The Adhesive Coating Process: What Does It Really Entail?

An adhesive coating is a material applied to a number of surfaces to deliver traditional or pressure sensitive bonding qualities. The most common example of this is when you have something designed to adhere to another surface either permanently or for a specified period of time. A second material covers the coating until it is ready to be used for adhesion. Then with a quick removal of the covering material and a little pressure you are done. This characteristic is common in a number of consumer product and industrial/manufacturing areas. A second example would be the pressure sensitive adhering material placed on the backside of safety treads. Without that material, they would not provide much help for preventing tripping or falling in a facility. Adhesive coating processes are used to add this quality to a substrate to enhance a product or part. It is also an option when needing to deliver the ability to combine two components and is suitable in various scenarios for sticking or adhering to something. Tape is often created through adhesive coating processes to deliver one or multiple grades for consumer or commercial use. Peaking Behind the Adhesive Coating Process The interesting thing about adding this quality to a substrate is that it can be accomplished in several ways. Certain methods are more suitable for a substrate or type of adhesive coating. As an example, the knife over roll process is frequently used to apply pressure sensitive forms. These two approaches are most common for adding this quality to a product:

• Saturation – The item is dipped into an immersion tank to allow the pores of the substrate to absorb the material and excess is then removed.

• Roll-to-Roll – Entails multiple methods where the material is fed through a machine consisting of rolls or a Meyer rod. The excess coating is scraped off or removed in an alternative manner after application.

Weight and viscosity play a significant role in what method and equipment are used to make this process happen. Thicker materials with higher weights are often applied with a roll-to-roll method such as the above-mentioned knife over roll or gap coating. An adhesive coating process like saturation is better when this quality is required to reside on both sides of the part, product, or material. Another option is Meyer rod application, which falls in the same category as knife over roll but uses a different configuration for application. Methods vary since not every option is the right choice for the required material and substrate. Careful deliberation is required to gain the desired quality without harming the substrate. A professional will be able to recommend an adhesive coating process after evaluating your needs. Begin by determining what materials will be used and then discuss the adhesion qualities you would like to achieve. There is no right or wrong answer when evaluating adhesive coating processes and the professionals at Jessup MFG will help you to reach this objective in the most cost effective way. Contact us today to start discussing how our adhesive coatings experts can help you use an adhesive coating process to enhance any product or part.