A Quick Look at
Adhesive Solutions for the Graphics Market
When manufacturing graphics for applications such as vehicle wraps and removable signage, it’s important to choose the right pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) technology. Included in this quick reference guide is a list of key performance criteria along with tips on when to use the most common types of PSAs. Together they will help you assess your end-use requirements and the adhesive best suited to your needs.
KEY ADHESIVE TECHNOLOGY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Several criteria should be considered before making your specific adhesive selection.
Adherence and
Removability Levels
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Environmental Factors
End-Use Application Surface
Different technologies possess different levels of adherence and removability. Ask yourself if you need:
• Repositionability
• Slideability
• Improved anchorage
• Removability after a short period of time
• Removability after extended exposure to extreme conditions
Understand your end-use application surface and where your adhesive needs to adhere:
• On rough or dusty surfaces
• In low and high temperature environments
• To glass
• To low surface energy substrates
Each technology offers varied performance when exposed to key environmental factors. Consider if you need resistance to:
• Chemicals, such as
• Plasticizers
• Solvents
• Printing inks
• Shrinking
• Moist surfaces
• Oils and grease
• Outdoor exposure
Sustainability
Goals
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Film Type
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Adhesive
Appearance
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While each adhesive technology offers advantages for graphics applications, some are considered to be more sustainable than others. Decide to what extent the following is important to you:
• Solids content percentage
• Production speeds and footprint allotted
• Ability to use existing processes and equipment
Each film type offers varied sustainability properties and is susceptible to different levels of chemical migration, such as from plasticizers and inks. Both of these elements can impact adhesive technology selection. Understand if your film is:
• Vinyl:
Cast, Calendared, Monomeric, Polymeric
• Other:
Polyurethane dispersion, Polyethylene, Colored thermoplastic polyurethane
When assessing technologies, think about how you want the adhesive to appear on your graphics and if you need it to be:
• Highly opaque
• Non-yellowing
• Ultra transparent
Once you evaluate the basic performance criteria to meet your graphics adhesive needs, it’s important to talk with your adhesive supplier to ensure the right one is chosen.
Talk to a Bostik expert today!
Waterborne PSAs offer durability and clean removability for a given period of time. However, when exposed to extended outdoor weathering for greater than two years, waterborne PSAs can lose their bond strength and be challenging to remove.
Waterborne Acrylic PSAs:
use for short-to-medium-term applications
Pop-Up Signs
Posters
Decals
Specialty Solution Acrylic: When compared to waterborne adhesives, they offer a higher level of durability, enabling them to maintain bond strength while still being easy to remove even after extended exposure to the elements.
UV Acrylic: While they offer the same level of durability as specialty solution acrylics, UV acrylics enable increased line speeds, simplified processes and reduced environmental impact due to being 100% solids.
window films
vehicle wraps
Specialty Solution and UV Acrylic PSAs:
use for long-term applications
highway signs
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