5 Things to Consider for Choosing the Right Label Adhesive
When you want to design a custom label for product packaging, there are a number of aspects that you are required to consider. The label needs to be eye-catching, as well as appealing. Not only the appearance but also the choice of the right materials and adhesives are of utmost importance.
Failure in selecting the right adhesive can cause peeling and deterioration, and early cracking. This has an impact on how customers see your product. This post will explain some things that you need to consider while choosing a label adhesive.
Things to Consider for Choosing the Right Label Adhesive
Before you choose the adhesive for your product, there are certain factors that you should consider. You can proceed in the following ways:
- Adhesive Properties: Factors like exposure to water or humidity, and temperature can affect the bond of a label adhesive. So, it is very important to take into consideration when, where, and how the products will be used. This will make sure that you choose the right material, which is designed to survive the intended environment. The material of the surface on which the adhesive is applied largely determines the type of pressure-sensitive adhesive.
- Types of Label Adhesives
Following are the four main types of the label adhesives:
- Permanent Adhesives: Permanent label adhesives are the most commonly used and cost-effective options. As they are non-removable, permanent adhesives can only be removed with the help of solvents. These types of adhesives are usually suitable for corrugated boards, films, and non-polar surfaces. These adhesives are not recommended for labeling surfaces that are highly curved.
- Removable Adhesives: Removable label adhesives hold fast and do not fall off easily. As their name suggests, these labels are removable. Unlike the permanent adhesives, they do not destroy the label upon removal.
- Cold Temperature Adhesives: These adhesives are specially used for labels that are designed to be applied to cold surfaces, usually below 25°F.
- Repositionable Adhesives: These adhesives can be removed and applied again several times over an extended time span. These are typically used on flat surfaces, thus making them the best choice for large applications that involve careful placement.
- Adhesive Performance Factors: Irrespective of their types, all adhesives have three distinct performance factors:
- Tack is the first attraction of an adhesive to a surface having the least external pressure.
- Adhesion is the strength of the bond between the adhesive and the surface, once pressure has been applied to fix the label.
- Shear is the time required, to slide a standard area of the pressure-sensitive label from a standard flat surface in a direction that is parallel to the surface, under definite test conditions.
With all these performance factors, it is important to know the kind of surface on which the label is to be placed. An adhesive will release or hold in a different way on a suede fabric material than on a smooth surface like glass.
- Tamper-evident: When someone attempts to remove the tamper-evident label from the application surface, it results in the fracturing of the adhesive layer and leaves the message “Void” on the surface on which it is applied. These labels are frequently used for pharmaceuticals, retail pricing, and other applications where it is important to prevent the removal of labels.
- Acrylic Vs. Rubber-based Adhesives: Lastly, another key distinction between adhesives is selecting between acrylic and rubber-based adhesives.
- Acrylic Adhesives: Acrylic adhesives are particularly used for long term bonding. These adhesives strongly resist UV rays and chemical solvents. These adhesives have higher costs but deliver higher durability.
- Rubber-based Adhesives: Rubber-based adhesives are extensively used for short-term bonding. Owing to their low costs and instant bonding, they are mostly used in indoor applications. Nonetheless, they are vulnerable to chemicals and UV exposure.
To choose the right adhesive, you need to have a balance between the ability to be removed if required, the final long term strength of adhesion, and the strength of the initial “tack”.
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