RAHN offers a family of products that can be used to formulate UV Laminating Adhesives, an overview of which is provided in our
Lab Report on Laminating Adhesives (LAs). This report provides background and product information along with starting point formulations.
When developing UV LAs, application thickness can have a dramatic effect on peel properties. Careful formulation, curing conditions, and film thickness are necessary to realize optimal performance. Lab studies show that no one, single formulation will work for all applications.
Based on the practical guidelines for flexo inks, full coverage of the substrate is obtained at approximately 5.0 BCM. Laboratory tests have shown, however, that substantially higher coat weights are required to obtain a destructive bond. For example, using a basic laminating adhesive formulation to bond polyester to PVC, we found that a film thickness of nearly 13 microns was necessary to achieve substrate failure (SF).
| Rod Number |
Film thickness (μ) |
180° Peel Value (lb/in) |
| Hand proofer |
4.4 BCM |
N/A |
| #2.5 Rod |
6.4 |
3.59 |
| #3 Rod |
7.7 |
5.36 |
| #5 Rod |
12.8 |
SF |
As you can see, it is important to test your adhesive at several film thicknesses to determine the best coating weight for your application.
