Outgassing - Labels That Bubble. Why Does It Happen?
"Outgassing is the process in which a non-metallic material such as a polymer, adhesive, rubber, or potting compound/epoxy will release gas when exposed to heat and or a vacuum. This gas will eventually condense on other materials and could render them inoperable." - Source: Samtec
The Problem:
Particularly in the manufacturing industry, products sometimes come straight off the production line requiring immediate labelling. Products made of materials such as plastics, acrylics, and polycarbonate. If that product is still hot when the label is applied, outgassing can occur almost instantly. Some labels can experience label bubbling due to environmental factors too, such as extended exposure to sunlight. In this case, our client was experiencing outgassing on thousands of their large, plastic-based products, which needed labelling as soon as they had left the mould. This slowed production to a halt, waiting for products to cool was not an option and there was no guarantee outgassing would not still occur after leaving the warehouse.
As you can see, outgassing has heavily impacted this label material. The heat has forced the volatile elements from the plastic and it has risen to the surface through the label's adhesive. So what's the solution?
Our gas-permeable labels corrected a production problem being experienced by a large production line and supplier. Labels are often a small cog in a large machine, but if this small cog breaks down, the machine breaks down. Labelling is often one of those parts of production left to the last minute, or forgotten about entirely. We are always aiming to change the thought process around labelling because it's a more important piece of the puzzle than you might originally think.
If you have any questions, or you are currently experiencing issues with outgassing, or you are looking to label an application where outgassing might be a problem, give us a call, freephone 0800 023 9277 or drop us an email at: info@romark-labels.com.
