PLLS 0015 - Silicone Pressure Sensitive Adhesives
Course Description
Gain a practical understanding of silicone pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) and the factors that influence their performance. This course explores the chemistry, formulation, processing and testing of silicone PSAs, with a focus on how material and process choices affect real-world adhesive performance.
Learn how silicone polymers and resins, molecular weight and curing mechanisms can be used to achieve specific adhesive properties. Participants will also examine key performance metrics such as tack, peel and shear, along with the fundamentals of adhesion and the unique characteristics that set silicone PSAs apart from other adhesive technologies.
The course also covers the practical considerations involved in producing and using silicone PSAs, including substrate and adhesive interactions, surface preparation and contamination, coating, drying and curing.
Taught by three instructors with extensive experience in materials science, chemistry, manufacturing and testing, the course connects the science behind silicone PSAs to their practical application in commercial products.
Course Outline/Topics
- Physics of Adhesion
- Evaluation of adhesive properties
- Introduction to silicone chemistry
- Wetting and Spreading
- Surfaces and Substrates
- Molecular aspects of tack
- Introduction to polymer miscibility and dynamic mechanical evaluation
- Source of tack for silicone pressure sensitive adhesives
- Adhesive processing
- Silicone pressure sensitive adhesive applications
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
- Identify basic polymer properties as they influence adhesive performance
- Explain the unique properties of silicone adhesives
- Describe standard pressure sensitive adhesive test methods
- Compare methods used to manufacture pressure sensitive adhesives
- Determine properties and characteristics needed for commercial silicone pressure sensitive products
Who Should Attend
Technical managers, chemists, chemical engineers, material scientists, production supervisors, technical marketing, sales, application development specialists who use or have experience with pressure sensitive adhesives processing, testing and applications.