Pressure-sensitive adhesives are soft viscoelastic polymers, mainly acrylics, rubbers and silicones, that flow into a surface under finger pressure and resist separating. They need no heat, solvent or reaction at the point of use, which makes them the basis of tapes, labels, protective films and medical dressings. They trade some strength, heat and creep resistance for that convenience.
Switch the nameplate from screws to PSA, but spec an acrylic, the rubber one will creep in the heat.
Most PSA failures in the field come from skipped cleaning, too little roll-down pressure or loading the part before dwell, not from the tape itself.
Also heard as
- pressure-sensitive adhesive
- pressure-sensitive
Related terms
Tack
The stickiness of an adhesive surface: how quickly it grabs another surface with light pressure and short contact.
Dwell
The time a pressure-sensitive bond sits after application while it builds toward full strength.
Release liner
The silicone-coated paper or film that protects a tape or label adhesive until it is peeled off for use.
Creep
Slow, continuing deformation of an adhesive under a constant load, which can end in failure over time.
Peel-and-stick
Describing any product with a ready-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive under a liner that goes on without tools.