Application Focus - Getting Started

Barrier Adhesives

The packaging and medical / pharmaceutical industries are the largest industries to use adhesive systems having specific permeability requirements...
Coating and Laminating

Lamination is used to produce a film structure consisting of two or more layers of materials (films, foils, paper, etc.) by adhesive bonding...
Cold Seals

Cold seal adhesives are those that bond when exposed to pressure only. They are often referred to as pressure sensitive adhesives...
Extrusion

Extrusion is a method of making a laminate in which two or more thermoplastic materials are extruded separately and combined either internally in the die or immediately after leaving the die...
Food Contact

Many applications of flexible packaging adhesives require compliance with regulations for direct or non-direct food contact (e.g., Food and Drug Administration, FDA)...
Heat Seals

A heat seal is a thermoplastic adhesive that is generally applied to the substrate as a molten liquid coating and cooled to a solid or as a solventborne or waterborne coating and then dried to a solid...
Low Surface Energy Films

Thermoplastic materials often have a lower surface energy than thermosetting materials. Thus, physical or chemical modification of the surface is necessary to achieve acceptable bonding...
Medical

Typical applications for PSAs in the health care industry include wound coverings and closures, surgical drapes, ostomy mounts, electrocardiograph electrode mounts, electrosurgical grounding pads, and transdermal drug delivery...
Trim

Trim components, such as in the passenger section of automobiles or decorative items attached to the exterior, are generally bonded with "non-structural" adhesives. Non-structural adhesives merely hold articles together temporarily or...
Vibration / Noise Damping

Elastomeric adhesives and sealants can perform a variety of functions other than merely bond and seal. One of these additional functions is the damping of noise and vibration...
Engine / Power Train / Radiators

Locking compounds are generally used to seal and bond mechanical fasteners in place. These are usually unsaturated polyester monomers such as dimethylacrylates whose cure is inhibited by atmospheric oxygen...
Plastics / Composites

Plastics and composites are sometimes difficult to bond because of their low surface energy. This is especially true for polyolefins and thermoplastic elastomers. For maximum strength, surface treatment is often recommended...
Electrical / Electronic

The main electrical / electronic applications for adhesives in the transportation industry is for tape and flexible printed circuitry...
Brake Parts

Brake linings must withstand high impact and shear stresses. Their temperature resistance must be greater than 150°C...
Construction

High volume applications for tapes used in construction are duct tapes for constructing and insulating heating and air conditioning duct work. Other tapes are used for temporary or permanent bonding of various assemblies...
Decals and Signs

Decals are used for attaching logos, nameplates, or operational instructions on appliances, business machines, and other everyday products...
Medical

Medical and personal care tapes are used in many applications including protecting wounds, attaching dressings, securing intravenous needles, securing diapers, and for applying medication...
Office and Data Processing

Both blank and preprinted paper labels are used in the office for filling, identification, and other purposes. These products are generally on paper backing with a pressure sensitive adhesive...
Structural Assembly

Structural assembly of articles such as doors, windows, etc. usually occurs in a factory or assembly facility...
Ceiling

Adhesives are used to adhere ceiling tiles for indoor application although these are often mechanically fastened in place (drop-in types) with grid systems for reliability and easy removal. Ceiling tiles are often acoustical panels. These tiles can...
Concrete

Adhesives and sealants for concrete, cement, and plaster cover a wide range of construction applications...
Corrosion and General Protection

Chemically resistant polyethylene and vinyl-backed tapes are often continuously wrapped around large diameter steel pipe before the pipe is placed in the ground...
Electrical Tapes

Electrical tapes can be subdivided into two categories: OEM applications and electrician's tape...
Facade

Facades are exterior walls made from bricks, stucco, or other construction or decorative materials. The adhesives or sealant used must be resistant to weathering and temperature cycling...
Flooring

Floor coverings are fabricated from asphalt, vinyl, rubber, cork, and ceramic materials. These floor coverings are laid directly on wood, concrete, and metal subfloors...
Freezer

The food industry uses labels on freezer packages. These labels can be made with paper or polymeric film feedstock. To resist the cold temperatures the adhesives are generally made from a polymer with relatively low Tg...
General Caulking and Sealing

There are many different applications for sealants in construction. In this industry sealants are used for perimeters of wall and roof openings, filling cracks, sealing tub and shower stalls, etc...
Industrial (Appliance, Auto, Shoe, Etc.)

Many OEMs utilize tapes for both temporary and permanent fastening. A large volume is utilized in electrical / electronic assembly and for paint masking within manufacturing shops...
Joint Cementing and Grouting

Joint cements and grouts are used to seal the space between tiles, panels and other building materials...
Office and Graphics Arts

Office and graphic art tapes are generally used for laying out and attaching paper and film to larger sheets of paper or film. Clear cellophane film office tape is the most easily recognized product in this class. There are many applications...
Packaging

Packaging tapes are generally used for sealing and preventing pilfering or contamination. Packaging tapes are generally made from high tear biaxially oriented polypropylene film or polyester film backing...
Permanent labels

Permanent labels use an adhesive that cannot be easily removed from the substrate. They are generally used to discourage tampering or label switching. Permanent labels are often scored to aid in self-destruction...
Pipe, Wire, and Cable

Thermoplastic pipe joints are generally bonded with a solvent-based adhesive consisting of a blend of solvents and several percent of the polymer being bonded. Thus, there are PVC, ABS, and CPVC pipe cements...
Postage Stamps

Postage stamps are in a sense labels and they consume large quantities of adhesives. In the past, remoistenable adhesives such as dextrin (see natural occurring adhesives) have been used for this purpose...
Removable

Removable refers to an adhesive bond that can withstand the rigors of service but in which the substrates can be purposefully detached leaving little or no adhesive residue...
Roofing

Roofing is one of the largest applications for adhesives and sealants in the building and construction industry. Roofing cements are mainly asphalt or coal tar based materials, but synthetic rubber based adhesives are also used...
Sewage and Pipe

Pipe lines are used to transport water, gas, steam, hot air and sewage. Generally, no adhesive or sealant is necessary...
Splicing

Splicing tapes are used to join the end of a web from one roll to the beginning of the web from a second roll. This is common practice in conversion or manufacturing operations when handling continuous rolls of paper, film, fabric, etc...
Structural Glazing

Structural glazing is the use of a sealant as an adhesive for attaching a glass panel or any panel to a structure. Common panels are metal, glass, precast composites and insulating glass panels.
Wall Covering

Wall coverings include wallpaper, vinyl film, and various forms of tile. Adhesives for paper wall coverings are generally purchased as dry powders to be mixed with water or as water dispersions...
Laminates

Laminates used in the building and construction industry consist of both rigid (reinforced plastic) and flexible (paper and film) types. Rigid laminates are used in the building and construction industry for a variety of purposes including paneling...
Non-structural

Non-structural adhesives in the building and construction industry are usually in the form of pressure sensitive tape. In most applications the choice of the backing material is as important as the choice of the adhesive.
Paneling

Elastomeric adhesives are used to bond panels to wall studs or flooring to joints. Generally, the adhesive is applied as a mastic on the stud or joist. The "panel" substrate may be gypsum board, plywood, decorative laminate, or other building...