Preview · about 1 minute
Plant-floor overview. Unlock below for the full converter checklist.
PSAs come in three forms — solvent-borne, waterborne emulsion or latex, and 100% solids hot melt — and two main chemistries: acrylic copolymer and rubber/resin. Both chemistries exist in all three forms. Form decides the coater and energy. Chemistry decides adhesion and aging.
Acrylic vs rubber/resin
- Tack: high (acrylic) vs very high (rubber/resin)
- Peel: good vs excellent
- Cohesion at room temperature: good vs excellent; at high temperature: good vs fair
- Specific adhesion to polar plastics and metals: excellent vs fair; to PE and other non-polar: fair vs good
- Clarity and sunlight discoloration: excellent vs poor
- Oxidation/ozone: excellent vs poor
- Plasticizer migration: good vs poor
- Water / high RH: both excellent
- Polar solvents (MEK): fair vs good; gasoline and non-polar: good vs poor
Coat weight: 1 dry mil = 1/1000 in (0.025 mm, 25 microns) ≈ 16 g/m² on a 3,000 ft² ream basis, or about 0.8 oz/yd².
By end use
Paper labels. Both rubber and acrylic.
Decals and non-paper labels. Almost all acrylic (clarity, non-yellowing, plasticizer resistance). Some specialty rubbers where acid/alkali resistance matters.
Over-laminates. All acrylic. Usually polyester or PP film over print. Optics and non-yellowing are the spec.
Tapes. Both. Packaging, masking, glazing, strapping.
PVC. Generally rubber (plasticizer). Specialty acrylics for electrical tape, decorative films, foams.
Medical, graphic, and foam constructions follow the same split: acrylic when aging and plasticizer sit in the spec; rubber/resin when tack to low-energy faces matters more than sunlight.
Tests (PSTC)
Use Pressure Sensitive Tape Council methods. Tack (PSTC-5, PSTC-6): thumb, rolling ball, probe, loop tack, 90° peel. Peel / adhesion: 180° strip at 12 in/min, force per inch of width. Hold / shear (PSTC-7): bonded panel, hang a load, time to fail or creep. Example: 12 hours at 4 psi / 72°F. Release (PSTC-4): 180° peel from the liner. Run aged and service-temperature holds, not just room-temperature peel.
Coating problems
- Bubbles/blisters: lower air velocity on the wet film; slower solvent; drop first-zone temperature on solvent-borne.
- Soft, stringy coat: more oven temperature or dwell.
- Crawling on release liner (aqueous): raise first-zone temperature, shorten the air path, raise line speed, or change liner / wetting.
- Coat-weight swing: adjust the head, or coat lower solids with a wider gap.
- Release too easy or too tight: liner release value; check solvent retention and coating continuity.
- Face-stock stain: transfer coat; higher viscosity if direct coating; dry fully; barrier coat.
Common heads: pan-fed gravure, reverse roll, knife, nip-fed. Call 800-249-0337 or email sales@cattieadhesives.com with face stock, liner, and the PSTC numbers you run.
Related Cattie grades
Examples, not a full catalog. 8241 water-based acrylic PSA. 8250 masking tapes. 8299 foams, films, and foils. 9195A PSA hot melt, automotive interior. Call 800-249-0337 to match a grade to the line.
Longer plant training (5–10 min)
Coming soon — downloadable deep-dive for the floor.
General plant guidance only — not a substitute for your process, SDS/TDS, or line trials. Call 800-249-0337 to match a grade.