Solvent acrylic, rubber or water-based? Choosing an adhesive

Which adhesive should you choose?

A pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) is an adhesive that stays permanently tacky and bonds under light pressure, and Advance Adhesives makes three kinds of PSA and one contact adhesive. Solvent acrylic PSAs, the ADCRYL™ grades, suit double-sided, foam, foil, film and masking tapes, labels, decals and lamination, and are usually the safer choice where a tape must stand up to sunlight or long ageing. Solvent rubber PSAs grab fast and hard, for removable and application tapes and insulation tape. Water-based acrylic PSAs, HYDRO AP 117 and HYDRO AP 253PF, are emulsions in water with no organic solvent to handle. A contact adhesive, ADVANCE AP 777, goes on both surfaces and bonds foam, fabric and wood in mattresses, furniture and automobiles. Most ADCRYL™ grades are single-pack and self-crosslinking, reaching full cure in up to 24 hours; two-pack grades such as AP 1765 are mixed with Advance Hardener at 100 : 1, and AP 1063 with 0.5–1%.

What kinds of adhesive are there?

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) stay permanently tacky and bond under light pressure; tapes, labels and films are coated with them. A contact adhesive is different: it goes on both surfaces, dries, and bonds when the two are pressed together. We make three kinds of PSA and one contact adhesive, and choosing between them starts with what you are making.

What is a solvent acrylic PSA?

Our ADCRYL™ grades are acrylic polymers in solvent; the grades with datasheets use ethyl acetate and toluene, some with isopropyl alcohol. Acrylic PSAs are clear, and they resist oxidation, light and heat ageing better than rubber-based PSAs, which suits tapes and labels that must last. The range runs from removable masking grades to high-solids foam grades, with pigment-compatible, outdoor and non-flammable grades among them.

They are coated and dried on a coating line. Dilute them only with anhydrous ketones, aromatic hydrocarbons or esters, and dry the coating thoroughly: residual solvent lowers the adhesive’s performance.

What is a solvent rubber PSA?

Rubber-based PSAs grab fast and hard on many surfaces. We make them for removable and application tapes, insulation tape and high-performance uses, and send their datasheets on request. Where a tape has to stand up to sunlight or long ageing, an acrylic is usually the safer choice.

What is a water-based acrylic PSA?

HYDRO AP 117 and HYDRO AP 253PF are acrylic emulsions in water, with no organic solvent to handle. HYDRO AP 117 bonds paper, cardboard, fabric and plastic for packaging, automotive and construction uses. Water takes more heat to evaporate than solvent, so a water-based grade dries under different conditions from a solvent grade; ask us about your line.

When is a contact adhesive the right choice?

ADVANCE AP 777 is a synthetic-rubber (SBS) contact adhesive, not a PSA. It is sprayed or brushed onto both surfaces and left until it is dry to the touch, about 25 seconds, and the parts are then pressed together. The bond forms at once and reaches its optimum strength in 24 hours. It is the choice for foam, fabric, rexine, wood and plastics in mattresses, furniture, automobiles, helmets and luggage.

One-pack or two-pack?

Most ADCRYL™ grades are single-pack. Those with datasheets are self-crosslinking: they crosslink on their own once the solvent has gone, reaching full cure in up to 24 hours at room temperature. Two-pack grades are mixed with a hardener (crosslinker) before coating: AP 1765 at 100 : 1 with Advance Hardener, and AP 1063 with 0.5–1%. AP 1062 can also be crosslinked with liquid isocyanates, used within 30 minutes of mixing.

Crosslinking raises cohesion and shear at some cost in peel. AP 1765 drops from 2500 to 1700 gf/25 mm peel with hardener, while its shear rises to more than 360 hours.

Are non-flammable and fire-retardant versions available?

AP 501NF is a non-flammable solvent acrylic PSA: it cannot catch fire in liquid form. On request we can make any ADCRYL™ grade non-flammable or fire-retardant (non-halogenated), and AP 777 has a non-flammable version too.

How should PSAs be stored, and for how long?

Keep solvent grades in closed drums in a cool place, away from sunlight and heat: below 35 °C for most of our datasheet grades and below 40 °C for AP 1453 and AP 1063. Unopened, our datasheet grades keep for six months, and AP 777 for at least a year. Solvent adhesives are highly flammable; keep them away from heat, sparks and naked flames.

At a glance