Self Adhesive Backing Film User Guide – Full Analysis of Manufacturing Process

Self Adhesive Vinyl (SAV) is a widely used material, widely used in advertising printing, signage, car body stickers, window displays, wall decorations, and other fields. It has become one of the core consumables in the advertising, printing, and decoration industries due to its advantages of easy operation, strong adaptability, and high cost-effectiveness.

However, many users, although frequently using it, are not familiar with the manufacturing process of self-adhesive film. In fact, every step in the production process directly affects the weather resistance, color expression, construction convenience, and service life of the finished product. This article will comprehensively analyze the manufacturing process of self-adhesive film, from raw material selection to finished product delivery, allowing you to have a deeper understanding and purchasing reference for this material.

What is Self-Adhesive Backing Film?

Self adhesive film is a functional material made of PVC film as the substrate, coated with pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) on one side, and then covered with release paper or release film. During construction, simply peel off the backing paper and paste it directly onto flat surfaces such as glass, metal, plastic, wood, etc., without the need for additional glue or heating tools.

Main Features

• Ready to peel and stick: simple construction, time-saving and labor-saving
• Diverse surface effects: glossy, matte, transparent, frosted, textured
• Strong printability: compatible with solvents, weak solvents UV、 Printing methods such as latex
• Excellent weather resistance: suitable for various indoor and outdoor environments

Common Application Scenarios 

• Advertising display: outdoor billboards, storefront posters, exhibition backgrounds
• Vehicle advertising: Bus, taxi, logistics vehicle film
• Indoor decoration: wall stickers, furniture renovation film, glass decorative film
• Industry and Identification: Safety Signs, Product Labels, Warning Stickers

Raw Materials Required for Manufacturing

The performance of self-adhesive film depends on the raw material formula used in the production process. Mainly includes:

PVC Film (Substrate Layer)

• Made from polyvinyl chloride resin processing, it is the main load-bearing layer.
• Divided into monomeric and polymeric types.
• Monotype: Short molecular chain, low cost, suitable for short-term use.
• Aggregation type: longer molecular chains, good flexibility, and stronger resistance to shrinkage.

Plasticizer

• Empower PVC with flexibility to prevent membrane material from cracking.
• Currently, environmentally friendly formulas without ortho benzene are commonly used.

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive

• Enable the film to firmly adhere to the substrate.
• Categories: permanent adhesive (strong adhesion, difficult to remove), removable adhesive (can be cleanly removed), relocatable adhesive (allows for repeated adjustment of position).

Release Paper/Release Film

• Apply silicone oil on the surface to prevent the pressure-sensitive adhesive from sticking prematurely.
• Commonly used are copperplate paper or PET film.

Functional Additives

• UV Absorbent: Extend Outdoor Service Life
• Antioxidants: Enhance weather resistance
• Color powder/pigment: available in color or transparent substrate options

Manufacturing Process Flow of Self Adhesive Backing Film

The production process can be roughly divided into six stages: batching → film-forming → gluing → compounding → surface treatment → cutting and packaging.

1. Film Formation (Substrate Production)

Calendering process

• The heated and melted PVC raw materials are rolled into thin films through multiple pairs of rolling rolls, with uniform thickness and suitable for large-scale production.

Casting process

• Apply liquid PVC solution onto the carrier film, and then dry and solidify it into a film. The finished product is thinner and more stable, suitable for high-end car stickers.

2. Apply Pressure-sensitive Adhesive

Apply the adhesive evenly onto one side of the PVC film using a coating machine.

Coating method:

• Solvent based adhesive: Strong adhesion, good weather resistance, suitable for outdoor advertising
• Water based adhesive: environmentally friendly, low VOC, suitable for indoor applications
• Hot melt adhesive: Low cost, mainly used for short-term film application

3. Composite Release Paper

• Composite release paper or release film with adhesive layer to form a structure that can be curled and stored.

4. Surface Treatment

• By using corona treatment to increase surface tension, the film material is easier to spray or print.
• High end products will also undergo embossing, lamination, or coating processes.

5. Cutting and Packaging

• According to market demand, cut the mother roll into different specifications (such as 1.27m, 1.52m wide).
• Roll up to standard length (50m/roll) for easy transportation and use.

Quality Control Process

In order to ensure the stable performance of self-adhesive film in advertising, decoration, and industrial applications, manufacturers conduct multiple strict quality inspections before leaving the factory. These tests not only affect the bonding effect and service life of the materials themselves, but also impact the construction experience and customer satisfaction.

Adhesion Test

• Purpose: To test the adhesion strength of pressure-sensitive adhesive on different substrates.
• Method: After sticking the film onto commonly used surfaces such as glass, metal, and plastic, pull it open at a certain angle and speed, and record the required force value.
• Meaning: Ensure that the film is stable and does not fall off during its service life, and can be removed without residue when needed (for removable products).

Weather Resistance Test

• Purpose: To simulate an outdoor environment and investigate the stability of the film under long-term exposure to sunlight, rain, and alternating hot and cold conditions.
• Method: Place the sample in equipment such as a UV aging chamber and a cold and hot cycling machine to test its color retention, surface integrity, and adhesive properties.
• Meaning: To ensure that the product can maintain its nominal lifespan outdoors (such as 3 years, 5 years, 7 years, etc.) without cracking, fading, or peeling due to climate effects.

Shrinkage Test

• Purpose: To detect whether the film will shrink significantly during long-term use.
• Method: Attach and place the sample in a constant temperature environment for a certain period of time, and measure whether the edges are raised or the size is reduced.
• Meaning: To avoid the phenomenon of “edge shrinkage” in practical applications and ensure that large format advertisements or car body films remain flat and beautiful for a long time.

Ink Compatibility Test

• Purpose: To ensure good compatibility of self-adhesive film with different types of printing equipment and ink systems.
• Method: Use solvents, weak solvents UV、 Printing with various inks such as latex, observe color saturation, adhesion, and drying speed.
• Meaning: Ensure that the finished product has bright, clear, and durable colors during actual printing. Without problems such as ink loss or smudging.

Visual Inspection

• Purpose: To inspect the physical quality of the film surface.
• Method: By combining manual and automated detection, the surface of the film material is ensured to be smooth, transparent, and free of impurities, bubbles, pinholes, or uneven coating defects.
• Meaning: It is directly related to the printing effect and the visual aesthetics of the final display, avoiding large-scale scrap caused by small defects.

Conclusion

The manufacturing process of self adhesive backing film covers multiple stages such as formula design, film formation, adhesive coating, lamination, surface treatment, and quality inspection. Different process routes (rolling vs casting, solvent glue vs water-based glue) will directly determine the performance, lifespan, and application scenarios of the product.

For users, understanding the manufacturing process of film sticking not only helps with correct selection, but also avoids problems in actual construction and maintenance. In the future, with the development of environmentally friendly materials and digital printing technology, self-adhesive film will play a greater role in industries such as advertising, decoration, and packaging.