HIGH-SOLIDS COATINGS BASED ON REACTIVE ACRYLIC POLYMERS FOR THE PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVES INDUSTRY.

Tightening of EPA regulations as well as ever-rising cost of energy and solvents have forced the coatings industry to look for alternative coatings systems. Hycar Pressure Sensitive Polymers (PSP) are new commercially-available polymers designed to fill these changing needs in the pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSA) industry without compromising performance. Hycar PSP-based PSA can be processed at high solids or 100% solids with minimum equipment modification and addition to conventional solvent coaters now used in the PSA industry. A discussion is presented of the adhesive, its properties, its advantages over conventional solvent-borne PSA, and the processing equipment required.