Wacker Chemical Corp. is presenting new silicone adhesive research at Tape Week 2026, taking place May 4-7 at the Omni Louisville Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. The company will participate in the technical program and will have an exhibit. In the presentation and exhibit, WACKER will spotlight work that addresses practical needs in release coatings and medical adhesive applications.

“Tape Week is an important forum for technical exchange across the pressure-sensitive adhesive industry and to continue to showcase our team’s ingenuity,” said John Young, marketing manager for healthcare and release coatings silicones at Wacker Chemical Corp. “This year, we’re looking forward to sharing work which speaks both to product performance and to practical industry needs, from more efficient testing methods to silicone adhesive technologies designed for demanding medical applications.”

New Method for Measuring Extractable Silicone

DEHESIVE^® is WACKER’s technically advanced silicone release coating platform, engineered for precise control of release force, robust anchorage, and stable performance on high-speed coating lines across paper, film, and specialty substrates. On May 7, Justin Horst, a technical chemist with WACKER, will present “WACKER Method for Determination of Extractable Silicone from Release Coatings by XRF” during the Technical Track from 12:50 to 1:10 p.m. The presentation focuses on extractable silicone from release coatings as both a product quality and regulatory concern in the release coatings industry.

The paper outlines the development of an XRF-only method for measuring extractable silicones in solvent. Existing methods such as ICP-OES, atomic absorption, gas chromatography, and gravimetric analysis are already used in the industry, but they can present challenges related to cost, safety, accuracy, and test variability. Since XRF is already commonly employed in large facilities to measure silicone coating weight on release liners, WACKER’s approach leverages equipment many manufacturers already have in place

The method has been validated across multiple formulations, laboratories, and instruments. Compared with existing procedures, the method is a cost-effective and robust option for precise silicone extractables testing.

Advancing Silicone PSA Technology for Medical Applications

WACKER will also present new research related to radiation-stable silicone pressure-sensitive adhesives for medical applications. On May 6, Shabnam Pordel, lead scientist at WACKER, will present “Formulation and Characterization of a Skin-Friendly Gamma Sterilizable Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Technology” during the Technical Track from 3:10 to 3:30 p.m.

The presentation introduces a novel RTV-2 silicone PSA formulation designed to maintain structural and functional integrity performance after gamma irradiation. Silicone-based PSAs are widely used for their skin-friendly performance, which provides low-trauma removal and biocompatibility, but sterilization processing has been limited commercially to ethylene oxide. This work illustrates new silicone adhesive technology enabling the use of gamma sterilization processing while also offering environmental benefits through a solvent-free formulation.

Attendees can meet with WACKER representatives at Booth 204 during Tape Week 2026 to learn more about the company’s silicone technologies for release coatings, pressure-sensitive adhesives and medical applications. Learn more about WACKER at www.wacker.com