Additives Enhance Value of Pressure Sensitive Adhesives
For applications that require this level of scrutiny, photoluminescent additives are vitally important. Although invisible to the naked eye, these additives will glow when exposed to UV light. Labelers using this method often place an optical scanner at the end of the label-production line. If the label has not been applied, or has been misapplied, the scanner will detect the absence when the UV light fails to produce a “glow.” The machine reacts by dropping the problematic container out of the production line. This helps ensure that only properly labeled containers ever make it into the marketplace.
For example, one hair-care product manufacturer incorporates UV additives into its label adhesive to aid in the easy identification of counterfeit products on retail shelves. The photoluminescent additive is similar to the one used for in-line verification. However, in this case, the verification takes place in the field.