Zone coating for controlled adhesive application in complex applications
Do you produce specialty tapes or labels? Then your adhesive application probably differs from the standard. Do your functional requirements vary by zone? Consider the required adhesion, release properties, protection or adhesive-free areas. If so, zone coating could be the right solution for your process. It allows you to apply your specific requirements in a controlled way, zone by zone.
However, zone coating places specific demands on your application:
- Highly accurate dosing;
- Controlled start and stop points;
- And stable pattern formation across the entire web width.
This is not without its challenges. At the same time, zone coating offers clear benefits in functionality, cost control, material use and design freedom. We help you overcome the challenges in your process.
Your challenge
In practice, this added complexity often causes issues as soon as you move away from full-web coating. For example:
- Edge build-up
Adhesive accumulating at the edges due to uneven distribution or poor nozzle alignment. - Start/stop deviations
Unclean transitions during intermittent coating, causing overlap or gaps. - Variations in coating weight during pattern coating
- Unpredictable behaviour at higher line speeds
For functional labels, multilayer tapes and applications with tight tolerances in particular, every deviation directly affects product quality or waste levels. We understand that you are not only looking for flexibility in where you apply the adhesive. The stability of your production process matters just as much.
Targeted application without compromise
When correctly controlled, zone coating offers several benefits:
- Lower adhesive consumption
No unnecessary coating outside the functional zones. - Improved product functionality
Combine adhesion and release properties within a single product. - Greater process stability
Less contamination and less process drift. - Tighter tolerances
Consistent edges and reproducible patterns.
A key condition is the correct alignment of the application technology and process settings. We help you achieve that.
The right technology determines the result
Zone coating can be applied in several ways. The right approach depends on the application, required production speed and target coating weight.
Multiple adhesive trays that apply the adhesive in lanes
Suitable for:
- Coated zones running along the full length of the substrate
- Also provides the basic adhesive distribution across the full web width
Points to consider:
- Accurate nozzle alignment is essential for even distribution
- Risk of edge build-up if pressure or viscosity is incorrect
- Sensitive to contamination during longer production runs
Intermittent coating
Start/stop control interrupts the adhesive across the full web width.
Suitable for:
- Repeating patterns
- Applications in which zones vary in the machine direction
Points to consider:
- Timing and synchronisation with line speed
- Start/stop deviations if control is insufficient
- The effect of viscosity on a clean cut-off
Pattern coating
Coating with complex patterns.
Suitable for:
- Functional tapes
- Free-form applications
- Advanced label constructions
- Combinations of zones within a single product
Points to consider:
- Pattern stability under changing conditions
- Dependence on temperature, pressure and substrate
- Greater demands on process control and system integration
Distinctiveness
The challenge is not the technology, but controlling it
Applying a coating pattern is one thing. Reproducing it day after day under industrial production conditions is another. In zone coating, material behaviour, viscosity, line speed and process settings are continuously interacting. Even a small deviation can affect coating quality, product functionality or waste levels.
That is why a successful zone coating application does not start with choosing a nozzle, intermittent coating or pattern coating. It starts with a clear understanding of how the product, material and process interact. With our coating expertise, test facilities and practical experience, we help translate this into a stable, controllable production process that does what it needs to do: perform continuously and reliably.
How do you get there?
From functional requirement to stable process
Zone coating often starts with a functional requirement. An adhesive-free zone. A specific pattern. Or a combination of properties that full-web coating cannot achieve. The next challenge is translating that product requirement into a stable production process.
This starts with analysing the material and defined process requirements. Based on that analysis, we determine which coating strategy best fits the application. We then validate the approach in our test centre. We assess not only functionality, but also reproducibility under realistic production conditions. The insights gained guide the configuration. Step by step, this creates a solution that not only works in theory, but also delivers reliable performance at industrial scale.
Which coating strategy fits your application?
Would you like to understand the different technologies and identify the strategy that matches your product requirements and line conditions?
We have set out the differences and specifications for each technology in a clear overview. See below:
Tell us about your coating aspirations
We'll make it happen!
