Exploring the Future of Adhesive Innovation

Could you please tell us about yourself and your role within the R&D team at Tape Solutions?

Jeff: I am the R&D manager for adhesive systems within Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions and I’ve been with Saint-Gobain for 12 years. My role is primarily to work with the our R&D teams located in different plants around the world and our central R&D teams to develop new adhesive chemistries, adhesive systems and adhesive tapes. I have a background in polymer chemistry and polymer materials science.

Russell: The manufacturing site in Granville, NY has been my home for 34 years. I started working for Norton Performance Plastics before the acquisition by Saint-Gobain. I have worked in R&D for the last 33 years and currently serve as Senior Research Project Leader. I interact with the global Tape Solutions R&D team on foam- and adhesive-related matters.

Could you please share how new product development takes shape?

Jeff: Yes. We have a strategic approach to product development and mainly encompasses three primary project types. These include:

• Co-development Projects: These are initiated when a specific customer needs a tailor-made solution. In these situations, we work directly with the customer to make something unique for their needs and requirements.
   
• Market-Based Developments: These are the projects that arise based on market observations as well as direct customer feedback. The goal of these developments is to create products that cater to broader needs for multiple customers across multiple regions. These tends to be higher volume, bigger opportunities that are very much driven by a current need in the market.
   
• Competency and Platform Based Projects: These are the projects that are more long term and increasingly sustainability driven. They focus on challenging advancements such as solventless adhesives technologies, carbon footprint reduction, elimination of hazardous materials, and innovative product concepts such as debond-on-demand. These technologies are often in early stages, but they have the potential for creating new markets, and enhancing product sustainability and circularity.

Could you please elaborate on legislation such as the “right to repair” and its impact on concepts such as debond on demand?

Jeff: Legislation such as “Right to Repair” is focused on providing consumers with the right and ability to repair products without the need to rely on and return to the original manufacturer. The concept of debond-on-demand allows adhesives to be triggered for removal at the end of a product’s lifecycle, which aligns with sustainability and circular economy goals. In a way the removable pressure sensitive tape was the original debond-on-demand solution and we are working to extend that concept to applications that require a strong durable bond until the end of life.

While adoption in the market has been gradual, it does remain a promising approach from a repairability and recyclability perspective. With the right combination of customer/application, we’re eager to come up with a revolutionary solution to meet these new legislative requirements.

How has Saint-Gobain improved the manufacturing process of its acrylic foam tapes to align with sustainability goals?

Jeff: Our acrylic foam tapes are all produced using a solventless process that is one of the most sustainable production methods in the industry. Compared with a solvent-based casting process, this approach drastically cuts down on the use of flammable materials and CO₂ emissions. We are very proud of our solventless technology and are actively finding new ways to replace solvent-based adhesives with this technology. This includes exploring new chemistries that can yield higher throughput, lower cost and maintain the highest performance standards required by customers.

We’ve also found pathways to make these tapes around 60–70% biobased with equivalent or even better performance than the standard products. Therefore, if we have customers that require lower carbon or bio-based content in our acrylic adhesive tapes, we have a very clear path forward to delivering very high-performance tapes that can have high bio content and low embedded carbon.

How would you define bio-based?

Jeff: Let me start with the motivation behind the use of bio-based solutions. To me, the value lies in the ability to reduce the carbon impact of a certain product or solution. Bio-based materials are derived from plants or renewable sources that can have lower carbon footprints than conventional petrochemical alternatives. However, not all bio-based solutions are equal. Life cycle analysis plays a critical role in determining if a material genuinely reduces overall environmental impact. For instance, materials like castor bean oil, which do not compete with food supply, can be ideal choices for sustainable production.

How will new capabilities allow incorporating bio-based solutions across various product lines?

Jeff: Products such as Norseal® AGP200 or the newest Norseal V730 Series are notable examples of our capabilities to incorporate bio-based components that align with overarching goals of limiting negative environmental impact of products without sacrificing quality. Our newest product innovations show that we can replace petrochemical based plasticizers with bio-based plasticizers to create products that match or, in some cases, exceed the exemplary foam properties of its predecessors. In that application we are capable of incorporating bio-based content without any cost penalty, which will set a precedent for sustainable innovation in foam applications.

How can we meet market demands for low carbon products?

Jeff: While Saint-Gobain is proactive in developing low carbon products and processes to meet our aggressive internal carbon reduction goals for 2025, 2030 and 2050, customer demand for bio-based formulations varies. Industrial clients, for example, often prioritize performance and cost over bio-based content, while other sectors could be more invested in eco-friendly solutions. I believe that as more companies implement carbon-reduction strategies, there will be an increased focus on low-emission products and our teams have the capabilities to help with this.

By keeping our finger on the pulse of market demands, regulatory changes, and revolutionary chemistries, we turn ideas into diverse solutions for the adhesive industry.

Let’s now discuss one idea which was recently turned into a capability, leading the way to phthalate-free innovation. An initiative led by Russell Cook, the development of our newest product, Norseal V730 stemmed from an industry-wide shift towards safer materials. Realizing the growing concerns of phthalates — commonly used as plasticizers — Russell along with the technical team sought alternatives that could maintain higher performance while adhering to health and environmental standards.

When screening plasticizers, you discovered a bio-based plasticizer that resulted in the creation of Norseal V730, could you share why this is important?

Russell: This project was a two-fold activity. First, as Jeff mentioned, there were some initial concerns about the use of select phthalate plasticizers. Because of this concern, we wanted to look at our Norseal Products, specifically our PVCs to find solutions that would continue to be viable and sustainable for years to come. This is how we were able to redesign Norseal V730. We used a biobased plasticizer technology that was previously used as a secondary plasticizer.

Due to a variety of enhancements this secondary plasticizer became the primary plasticizer used within the formulation.
This reformulation to utilize the bio-based plasticizer yielded many benefits — it maintains good flexibility and lower cost similar to monomeric plasticizers while emulating some of the properties of a polymeric plasticizer.

Could you share insights on how the creation of V730 exemplifies the capabilities of the Tape Solutions team for creating bio-based materials?

Russell: In the example of the V730 plasticizer, this bio-based plasticizer has a heat stabilizing effect on PVC, it is good for low volatility, has less crazing (cracking & hazing) on some sensitive plastics, and has low fogging. With these developments, we can go further. We can explore new product developments that support markets like automotive, EV, construction or industrial.

For example, knowing that these formulations can support low fog performance may allow us to further develop products for automotive applications where OEMs and engineers are looking at solutions that have low volatility and reduce in-car fogging.

The main point, here, is that we have the willingness and the capability to work with specific customers to use these newer technologies and develop products for unique applications.

Could you also share some insights about capabilities and R&D projects when it comes to more bio-based polyols and polyurethanes?

At Saint-Gobain we are actively exploring bio-based polyol formulations such as with the utilization of nut-shell oils, which are a by-product of the food industry. These types of polyols offer alternatives that do not compete with food production and align with our commitment to environmental responsibility. We can potentially integrate these formulations into our PF Series for EV as, interestingly, some bio-based polyols offer natural flame resistance which could enhance safety features of EVs. However, there are still some hurdles to overcome such as minimizing odor associated with some bio-based polyols.

For R&D, we try to, proactively, find solutions that could support low-emission standards and requirements, while maintaining performance and keeping costs from rising. If we look at some of our newer products, like the Norseal V730, we can say we’ve made significant headwinds in being able to create a product that is both better for the environment, has high-quality performance and is cost effective for the end-user.

The path to adhesive innovation is multifaceted: it requires balancing customer needs, performance requirements and regulatory demands. Through strategic R&D efforts and a commitment to net zero carbon, our teams are looking to the future. Through exploring innovations in phthalate-free foams, bio-based materials and solventless manufacturing, we inch closer to making the world a better home. By collaborating with customers, taking a proactive approach and relying on our world-class expertise, we can serve our customers with global solutions and leverage the latest technologies. Connect with our team today to gain a personal, focused and nimble collaborator and turn ideas into tangible, usable, products and solutions.