For homeowners in need of greater security against break-ins, wireless home security systems are becoming popular even with do-it-yourselfers, particularly since burglars target homes without systems three times more often than protected homes. Easily fastened to doors and windows with double-sided foam tape, system sensors wirelessly trigger alarms when disturbed, eliminating the need for professional installation and expensive electrical work. For one consumer, however, poor tape adhesion was the first offender. “It’s no fun leaping out of bed to investigate a suspected security breach and discovering a dangling, detached sensor instead,” she comments ruefully.

Rohm and Haas Solvent-Based Rubber Products are Fully Formulated
It’s safer to stick with Morstik™ adhesive in critical situations like these. Rohm and Haas is one of very few companies that produce a diverse range of fully formulated solvent-based pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) based on synthetic rubber technology. Different from solvent-based and water-based acrylic systems – Rohm and Haas also produced Morstik™ adhesive solvent acrylic products – this Morstik™ adhesive line can provide a range of performance capabilities for a variety of surfaces, from highly aggressive permanent adhesion for automotive applications to removable products that require controlled peel build, such as might be found in a graphics application.

Whether it’s an industrial or consumer application, these tapes must adhere properly, often for long periods, to a variety of substrates in different environmental scenarios: wood, painted wood, metal, low-energy surfaces and some plastics. For selected high-end, very specialized tape applications, Morstik™ adhesive steps up.

Morstik™ Adhesive Adheres Window Glazing, Auto Gasketing
Double-sided or single-sided foam tapes employing Morstik™ adhesive bond a wide range of substrates in diverse but always challenging applications. The foam-based tapes may fasten glass to the frame in a glazing application. Auto suppliers may seal automobile ventilation ductwork or door panel gasketing with these products. Assembling and mounting point-of-purchase displays is another use. “Corrugated cardboard disposable displays often hold substantial weight and sometimes are covered with different coatings that complicate bonding,” says Tom Reffle, technical service chemist in Specialty PSAs. By choosing Morstik™ adhesive, customers also add an extra measure of security when the tape end-use is unclear – its performance excels on a host of different surfaces.

As with all technologies, Morstik™ adhesive has some application restrictions. Like most rubber-based adhesives, direct ultraviolet light can affect the adhesive’s durability. Temperatures greater than 100 degrees C and low plasticizer resistance also may be limitations. Since the Morstik™ adhesive technology is highly formulated with various resins, it isn’t ideal for crystal-clear graphic overlaminating applications.

Morstik™ Adhesive Securely Bonds Challenging Substrates
In the right areas, however, Morstik™ adhesive performance just won’t quit. Peel, tack and shear values are striking. They excel at bonding polyolefin foam or films to low energy surfaces that can be tough to adhere with other PSA technologies, leading to superb foam sealing and mounting application performance, for instance. Further, they exhibit outstanding holding power at room temperature. Morstik™ adhesive technology is perfect for certain specialty tape applications. It is fully formulated for both coating and performance and arrives ready to use, providing customers with a value-added service.

“Tape companies may not have the time, expertise or equipment to formulate these products themselves,” Reffle notes. “We have the know-how, technical resources and long-term experience to formulate these complicated systems into very reliable, high-performance products that meet customers’ application requirements.”

Innovating with Solvent-Based Rubber PSAs
Rohm and Haas continues to innovate in this area. New higher tack, higher performing formulations are under development. Scientists continue to engineer more value into Morstik™ adhesive choices as well, constantly improving its formulations to provide better in-use productivity such as higher solids that may lead to faster line speeds.