Labelling on durable goods emphasizes particular conditions in which the label must perform and the life-expectancy of the label.

Requirements for resistance to exposures including heat, chemicals and solvents, moisture and water, mechanical strain, outdoor weathering and UV light vary widely. But in all cases, information such as model identification, serial numbers and warnings needs to last the lifetime of the labelled product.

Durable labelling is therefore an end-use category where a cross-linked adhesive – for example UV acrylic or catalyst-activated – will likely be required.

This is regardless of how well the labelled surface favours bonding in terms of surface energy, though naturally the adhesive will be adapted to the polarity of that substrate.

ADHESIVES

Electronic and electrical devices and their components and casings are typical examples where select UPM Raflatac adhesives demonstrate excellent durable labelling capabilities – computers, white goods, sports and fitness equipment, power tools, industrial machinery and automotive parts.

Moreover, our advanced non-solvent solutions enable label printers and end-users to move their durables business forward sustainably – and achieve market differentiation through environmental responsibility.

UV-ACRYLICS FOR ENDURING RESISTANCE TO HEAT, CHEMICALS, WATER AND UV LIGHT

Our UV-acrylic adhesives have high internal strength(cohesion) which makes their properties of adhesion resistant to long-term exposure to high temperatures, water, chemicals and UV. This high cohesion is achieved by chemically locking together the molecules in the adhesive with ‘cross-links’, which form during our label stock manufacture when the coated adhesive is exposed to ultraviolet light.

RC15 is specially designed to provide outstanding adhesion on polar surfaces like glass, steel or ABS.

RC18 is designed for films in combination with paper or film liners, in end-uses requiring very good adhesion on polar and non-polar surfaces.

RC20 has a high coat weight for rough and demanding substrates, and has very good adhesion on polar and nonpolar surfaces.

CATALYST ACTIVATED FOR EXTREME RESILIENCE

UPM Raflatac has introduced a new, catalyst activated adhesive (CAA) technology. As with our UV-acrylics, the adhesive undergoes a cross-linking reaction on our coating lines to increase the adhesive’s internal strength. With the ‘RX’ adhesives we have achieved a very high density of cross-links, for extreme cohesion and resilience. The first of this new series is RX15.

RX15 offers label converters and end-users a unique opportunity to combine top-level technical performance with an excellent sustainability profile. RX15 has extremely high adhesion on polar surfaces, good heat resistance and excellent resistance to UV-radiation and chemicals. Applications range from dumper trucks to solar panels and wind turbines.

RP37S

General purpose

For some applications, a film label face such as PET combined with a selected waterborne acrylic adhesive provide sufficient resilience for shorter-term exposure to water, UV and some chemicals. RP37S serves this general purpose need for labelling on both polar and non-polar surfaces.