films in different thicknesses (including slit films)Plastics | – | – | – | – | TPU, EVA, PCL, Terpolymer (TP), PP, HDPE, LDPE, Co-polyester (CoPES), Co-polyamide (CoPA), PVA, Biobased and biodegradable polymers, Blends (dry blends and compounds) |
| Grinding of thermoplastics using hot and cold processes into plastic powders in variousPlastics | – | – | – | – | Thermoplastics |
| Mixing of adhesive powders and addition of additives (dry blends)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Thermoplastics |
| Compounding of granulatesPlastics | – | – | – | – | Thermoplastics |
| Adhesive coating (coating)Surface | – | – | – | – | Thermoplastics |
| Joining / backlining / laminatingJoining | – | – | – | – | Thermoplastics |
| Pressing (thermoforming / thermoforming)Joining | – | – | – | – | Thermoplastics |
| Laboratory and development of customer-specific adhesive solutions (adhesive trials, sampling,Engineering | – | – | – | – | Thermoplastics |
8 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold grinding system (grinding of soft plastics at minus 40 to minus 50 degrees Celsius) | – | – | – | – | Wutöschingen, Germany |
| Hot grinding system (for hard plastics without cooling) | – | – | – | – | Wutöschingen, Germany |
| Automatic bagging, palletizing and wrapping machine | – | – | – | – | Wutöschingen, Germany |
| Silos for intermediate storage of ground products | – | – | – | – | Wutöschingen, Germany |
| Conveyor systems connecting the production steps | – | – | – | – | Wutöschingen, Germany |
| Grinding systems with different concepts (various grain size ranges) | – | – | – | – | Wutöschingen, Germany |
| Sieving systems | – | – | – | – | Wutöschingen, Germany |
| Mixing systems (largely automated) | – | – | – | – | Wutöschingen, Germany |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Abifor has been ISO 9001 certified for decades (currently ISO 9001:2015, TÜV Rheinland) and regularly receives the D&B Top-Rating 1. For textile and filtration applications, it holds an OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT certification.
| Evidence | Dübendorf | Wutöschingen | Shanghai |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |||
| OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT |
Company History
- 1957
Company founded as a stock corporation acting as a supplier to the textile industry and growing rapidly.
- 1972
With the majority of the textile industry migrating to China, development into a manufacturer of thermoplastic adhesives for numerous industries.
- 2005
Founding of Shanghai Billeter Plastics Co., Ltd. with its own production in China; addition of biodegradable hot-melt adhesive powders to the product range.
- 2015
Expansion of the product portfolio: in addition to powders, spunbonds (webs), nets and films are now also offered.
- 2021
Peter Hinder and Markus Kohlhof take over Abifor; the company remains family-owned.
- 2026
Opening of the new building in Wutöschingen and expansion of the German production site.