Waterborne PSA

Waterborne Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSA) stay permanently tacky at room temperature, so they bond on contact and need only light pressure to adhere. These grades are acrylic-ester polymers made by a specialised polymerisation process, supplied as waterborne emulsions for coating onto release paper, film and tape backings.

The grades are differentiated by the balance between initial tack, holding adhesion and peel strength, which is what decides the end product they suit:

• PSA for album pages — 51 ± 2% solids at 15,000–25,000 mPa·s, formulated for a cost-effective balance of initial tack and holding adhesion in self-adhesive inner pages of photo albums.
• PSA for high-strength bonding — 55 ± 2% solids at 100–300 mPa·s, with peel strength approximately twice that of standard pressure-sensitive adhesives, for pressure-sensitive products that need high peel strength.
• PSA for self-adhesive paper — formulated for excellent coating adaptability on release paper.
• PSA for tapes — a further grade in the range supplied for adhesive tape manufacture.

Across the range, avoid contact with oily substances to prevent shrinkage defects, apply an adequate coating weight, and make sure the adhesive layer is thoroughly dried before lamination and rewinding.