Manufacturing of adhesive tapes for consumer use and industrial applications is a highly specialized industry with high potential for the future. The success of any adhesive tape depends to a large extent on the adhesive itself, which has to satisfy a wide variety of requirements. At the Henkel Tapes Symposium 2010, adhesive tape manufacturers from all over Europe came together to learn about the latest technologies and industry trends in the market for pressure sensitive adhesives.

Adhesive tapes are used in thousands of visible and invisible ways and have established themselves in a broad spectrum of applications in industry and the professional crafts as well as in consumer goods. Temperature-resistant adhesive tapes for use in the automotive industry, double-sided foam tapes, and breathable wound plasters are just some examples of their many different uses. Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA) are an essential feature of adhesives tapes. They are applied thinly to carrier materials such as foam or plastic films by a number of different methods.

Henkel offers a broad portfolio of pressure sensitive adhesives to meet the varying requirements of the many different self-adhesive applications. Recently, more than 170 people attended the companys third PSA Symposium in Düsseldorf to learn about the latest innovations in this field. Major adhesive tapes manufacturers from West and East Europe were represented at this event. In addition to Henkels own adhesives experts, the list of speakers again included well-known technology partners, such as the siliconized paper manufacturer Mondi Release, the foam producer Alveo, and the application equipment manufacturer Olbricht.

"The symposium has evolved into a real marketplace for experts, providing them with a concise overview of all industry-relevant information and trends," says Patrick Kivits, Business Director for Pressure Sensitive Adhesives at Henkel. The presentation program was supplemented by extensive practical demonstrations and visits. The official opening and tour of the new PSA laboratories at the Düsseldorf research facilities offered the visitors insights into the development of new pressure sensitive adhesives. The labs are used to measure molecular weights, analyze the chemical composition of substrates, adapt adhesives precisely to customer needs for use on special substrates and assess their performance in extensive test series. During product demonstrations under line conditions in Henkels own technical center, the visitors also had an opportunity to discover the benefits of new adhesive technologies for themselves.

UV-curing adhesives presented

As a current product example of the continuous development of pressure sensitive adhesives, Henkel presented Duro-Tak UV 5200 for high-performance adhesive tape applications. This UV technology combines the advantages of classic hotmelt adhesive systems with those of solvent-based acrylic adhesives. Although Duro-Tak UV 5200 is applied as a hot melt, it then cures very rapidly when exposed to UV light. Besides showing good resistance to water, the adhesive also develops high inner strength due to photo-crosslinking. Unlike classic hotmelts, it is therefore temperature-resistant even at temperatures over 100°C - a property that could only be achieved previously by solvent acrylic adhesives.

Furthermore, Duro-Tak UV 5200 can also help adhesive tape manufacturers to significantly improve the efficiency and eco-performance of their production processes. Besides being solvent-free, the new adhesive technology from Henkel makes it possible to achieve high coating weights, while eliminating the need for costly and energy-intensive drying in ovens.

Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Cosmetics/Toiletries and Adhesive Technologies. Founded in 1876, Henkel holds globally leading market positions both in the consumer and industrial businesses with well-known brands such as Persil, Schwarzkopf and Loctite. Henkel reported sales of 13,573 million euros and adjusted operating profit of 1,364 million euros in fiscal 2009. Henkels preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX and the company ranks among the Fortune Global 500.

Source: Henkel