Silicones for Bonding

Stickers, markings and labels are used in all shapes and sizes. Before they can adorn the intended products, they first have to be easily removable from their backing. Cohesive and adhesive properties play key roles here. The properties of silicones make them ideal for this application. The backing materials for stickers are generally coated with silicones. These reliably protect the layer of adhesive against contamination and can withstand the extreme stress generated by printing and punching operations.
Thin, even coats of silicone fluids have a low surface tension. It ensures sure that the sticker adheres to its backing reliably. But since weaker interactions occur compared with other substrates, the sticker can be easily removed effortlessly any time.
The following diagrams show some examples from the vast range of stickers possible (see also the experiment “Silicone-coated paper”):

Stickers may be produced with or without release film. Siliconized films are responsible for the so-called "No Label Look", where the sticker is indistinguishable from the packaging and packaging looks as if it has been printed directly. Probably the best known example of this kind of sticker is in shown in the diagram on the right. Since 1998, the Austrian motorway vignette has been printed directly on siliconized paper. There is no release paper to dispose of and the vignette is barely distinguishable from the windshield.