Adhesive Applications Strength in teamwork
By Phil Webster, head of industrial sales (EMEA) at Drytac.
S
electing the right adhesive is critical for the success of many different types of applications and projects. Simply put, if you do not get this choice right, you risk ruining the hard work you’ve put into creating the application and the entire job and installation might be in jeopardy.
Initial tack or wet grab, shear strength, optical clarity, colour, permanent or removable characteristics, temperature and solvent resistance all need to be considered when designing a custom tape or adhesive for a specific customer application. If the wrong adhesive is chosen, it can lead to product failures which can damage the reputation of a customer’s final product.
There are several important factors to consider when selecting adhesive materials for work. First, you should consider the quality of the product you will be working with and the reputation of the manufacturer that supplied the material. After all, you get what you pay for, and opting for cheaper, less-known brands can be a bit of a risk.
Next, research the type of technical support you will get from the tape manufacturer. Not only is the adhesive choice important for the final product, but the other components play just as significant a role.
The adhesive carrier and release liner, if required, are critical for the overall performance of the tape throughout the manufacturing
process, from coating the material, to the converting or fabrication of the product to the final use of the tape in the manufactured component.
Finally, consider the level of post-sales customer support you are likely to receive from the tape manufacturer. Once the tape is produced and sold, customers need the proper level of support to ensure that they receive their product on time every time.
Of course, the choice of product comes down to the type of application you are working on. Each project will have different requirements, and there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” solution when working with adhesives, so, you need to match up the features of the adhesive with the type of applications.
For example, when producing floor graphics or similar applications, it is important to ensure that the adhesive material you are working with has a high non-slip rating and has high protection features to ensure the graphics can withstand heavy footfall, while at the same time not causing a hazard for passers-by. Filmic and paper transfer tapes are far better suited for attaching to medical devices, while high coat weight double sided scrim tapes – such as those measuring in at around (700gsm) – would be a good choice for construction applications as they offer a more robust solution than other materials available to the market. Then there are the more extreme jobs
to consider;
those adhesive materials with high coat weight and an aggressive adhesive are suitable for bonding to most difficult surfaces including low energy plastics, opening up their use in a range of projects.
Keeping on the subject of extreme projects, some applications will be subjected to incredibly harsh environments and require an adhesive material that will be able to stand the test of time. Here, customers would be advised to look at PET and durable paper label materials that carry certain certifications that ensure a strong performance, even when placed under extreme stress.
Take, for example, a recent Drytac customer in the form of Monkey Fist Adventures, which used Drytac’s Polar Grip Matte film to apply a series of graphics to a boat that crossed the Atlantic Ocean in an extreme charity endurance challenge.
A team of four men rowed, non-stop, for 3,200 miles from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to the island of Antigua in the Caribbean, in a challenge dubbed the ‘Atlantic Dash’. Globe Print, a long- term user of Drytac products, partnered with Monkey Fist Adventures to design graphics for the boat that was used on the crossing. Globe Print used a Roland SolJet EJ-640 large- format printer to print the graphics on Drytac’s Polar Grip film, which was then paired with their Interlam Pro Emerytex overlaminate to ensure that the graphics would remain in place for the duration of the 50-day journey.
Working from state-of-the-art R&D facilities in the UK and Canada, Drytac is well placed to help with such complex adhesive queries. We develop contract coatings for markets such as construction, packaging, medical, pharmaceutical, automotive, security, chemical, durable labelling, tapes, industrial, archival, marine and many more.
We cannot emphasise enough that ensuring you are working with exactly the right products, materials and solutions is critical to the success of the final project, so it is important not to settle for – or indeed go down – the “that will do” path, as it could well be a recipe for disaster.
Drytac Monkey Fist Atlantic Dash.
www.drytac.com
12
March 2022
www.convertermag.com
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