Case Study: Chemical Resistant Labeling Adhesives Product Development

Problem:

A medical customer came to us with a difficult solvent-resistance issue where labels would come loose from microscope slides during biopsy and medical lab testing. They needed labels that could adhere to a low surface energy substrate while surviving a soak test in a hydrocarbon solvent. The incredibly demanding environment caused the microscope slides’ labels to repeatedly, and completely peel away. For most of the solvent- or chemical-resistant adhesives on the market, products are subjected to multiple testing environments, which can then determine the solvent-resistance of a particular adhesive. After unsuccessfully trying many of these “solvent- and chemical-resistant” adhesive items out of industry catalogs, this customer contacted Ameri-Cal for a customized labeling adhesives solution.  

Solution:

Ameri-Cals’  data-driven development approach resulted in the discovery of an atypical physical property requirement and determination that the chemicals weren’t directly attacking the adhesive. Instead, the chemicals disrupted the adhesive bond.  All of the solvent-resistant adhesives the customer tried had worked properly – they simply did not bond well enough to both surfaces. Ameri-Cal was able to develop a targeted adhesive that could anchor better to the surfaces. An additional additive, known for its good solvent-resistance properties, resulted in the development of a new adhesive that met all necessary performance metrics. The customer was granted exclusive use of this adhesive limited to their specific industry.