Pressure sensitive tapes stick on the substance when pressure is applied, without a need for heat, and solvent. These tapes are available in many variants in the market such as adhesive transfer tape, double coated tape, masking, single coated tape, electrical & electronics, single sided tape, carton sealing, double sided tape. The key application of pressure sensitive tapes includes masking, bonding, packaging, and sealing. New types of tapes are emerging in the market, and the demand for eco-friendly & biodegradable tapes has increased in the past owing to consumer preference and regulations related to the environment.
PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) tapes possess numerous properties and characteristics that aids in application to various industrial application such as in commercial packaging, home packaging and component joining in the assembly of electronic & electrical products and vehicle production. Growth in the market will be driven by personalized products, production flexibility; demand for advanced backing that includes film materials and medical membranes. These tapes can be decomposed into water and carbon dioxide. On account of growing demand for a rigid box the packaging industry is expected to witness high gains owing to its low carbon footprint and biodegradability. In addition, growing food & beverage industry in China & India on account of a new product launch by the manufacturer will be driving the packaging sector in the forecast period. Rising automobile production in countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, China, Malaysia, the U.S., Japan, and Germany is likely to increase the growth of the tape market in the over eight years.
Pressure sensitive tape’s critical component includes adhesives, backings, primers, release liners, release coatings, adhesions, cohesions, and tack. Adhesive includes synthetic rubber or natural rubber and acrylic. In addition, adhesives vary based upon application such as for smaller applications base considered ethylene-vinyl-acetate, butyl, and silicone. A backing is a web-based, flexible and thin material manufactured from various materials such as laminates, fabrics, paper, non-woven, foams, foils, and films. Backings are used to provide dampening, cushioning and providing the barrier.
Primers are used to increase holding a power of adhesion to the backing. The primer can be an in a liquid form coated with the backing material. A release liner is mainly used with double sided tapes. Films or siliconized papers are the primary types of release liners. For a majority of applications, paper liners are preferred. Release coatings are used for treating backings of a single sided tape and double sided tape. These are essential for automatic applications in which the tape can be unwounded at very high speeds. Depending upon customer needs, the release liner can have either easy or harder unwinding.
Carton sealing tapes are preferred globally owing to increase in demand for roughened box packing on account of its recycling and reusable properties. These boxes are light weight & cost efficient and are used in the food & beverage, electronics & automotive industry. Double sided tapes have backing coated on both sides in which the release liners are usually a silicon coated paper to prevent sticking of adhesives. These tapes are durable with fixing properties and efficient bondings used in the construction sector and automobile & electronics sector. Reinforced pressure sensitive tapes comprise a layer of parallel glass strands to the direction of a machine with polyester and polyethylene backing polymeric films. Examples of reinforced tapes are filament and duct. Unsupported pressure sensitive tapes comprise of adhesives and release liners. The release liners are paper coated on both the sides with silicone release agents so as to create the differential release. Splicing and envelope sealing are the common examples of reinforced tapes.
On account of growing construction sector in Asia Pacific owing to population growth and increasing urbanization is expected to grow over the forecast period. In addition, vast availability of raw materials such as Polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene in China is likely to drive the pressure sensitive tapes market in future.The pressure sensitive tape market is competitive in nature with companies focusing extensively on R&D and product innovation. Key players in the includes Teas SE, Jonson Tapes ltd., the 3M company, ABI Tape Products, Avery Dennison Corporation, Nitto Denko Corporation and Adchem Corporation. In January 2015, Adchem Corporation introduced 488M manufactured on red polypropylene release liner to cater industries such as electronics, furniture, and automotive.
