Herma launches adhesive for difficult surfaces

Labels coated with 65Tpc stick to expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, rough PE canisters, tires, metal castings, wooden pallets, concrete, carpet backing, uneven fruit skins and other materials.

Herma said some surfaces still cause ‘major headaches’ for the application of labels, especially if the substrate is too rough, rubbery or variable. It added that the available adhesives that are suitable for a few challenging surfaces often give rise to unpleasant side effects, such as bleeding of the adhesive or severely soiled tools, when they are being processed, typically during die-cutting or dispensing.

65Tpc is a plasticizer-free, acrylate-based dispersion adhesive, which Herma said is compatible with an ‘astonishing variety of “difficult” surfaces’, including  polyurethane and expanded polystyrene, rough PE canisters, tires, metal castings and wooden pallets, and offers ‘outstanding’ processing properties. It has been approved by the German test institute ISEGA for contact with dry, moist and non-fatty foodstuffs. It is available in combination with a range of paper and film labelstocks. 

‘We initially focused on tire labeling,’ said Dr Ulli Nägele, Herma's head of development. ‘As with many synthetic materials, the problem lies in the low-energy surface, especially in combination with the carbon black particles that are contained in tires.

‘Although the Herma 65Tpc adhesive…has a fairly high coat weight, a special second layer endows it with high cohesive (internal) strength. This significantly reduces adhesive bleeding, so that the coating can be applied to the whole of the label without omitting certain areas or the edges.’