UV-curable pressure sensitive adhesives find application on tapes, labels and other specialty applications – especially those demanding high-temperature stability and solvent resistance. UV PSAs have demonstrated improved performance on PVC, elastomers and polyethylene. Increasing environmental pressures are forcing users to find alternatives to the traditional solvent-based PSAs. Many are turning to UV PSAs where new formulations are coming to market due to growing demand. UV curable hot melt PSA has been an area of interest for the past several decades. Compared with solvent based PSAs (typically around 40-55% solids), 100% solids hot melt PSAs offer a more efficient avenue to create thicker adhesive film. Traditional hot melt adhesives are mainly rubber-based adhesives, which might have some limitations in performance and have poor weatherability. Acrylic UV curable hot melt PSAs, with the right design, would provide a solution combining the advantageous processing, balanced performance and good weatherability. The development of UV curable hot melt pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) has progressed significantly over the last few years. Some UV products have similar performance attributes as solution PSA products, but without the need for expensive drying ovens and incinerators.
