Acucote, a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating manufacturer, has expanded its portfolio of durable pressure sensitive materials that can be printed on pigment and laser systems for chemical and industrial labeling applications.

Acucote is now offering four additional BS5609 Section 2 (label performance) certified film products: Kimdura Inkjet Ultra, Kimdura DualTech, PPG Teslin 7 mil facestock and 2.6 mil Matte White Premium Thermal Transfer Polypropylene.

All are offered with Acucote adhesive P50, an aggressive acrylic with exceptional durability range (-30F ̴ +250F). The Kimdura and PPG Teslin products are further certified BS5609 Section 3 (print performance) for particularly harsh environments. To obtain BS5609 certification, labels need to withstand a three-month salt water submersion test in the English Channel. BS5609-certified labels are proven to meet the most stringent tests for durability in the industry.

PPG Teslin facestock features static dissipation which reduces potential static discharge when removing label liners, which could potentially ignite chemical and solvent vapors in certain manufacturing environments.

According to Melissa Harton, product manager, digital media, “Converters tell us that specifications for labelstocks are increasingly becoming more stringent in terms of temperature range, environmental resistance, stronger adhesives and better printability. Over the past years, we’ve seen a gradual shift from strictly laser to pigment-based print systems for outdoor and drum labeling. We’re pleased to expand our portfolio to meet the needs of this fast-growing sector by offering products compatible with pigment inkjet, laser and thermal transfer. “

Rounding out the portfolio are materials that can be utilized when BS5609 Section 2 certification is not required, including pigment and laser durable papers, polyesters and vinyls.

Harton concludes, “The labelstock supplier partnership with converters is more important than ever before as brands and packaging buyers continue to enforce tougher label performance requirements onto their vendors. Our Application Development Team specializes in creating innovative and effective solutions to serve our customers’ most demanding requirements and recommend solutions in days, not weeks.”