What is a Solvent Adhesive
Solvent adhesive systems are typically comprised of a polymer, crosslinking agent and at times, one or more functional additives. When added to an adhesive, these supplemental components either alter the adhesive performance, like tackifiers used to increase low surface energy (LSE) performance, or provide specific functional characteristics.
To prepare the adhesive for coating, a solvent is added to this adhesive base to control viscosity. The overall viscosity is generally adjusted for specific coating processes and equipment. The Performance Polymers team offers a variety of adhesives with solvent packages designed to comply with various regulations and requirements.
Adhesive Performance
Solvent adhesives generally provide high performance bonding, and feature a high crosslink density that gives the adhesive high shear performance. This high shear level results in less edge bleed during processing, resistance to high temperatures and excellent resistance to a wide range of environmental factors, including plasticizers, water, chemicals and UV light.
High Solids Adhesive Options
In addition to standard solvent adhesives, Performance Polymers offers a range of specialized solvent adhesives with a high solids content (over 55% solids). These adhesives offer a range of benefits that often allow for more efficient production when compared to lower solids adhesives.
These high solids level adhesives have a higher concentration of polymer than typical adhesives, which means the same amount of adhesive can be used to coat more product. Because they contain less solvent, these adhesives offer a reduced drying time, impacting a key restriction on coating speeds. Working closely with our customers, our scientists and engineers can quickly adjust existing adhesive platforms or develop new polymer systems to address the most complex challenges.
