	US 11,905,438 B2
	Process of manufacturing a pressure sensitive adhesive having a low VOC characteristics
Niklas M. Matzeit, Cologne (DE); Pierre R. Bieber, Korschenbroich (DE); Petra M Stegmaier, Duesseldorf (DE); Eike H. Klünker, Kaarst (DE); Dmitri D. Iarikov, Gaithersburg, MD (US); Jeffrey M. Imsande, Menomonie, WI (US); Shijing Cheng, Woodbury, MN (US); Michele A. Craton, Cottage Grove, MN (US); and George J. Clements, Afton, MN (US)
Assigned to 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
Appl. No. 17/252,348
Filed by 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 20, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/055229 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 15, 2020, PCT Pub. No. WO2019/244108, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 26, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 18179223 (EP), filed on Jun. 22, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0269684 A1, Sep. 2, 2021 Prior Publication US 2021/0395579 A9, Dec. 23, 2021
Int. Cl. C09J 133/08 (2006.01); C08J 3/24 (2006.01); C09J 7/38 (2018.01); B29C 48/08 (2019.01); B29C 48/285 (2019.01); B29C 48/40 (2019.01); C08J 3/00 (2006.01); C08F 220/18 (2006.01); B29K 33/04 (2006.01); C08K 3/011 (2018.01); C08K 5/00 (2006.01)

CPC C09J 133/08 (2013.01) [B29C 48/08 (2019.02); B29C 48/288 (2019.02); B29C 48/40 (2019.02); C08F 220/1808 (2020.02); C08J 3/005 (2013.01); C08J 3/247 (2013.01); C09J 7/385 (2018.01); B29K 2033/04 (2013.01); C08F 2810/20 (2013.01); C08J 3/24 (2013.01); C08J 2333/08 (2013.01); C08K 3/011 (2018.01); C08K 5/0025 (2013.01); C09J 2203/326 (2013.01); C09J 2203/354 (2020.08); C09J 2301/304 (2020.08); C09J 2301/50 (2020.08)]

10 Claims

1. A process of manufacturing a pressure sensitive adhesive, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a hot melt mixing apparatus comprising a reaction chamber;

b) providing a hot melt processable pressure sensitive adhesive composition comprising:

(1) a (meth)acrylate copolymer component comprising:

i. one or more C₁-C₃₂(meth)acrylic acid ester monomer units;

ii. one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomer units having functional groups selected from the group consisting of acid, hydroxyl, acid anhydride, epoxide, amine, amide groups, and any combinations thereof; and

iii. one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomer units which are copolymerizable with monomer units (i) and/or (ii); and

(2) a crosslinking system selected from the group consisting of thermal crosslinking systems, actinic radiation crosslinking systems, and a combination thereof;

the hot melt processable pressure sensitive adhesive composition

(3) optionally further comprising at least one of expandable microspheres; and

(4) at least one pigment;

c) providing a polymeric resin;

d) subjecting the polymeric resin to a heating step (thereby at least partly remove low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) from the polymeric resin) thereby forming a (pre-)cleaned polymeric resin;

e) incorporating the (pre-)cleaned polymeric resin and the hot melt processable pressure sensitive adhesive composition in the reaction chamber of the hot melt mixing apparatus;

f) mixing the hot melt processable pressure sensitive adhesive composition and the (pre-) cleaned polymeric resin in the hot melt mixing apparatus thereby forming a hot melt blend;

g) removing the hot melt blend from the hot melt mixing apparatus; and

h) crosslinking the hot melt blend.