Precision and accountability are more important than ever in manufacturing today. In dispensing applications, how materials are dispensed, when, and where can make the difference between smooth production processes and costly recalls or defects.
If you’re still relying on manual processes or have fragmented data, it’s time to make a change. Traceability in dispensing is becoming a must-have for every manufacturer. In this article, we talk about traceability in adhesive dispensing, including why it benefits your business, as well as how to implement it in your manufacturing process.
What Is Traceability in Material Dispensing?
In manufacturing, traceability is the ability to identify or track parts, materials, and products throughout the manufacturing process. It can include a diverse collection of data like operator information, lot information, production dates, inspection results, and more. While traceability is mandatory in some industries to meet compliance requirements, it is increasingly being adopted across other industries.
Traceability in dispensing specifically means being able to track data on adhesives or materials dispensed during manufacturing. This data can include the specific material lot or batch, the equipment used to dispense the material, the volume applied, the mix ratio, the timing of the application, the placement of the material, and even the operator responsible for the process. Altogether, this data can create a digital history of how a material is dispensed throughout the manufacturing process to connect the raw goods to the finished product.
The Evolution of Traceability in Manufacturing
Traceability in manufacturing isn’t new, but it has evolved significantly over the years.
Initially, traceability was often seen as a burden for manufacturers who had to adopt tools and systems to meet certain regulatory requirements. These requirements were mostly limited to mission-critical or high-reliability industries where failure could mean severe consequences. Many of these manufacturers took the bare minimum approach and only implemented traceability tools that were absolutely necessary. But over the last decade or so, these traceability requirements have become more mainstream and expanded to manufacturers in more industries.1
The capabilities tied to traceability have also advanced significantly over the past few decades. In the past, traceability primarily focused on tracking component batches to facilitate recalls. These recalls involved large groups of serialized products connected to a single lot, but also resulted in the unnecessary recall of many unaffected products. Now modern systems can pinpoint and isolate the defective units to decrease unnecessary waste.1
Traceability data has also expanded to include operator information, equipment process variables, tools involved, materials used, environmental factors, and more. With so much available data to leverage, traceability is increasingly being viewed as a strategic advantage rather than an operational burden.
Why Traceability in Adhesive Dispensing Is Essential
Knowledge is power. The ability to track materials, monitor processes, and capture detailed data has evolved into a powerful advantage for manufacturers.
For material and adhesive dispensing, traceability can provide full accountability for materials used and the process parameters of how they were applied. It links material usage to final products and offers critical benefits for manufacturers.
Regulatory Compliance
Especially in the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries, documentation that adhesive applications meet strict standards and parameters is usually required. Material and adhesive traceability enable manufacturers to not only meet these requirements but also confidently prove it. This regulatory compliance can help manufacturers avoid costly fines, shutdowns, and damage to their reputation.
Quality Assurance & Defect Detection
Even in automated dispensing, adhesive application errors can occur. Too much adhesive, too little adhesive, incorrect bead placement, faulty material batches, machine malfunctions, operator errors, or incorrect mix ratios can cause costly product defects.
Traceability systems in adhesive dispensing can help identify these errors. They allow manufacturers to trace quality issues related to the adhesive back to their root cause and take corrective action to fix the mistakes. This visibility gives the manufacturers the transparency and control necessary to ensure more consistent product quality.
Cost Savings
According to one source, almost half of the manufacturers who experienced a recall in recent years had remediation costs between $10 million and $50 million. These costs include direct and indirect expenses such as consumer reimbursements, rework, scrap, warranty costs, legal fees, and reputational damage.2
More manufacturing traceability in dispensing applications helps minimize these costs by enabling precise identification of affected batches as well as detailed data to help catch application errors early. Consequently, manufacturers can reduce unnecessary waste and avoid downtime that can both be costly.
Supply Chain Transparency
Another benefit of material traceability in manufacturing is more supply chain transparency. Manufacturers can better track their production process from start to finish, including what material was used and exactly how it was dispensed. This visibility improves supplier accountability and internal process control with a clear audit trail for the company itself as well as customers, investors, and regulators. It can also improve the business's reputation.
Warranty Protection
Traceability in adhesive dispensing plays a crucial role in protecting manufacturers against costly warranty claims. By recording detailed data on which adhesive lot was used, how much was applied, and the exact conditions of dispensing, companies can quickly verify whether product failures are related to the adhesive, the dispensing process, or other external factors. This information allows manufacturers to accelerate claim resolution, reduce disputes, avoid unwarranted warranty claims, and ultimately lower warranty-related costs.
Avoid Reputational Damage
Product quality issues can quickly damage a company’s reputation, leading to lost customers, negative reviews, and reduced market share. Traceability in manufacturing for adhesive dispensing helps safeguard brand reputation by enabling precise tracking and control over the materials dispensed during production.
When every adhesive lot, application amount, and dispensing event is recorded, manufacturers can quickly identify and address quality issues before they escalate. This rapid response minimizes the impact of defects, reduces the scope of recalls, and prevents widespread customer dissatisfaction. Traceability also demonstrates a commitment to transparency that helps build trust with customers and confidence in a business's products.
How to Implement Material Dispensing Traceability in Your Line
If you rely on manual recordkeeping or disconnected data, you’re at risk of increased product defects, false warranty claims, and wasted materials that can cost your business dearly.
Obtaining traceability in adhesive dispensing starts with evaluating your current process to identify gaps in material tracking and data capture. The good news is that there are solutions and equipment that can help.
Automated and Semi-Automated Dispensing Systems
Implementing automated or semi-automated adhesive dispensing systems is a big step toward increasing traceability in adhesive dispensing processes. Not only can these systems decrease the risk of human error and inconsistencies common in manual dispensing, but also they can be used to track metrics like adhesive volume and mix ratio. In manual dispensing, these parameters are much harder to track and prove.
Especially as some new materials have very precise mix ratio requirements, these systems provide the manufacturers with data so they can prove that they were on ratio and on volume.
Robot Vision Systems
The next step to gaining more adhesive dispensing traceability is the integration of a robot vision system in the automated dispensing process. Robot vision systems for dispensing use sensors and cameras to inspect and track adhesive use in production. These systems can verify the size, shape, and placement of adhesive beads against exact project specifications to catch errors.
Some robot vision systems take this one step further with integrated software that allows for real-time bead inspection and adaptive process control. In these cases, the system not only recognizes and tracks mistakes in real time but can also take corrective actions. The ability to detect errors and instantly fix them elevates traceability from simple recordkeeping to proactive quality control.
Don’t Fall Behind
Adhesive and material dispensing traceability is increasingly becoming a strategic necessity. The data collected can lead to benefits like better product quality, fewer defects, and more cost savings. Investing in traceability solutions for adhesive dispensing, including semi-automated systems or robot vision systems, provides a practical and scalable way to achieve this.
Interested in learning more or exploring our dispensing solutions? Contact us to get connected with a dispensing expert who can assist you with everything from system selection to equipment integration.
Sources:
- BNP Media (2023). Traceability in Manufacturing
- The Exponent (2025). The Largest Consumer Product Recalls of 2025
