Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tape (also known as PSA, self-adhesive, self-stick adhesive) is a major category of adhesive tapes and is a relatively thin flexible material with single or double-sided coating. PSA will adhere to a variety of substrates when applied to most clean and dry surfaces with pressure. Pressure Sensitive adhesives do not require solvent, water, or heat to activate the adhesive. The bond is directly influenced by the amount of pressure that is used to apply the adhesive to the surface. PSA has excellent properties in hot and cold resistance, electrical insulating properties, and excellent reliability. Tapes using silicone PSA have good reliability and have good adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces. Formulated with Silicone polymers and the only adhesive that will bond well with silicone substrates. Silicone adhesives are relatively expensive and have a very low initial tack, but can withstand higher temperatures than both Rubber and Acrylic adhesive. Silicone adhesives have excellent heat resistance, cold resistance, dielectric properties, and removability, and offer good adhesion (pressure-sensitive) to a wide array of substrates. They make ideal adhesives for tapes, protective films, and other applications where reliability is key. As electronic devices become increasingly smaller and running hotter, silicone PSAs play a vital role, offering adhesion at high temperatures. The excellent electrical properties of silicone PSAs – such as dielectric strength, arc, and corona resistance – make them a logical choice for electronics applications. Increased production of printed circuit boards also leverages silicone adhesive tape demand, because masking tapes are used during plating, wave soldering, chemical etching, and treating operations. Silicone offers excellent temperature and chemical resistance and removes cleanly from surfaces once the processing is complete. Novel applications within the apparel sector are also contributing to an increase in demand.
