Ashland demos Arocure PSA technology

This included details of Ashland UV pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) technology, and a demonstration of Arocure RPS-9100S.

Ashland’s Arocure products are 100 percent solids, high-performance, radiation-curable pressure-sensitive adhesives. The line of UV curable adhesives represents a broad range of pressure-sensitive adhesives for graphics, label and industrial applications.

The demonstration showed to customers featured coated 2mm and 5mm self-wound transfer film at 107ft/m with two banks of UV lights.

‘ArocureTM UV PSA technology enables us to design PSAs with a different balance of adhesion and cohesion that can cover a wide performance space,’ said Dr Zhaohui Sun, technical group leader and product manager at Ashland Performance Materials.

‘Coating and curing 5mm (125 microns) UV PSA with great coating quality at 107ft/m is significant to many customers who typically process 5mm film from solution PSA around 10-30ft/m. The line speed of curing UV PSA can be further increased by investing in additional UV radiation source. 

‘The improvement on process efficiency and balanced performance by using Arocure UV PSA technology will help our customers better compete and serve pressure sensitive tapes market.’

The eight half-day sessions were held at the facility of Great Lakes Coating and Laminating in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, a company that utilizes Ashland equipment in its operations. Andy Johnston, vice-president responsible for adhesives at Ashland Performance Materials, said: ‘As an Industry leader, Ashland continues to invest and innovate in the pressure-sensitive adhesives marketplace, and this new technology underscores our commitment to that.

‘We are very excited by these developments and the interest we are receiving from the marketplace.

‘We would also like to thank Great Lakes Coating and Laminating for its support during this great event for our customers.’

Ashland is currently planning a further demonstration event in October.