HMT manufacturing began in 1972 and was
incorporated in 1974. The owners, President Emil Bucher and
his son, Vice President Burton Bucher, started their venture
by coating polyester edge banding with hot melt adhesive.
Over time they gained valuable experience and increased their
coating operation to include wood, PVC, paper to paper, vinyl
to PVC and vinyl to paper. All these laminates are used in
the wood working industry.
At the same time HMT was expanding their expertise in hot
melt coating, they had an idea about casting a hot melt adhesive
into a film. After months of experimentation they developed
a hot melt adhesive film that was 100% solids, non-toxic,
non-shrinking, and with almost an indefinite shelf life. With
new environmental laws curtailing the use of solvent based
adhesives with their toxic VOCs, the development of this new
adhesive could not have come at a better time.
With this new adhesive in hand, Emil and Burt designed and
engineered a laminator that could mate a 48" x 96"
sheet of particleboard with high-pressure laminate. In a matter
of minutes the wood worker had a finished panel that could
be used for counter tops, cabinets, or furniture. The fabrication
could be done immediately. There was no wait for the glue
to set, thus, no lost time in the production process. Over
time many changes and enhancements have been made to this
machine.
Currently, the laminator can mate many different substrates
with numerous laminates and with the advent of the roll feed
attachment the equipment was not limited to sheet stock. Roll
goods, such as fabric, wood veneers, melamine, various foils,
cork, and a host of other materials can now be mated using
the HMT Laminator.
As their expertise grew, HMT was able to design custom equipment
for a specific costumer need. If the current machine would
not fit the needed requirements, one would be modified or
be completely redesigned. This flexibility allow HMT to be
more than a niche in the market.
Not one to stand still, HMT, through requests from their distributors,
developed a line of iron-on adhesives for use in the fabric
and arts and crafts industries. Business in these fields expanded
at such a rapid rate, it made HMT one of the largest producers
of iron-on adhesives in the United States.
Today, while maintaining its presence with the above products,
HMT continues to be a force in the market place. Currently
channeling its energy into the development of new adhesives
and equipment.
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