FEICA 2024 European Adhesive & Sealant Conference and EXPO
NH Conference Centre, Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands - 11-13 September 2024

A new stay-in-place moisture resistant hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive (HMPSAs) has been developed to address consumer complaints in the feminine hygiene market.  These HMPSAs are commonly called positioning adhesives and are used to affix the absorbent article to the user’s undergarments. In many cases the small footprint of absorbent liners is insufficient to capture all the moisture, and traditional HMPSAs lose bond strength when the fabrics becomes wet. Similar challenges ensue when the article becomes saturated. Using new raw materials to this market segment we have developed HMPSA formulas that maintain or even increase peel performance under these challenging conditions. The development enables hygiene article manufactures to reduce adhesive usage by up to 20%, and is processed at low application temperatures, which reduce both material and energy consumption.

Co-author: Ethan Gormong, Ph.D.

Adhesives play a crucial role in protecting luxury goods against counterfeiting. Self-adhesive labels with optical security features can verify the authenticity of products, thereby significantly contributing to brand protection. We will present a specific case study from LEONHARD KURZ and their TRUSTSEAL technology. If a label is tampered with, the security feature is destroyed, creating a “VOID effect” as proof of initial opening. This feature helps consumers identify counterfeits in electronics, fashion, cosmetics, and many other goods.

Collano has developed new waterborne acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives with LEONHARD KURZ that fulfill the highest security standards. These adhesives are polymerized from sustainable monomers and offer enhanced security due to their excellent adhesion to paper and metalized substrates and the incorporated security features. During the development process, we replaced petrochemical-derived monomers with those based on vegetable oils, among them castor oil.

Our belief in the potential of resource-efficient adhesives is unwavering, especially when combined with optimizing substrates and the entire supply chain from manufacturing to disposal. However, this transformation requires a collective effort. It is not just about us, the raw material manufacturers, or the end-users. It is about every stakeholder in the supply chain, and we must be willing to invest in and promote resource efficiency.

Co-author: Cornelia Javet

Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers with vinyl acetate (VA) contents above 40 wt.-% (EVM) are in contrast to their low VA-analogs elastic materials. Due to their outstanding properties, they are widespread used in various applications like rubber goods, plastic modification or adhesives.

Especially when it comes to applications where flame retardancy is paramount this unique class of polymers is indispensable. By incorporating flame retardants into EVM formulations, manufacturers can produce materials that resist ignition, slow down flame spread, and show reduced smoke and gas toxicities in case of fire incidents. EVM also serve as a base material for pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs), where they provide an ideal balance of tackiness, flexibility, and durability. In EV battery applications, flame retardant PSAs are tremendously important for various components, including battery packs, battery modules, and thermal management systems. In this presentation, we explore the remarkable synergy achieved by combining the flame retardancy properties of ethylene – vinyl acetate copolymers with their inherent characteristics as pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs). By means of a basic formulation adhesive property of an EVM based PSA will be discussed. Furthermore, it will be shown how this formulation can be transferred into a highly flame retardant PSA formulation without compromising adhesive properties.

Co-author: Martin Schneider

Synthomer has developed a portfolio of polyolefin polymers that allows the formulations of hotmelt adhesives to be used for above and below the belt applications.  These polymers can be used for both formulated and direct applications. 

These polyolefins exhibit a range of desirable high heat resistance, improved tensile strength and elongation properties due to their unique structural characteristics. This family of new polyolefin polymers can be readily utilized enables the development high performance hot melt adhesives (HMA) with excellent heat resistance and superior cohesive strength. Although this presentation focuses on the automotive interior applications – both below and above the belt -, it is to be noted that those polymers also provide excellent performance for other assembly and woodworking applications.

A model HMA formulation comprising of these new polymers exhibits improved peel strength , superior thermal creep and excellent resistance in critical performance test such as Dead Load test at temperatures up to 120°C for both above and below the belt applications. In addition, adhesives based on these polymers will withstand the weather test with high humidity, high temperature and low temperature. With this new family of polymers, the formulators will have access to new tools enabling them to develop high performance adhesives both for above (door panels, headliners, dashboard) and below the belt applications (carpet, trunk, seats, etc.).

Polyisobutenes (PIB) are versatile raw materials for hotmelt and solvent borne adhesive and sealant formulations in various industries, including construction, automotive, electronics and packaging. They deliver a unique set of properties, e.g. gas and vapor barrier, flexibility at low temperatures, adhesion on many substrates and self-healing characteristics. In order to address the sustainability needs of our customers, BASF is now offering both low molecular PIB (Glissopal® range) and medium molecular PIB (Oppanol® B range) as ZeroPCF version, i.e. their product carbon footprint has been reduced by 100% through the use of biomass in combination with renewable steam or electricity based on a certified mass balance approach. These new ZeroPCF polyisobutenes will enable customers to develop adhesives & sealant formulations with very low or zero carbon footprint without compromising on performance, as well as reaching their scope 3 emission targets. The presentation will outline the innovative approach BASF has taken to offer such sustainable solutions, and provide examples how these ZeroPCF products could help to offer more sustainable adhesive and sealant formulations.

Co-authors: Sabrina Stark, Thorsten Schoeppe

The assembly of photovoltaic (PV) modules requires a variety of adhesives and sealants including an encapsulant. The PV encapsulant is laminated to the solar module to provide protection from the elements and must remain effective for the lifetime of the module under harsh environmental conditions. Several new patent-pending polyolefin technology approaches have recently been developed for PV encapsulation which meet the exacting demands for solar modules and provide for increased manufacturing flexibility, security of raw material supply and cost control. The performance and optimization process for these platforms will be presented. Performance data on glass and backsheet adhesion, accelerated aging performance, electrical resistivity, and haze will be presented for these platforms.

A review of the multiple, separate but inter-related rheological requirements involved in the production of the encapsulants, the lamination of the solar modules, and the field performance of the modules will  also be presented. The key role of rheological testing to streamline the optimization process will be emphasized including the ability to adjust the rheological characteristics to improve production efficiency and field performance of the encapsulant as are demanded by changes in module design.

Co-author: Dr. Jayesh Bokria

Incidents, emergencies, and crises involving a release of hazardous substances, whether incidents involving lithium-ion batteries, or a release of plastic pellets, occur when risk control measures fail, necessitating a timely and coordinated response. Traditional risk analysis relies on large data volumes to identify trends and anomalies, however this is challenging. Whilst high impact, they are thankfully low-frequency incidents which means leveraging AI and other tools is challenging. Predictive data, whether from Process Hazard Analysis or Transportation Risk Assessments, can help building proactive response mechanisms. From our experience the root cause analysis of most complex and unique incidents is that almost every one has two critical non-technical elements – communication and coordination. These are both relatively easy to mitigate and manage through effective planning, exercising, training and leveraging of modern tools and technologies which all feed into you ongoing risk analysis and Business Continuity (BC) plans.

This presentation will cover:
– The need for collaboration across disciplines to develop prevention-response-recovery strategies based on predictive risk assessment.
– The potential of digital tools to create an interconnected response ecosystem

The session will help you understand what exemplary practices look like when incidents occur and how to expedite incident notification and cleanup, driving sustainability through the industry.

Many platforms have been developed in the last years for the evaluation of circularity in the organizations, meanwhile the European Committee starts thinking that linear model of organizations is not sustainable anymore, and a new circular action plan is needed.

That’s why new politics are going towards strategies, rules and incentives to align the economies with circular principles and a new standard has been developed: the ISO 59020 gives a framework for the measurement and the evaluation of circular economy.

From all these thrusts, Federchimica – AVISA with Certiquality and University of Pisa (ERGO Sant’Anna) developed a specific tool for the chemist industry for the measurement and the evaluation of circularity.

The tool was customized even for the building sector (chemical companies for paints, adhesives and sealant).

Mapei was asked to join a pilot phase for this tool, called COACH (Circularity Oriented Assistance for CHemical companies),  based on all environment, social and economic aspects of the whole system:  eco design, logistic, supply chain, production, health and safety but even communication.

It analyses the strength and the weakness aspects, giving new opportunities for improving circularity in the company.

This presentation will show Mapei experience using COACH, describing all phases analysed, difficulties, and benefits obtained.
Measuring circularity is an essential requirement for strategical choices of companies, and the indicators Mapei found out can be concrete tools to start thinking evermore in a circular way. 

Co-authors: M. Mazzetti, F. Carollo

In today’s hyper-connected world, businesses are facing an unprecedented challenge to differentiate themselves and provide exceptional customer experiences. With the rapid advancements in technology and shifting consumer expectations, our industry must undergo a transformational journey to meet the demands of the digital age. This presentation will explore the concept of transformational customer experience and its crucial role in helping businesses thrive in the dynamic marketplace. We will delve into the key drivers behind this transformation, evolving customer expectations, and strategic approaches required to create a truly transformative customer experience. This presentation will examine the essential elements of a transformational customer experience strategy, including a deep dive into leveraging customer data and analytics to gain insights, employing advanced technologist to enhance personalization, and fostering a customer-centric culture within the organization. 

The incorporation of bio-based polymers into waterborne acrylic adhesive and sealant formulations contributes significantly to decarbonizing the built environment by reducing dependence on traditional materials derived from fossil fuels, but they must maintain high-performance standards. In this study, several new monomers from renewable origins were copolymerized with acrylic monomers to produce waterborne emulsion polymers. When these polymers were formulated into their corresponding adhesive and sealant formulations, it was demonstrated that they meet key ASTM and ISO performance standards while incorporating target bio-based content levels of 25% or higher that align with USDA BioPreferred® guidelines.

Co-authors: Dr Bob Fu