The selection of a hook and loop fastener with a “peel and stick” adhesive backing can enhance a customer’s product design with a simple recloseable fastening feature. As an example, think of the simple attachment of an interior sign using self-stick hook and loop circles. Or an industrial manufacturer might use a sticky back hook and loop tape to attach an access panel to an appliance or electrical enclosure. Adhesive-backed hook and loop is used in a wide range of industries including medical, automotive, sports & fitness, industrial, display & graphics, etc.
Finding An Adhesive-Backed Fastener
Engineers looking for the right adhesive-backed hook and loop fastener have a few options. One option is to select one of our standard adhesive choices offered by the large multinational hook and loop manufacturers like Velcro(R), YKK, and others. These adhesive choices work for many common general-purpose applications. However, many engineers are dealing with challenging substrates and require specialty adhesive-backed fasteners that perform to the demands of their product, process, materials, application requirements as well as the needs and specifications of their industry. The choice of adhesives from these manufacturers may be limited and third-party adhesive choices are typically discouraged.
Another option is to work with a smaller specialty converter, many of whom specialize in adhesive tape converting and are typically closer to applications and vertical markets. The challenge here is that they may not have the depth of experience in hook and loop materials themselves or know all the unique, but important, nuances of using adhesives in combination with hook and loop in a wide range of industries, customer applications, and processes.
The Halco Difference
Halco is different. Halco is an industry and materials specialist converter that focuses exclusively on customizing solutions for its customers using hook and loop and pressure-sensitive adhesives. Halco is one of the few companies offering both a range of standard pre-coated adhesive options AND custom adhesive options that meet unique industry and application requirements. Many of these custom laminated options are adhesive tapes from 3M that have proven themselves over the decades in a variety of industry applications.
So whether you’re in the automotive industry or in medical, defense, or any other market, you can be confident that Halco has an adhesive option that will work for your project. Similarly, we also understand customer processes and so whether your stitching hook and loop or heat welding, we have solutions for that also.
Halco’s Adhesive Options
Choosing the right adhesive for your application, materials, and process can be tricky especially for certain materials like low surface energy plastics, powder-coat paints, and vinyl or PVC. To help you, we’ve put together a guide to Halco’s adhesive options called our “Adhesives Selection Guide.” This guide provides some basic performance data and what we suggest for adhesive options, in combination with a Halco hook and loop product, for each substrate or process. The Adhesives Selection Guide includes pre-coated adhesives from Halco and custom laminated adhesive options from 3M (Halco is a 3M Select Converter).
And yet the best way to choose the right adhesive option for your project is to call a Halco Sales Engineer. We have decades of experience with hook and loop applications in a wide variety of industries. We’ll talk through the details and performance requirements, suggest an adhesive option, and then send you a sample to test. Give us a call today!