For technical applications that require some form of adhesion, pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) usually offer the best value, given their affordability, ease of use and clean application, when compared to alternative bonding options like mechanical fasteners or liquid adhesives. PSAs can provide the enduring performance required for the most demanding applications or reliable, inexpensive adhesion for simple or short-term applications. No matter what substrates, environmental conditions, economic factors or terms of adhesion are required, it is likely that one or more PSA options exist to meet the needs of the application.
The ability of PSAs to meet such a wide range of needs is related to the fact that PSA providers often have extremely versatile portfolios of products—especially companies with both the ability to coat PSA products and the ability to formulate their own adhesives to meet specialized requirements. Having so many compelling options at varying price points is certainly helpful, but it can be confusing as well. If you are not an expert on adhesive performance, how do you know what to look for, or whether you are getting the best value based on your application needs?