Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Patent
1992-10-15
1997-10-14
Ahmad, Nasser
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
15624416, 15624419, 15624424, 156269, 156270, 156277, 156289, 4272084, B29C 4700
Patent
active
056767854
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to pressure-sensitive, adhesive-backed substrates, such as pre-printed labels, having a transparent protective face sheet, and to the process for producing such substrates.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pre-printed, pressure-sensitive, adhesive-backed labels which have a transparent protective face sheet are far superior to paper labels, but heretofore, they have been far more expensive to produce. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,028 issued Jan. 10, 1978, there is described a pre-printed pressure-sensitive adhesive-backed label which comprises a transparent face sheet, an adhesive layer adhering to the face sheet, and a silicone coated kraft paper backing. The adhesive layer is imprinted with the label indicia on its outer surface, which is covered by the silicone coated kraft paper backing. In one embodiment, in which both the adhesive and the face sheet are transparent, the printed indicia is clearly visible through both layers. In the other embodiment, where the face sheet is opaque and carries printing on its exterior surface, the printing on the adhesive is visible through a transparent wall, such as a glass bottle, to which the label has been applied. The described process for producing that label requires the initial separate preparation of a composite three-ply sheet consisting of a transparent face sheet, the rear surface of which is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, and a backing sheet which covers the adhesive. The process consists of first delaminating the backing sheet from the composite, then printing the indicia onto the exposed surface of the adhesive, and thereafter relaminating the composite. The result is a very good label in which the indicia may be protected by the transparent face sheet, and is in effect "buried" beneath both the face sheet and adhesive. One problem with that label is that the adhesive must always be transparent if the indicia is to show through the adhesive and the transparent protective face sheet, and of course if the adhesive is clear, then the surface to which the label is affixed will be visible through the face sheet and the transparent adhesive. This type of label is also very expensive, primarily because it requires the separate manufacture of an adhesive-backed substrate prior to the label-making process in which the label is imprinted.
An alternative type of label is the paper label, which does not have the neat finished appearance of the label with the smooth, transparent thermoplastic protective face sheet and does not have any comparable means of protecting the printing. The advantage of the paper label is that it is inexpensive relative to the label with the protective face sheet, and that it may be quickly and easily produced.
It is an object of this invention to provide a pre-printed, pressure-sensitive adhesive-backed label having a transparent protective face sheet which in both quality and appearance is as good as, and in many respects superior to, the previously produced pre-printed labels with the protective transparent face sheet, but which is much less expensive than such prior art labels and rivals the cost of the relatively inexpensive paper labels.
In prior art process adhesives, such as the acrylic adhesives universally used in label and tag making, are normally applied in a liquid state containing 50% or more water or other liquid vehicle. While this simplifies the application of the adhesive to the substrate, the moisture must be subsequently removed to produce the final adhesive-backed product. For example, a pressure-sensitive label contains about 5% moisture by weight, and thus if the adhesive at the time of lamination contains 50% or more moisture by weight, that excess must be driven off in the production of the final adhesive backing before any subsequent printing can occur. Heretofore it was necessary to have the adhesive applied to the substrate by a converter who then supplied the laminated product to the labelmaker for delaminating, printing and cutting into the separate labels. The adhesive simply could
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Ahmad Nasser
X-Cal Corporation
LandOfFree
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