Regulations on volatile organic compound (VOC) emission have caused solventborne pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) to be gradually replaced by hot-melt or waterborne PSAs. However, for industrial specialty tape applications, solventborne technology still dominates. This is mainly because hot-melt and waterborne PSAs cannot deliver high enough performance, including high peel strength, high tack, and high shear. With the more stringent regulations on VOCs, there is an urgent market need for a new technology to replace solventborne systems for such specialty applications.
Over the last two years, a series of innovative formulated products have been designed and developed to provide a solution to this market need. For example, a 100% solids radiation-curable syrup system can deliver the high performance that industrial specialty tape requires. The key benefits of this technology include, but are not limited to: