Acrylic Pressure Sensitive Adhesive: The Pros And Cons

You’ve probably heard, broadly, about pressure sensitive adhesives. But what sets acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive apart? Conversion Technologies International can walk you through.

What is a pressure sensitive adhesive?

A pressure sensitive adhesive is fairly similar to a standard adhesive. It differs in that it requires a specific type of activation—in this case through pressure. The adhesive doesn’t adhere to anything fully until we apply pressure. However, this actually makes it easier to use than many other adhesives. Because pressure is all it requires. Other adhesives require things like water, solvents, or heat. With a PSA, you can simply “stick it” in place. Some are meant to last for the long term, while others aren’t. At times, the longevity of the adhesive depends on the degree of pressure applied.

Some common pressure sensitive materials include:

• sticky notes
• labels
• tapes
• automobile trim
• glue dots
• And more!

There’s a particular kind of adhesive, however, that fits specific projects better than others. We’re referring to acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive.

What is an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive?

As the name suggests, an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive depends on adhesives in a way other adhesives don’t. You might hear this referred to as an “acrylic based PSA” as well. Scientifically, they’re made up of a combination of acrylic polymers and, typically, copolymers additives. They designed the pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive, originally, to prioritize both strength and flexibility. A common issue with adhesives is that they’re either incredibly flexible but prone to breaking down, or strong, but brittle and difficult to adjust.

Additionally, an acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive tends to be more heat resistant and prone to resist solvents. For this reason, we often recommend this type of PSA for projects in which the adhesive experiences exposure to the elements. One of the great things about this adhesive is that it also stands up to UV rays—a quality that can be challenging to find. This adds to its favorability as an adhesive for outdoor products.

Here’s the thing: You don’t have to sacrifice the tackiness more conventional adhesives offer when working with acrylic adhesives. You can tackify an acrylic PSA. The main difference with a tackified PSA adhesive is that it takes a while longer to cure and bond. After four to six hours, you may still be able to adjust the adhesive. However, after 24 hours, it’s set in place, and you can’t make any adjustments.

What is the best adhesive for acrylic?

The type of adhesive that works best with acrylic can depend heavily on your project and the specific types of acrylics you’re working with. We advise consulting with professionals when making a decision. This is one of the benefits of working with CTI.  Some of the classic adhesives paired with acrylic products include:

• Plastruct
• Weldbond
• 2 Part Epoxy
• Drytac OCA
• Loctite Go2
• And even Gorilla Glue!

What are some of the competitors to acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive?

It’s important to know your alternatives and what people use when acrylics don’t work—as well as why acrylic often offers greater benefits.

Common acrylic-based PSAs include:

• Polyurethane adhesives. These adhesives, incredibly common on the market, correspond well with structural projects. They’re incredibly strong, and benefit from atmospheric moisture through the bonding process.
• Expoxy adhesives. Expoxies are amongst the strongest adhesives possible. They’re both physically strong and resistant to chemicals. This makes them, generally, stronger than some acrylic adhesives.
• Silicone adhesives. These adhesives are highly resistant to high temperatures, and they usually function as sealants. You’ll typically see them function better in extremely low temperatures, though they’re still fairly flexible in terms of service.
• Cyanoacrylate adhesive. This is actually superglue! It bonds quickly and permanently to non-porous surfaces, including glass, plastic, and metal.

The main competitor to acrylic pressure sensitive adhesives is rubber adhesive. We make rubber adhesive through a combination of synthetic and natural polymers. Frequently, we mix in additives. The priority with these adhesives is to keep them as flexible as possible. We want them to stick while also being malleable. They work very well in packaging applications, and they need to work well without requiring heat and solvents.

Rubber adhesives correspond well with what we call “low surface energy” surfaces. These include rubber and plastic surfaces. Ultimately, these rubber adhesives are more versatile, but they won’t have the strength of acrylic adhesives.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’re not done quite yet! Let’s run through a few quick questions related to acrylic pressure sensitive adhesives.

When should we use acrylic pressure sensitive adhesives?

We gravitate toward acrylic PSAs in the following scenarios:

• When working in high temperature environments.
• When working with automotive and industrial products (like name plates, car molding, metal/foam lamination, and adhesive tapes).
• Medical use, as with tapes and bandages that require skin contact.
• Outdoor applications.
• Products requiring long term or permanent bonding.

Do we have to make our own acrylic adhesives in-house?

No, you do not have to make acrylic adhesives in house. You can outsource to a third party in the form of a toll manufacturing company or a contract manufacturing company.

What’s the difference between a toll manufacturing company and a contract manufacturing company?

A toll manufacturing company handles the entire manufacturing process, while you provide the raw materials. A contract manufacturing company covers everything, including the raw materials.

How can I get in touch with CTI?

Learn more about acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive and more by calling CTI at 419-924-5566 or clicking here!