Lamination Adhesive Types and Peel Strength: Choosing the Bond Before You Argue About the Number
For fabric development, sourcing and quality control teams Prepared by the Technical Department, Suzhou TTK Textile Technology Group Co., Ltd. The standard numbers below come from TTK's commissioned testing scope; the process statements come from TTK's own capability record.
Bottom line
The adhesive family decides how the bond forms, and the peel requirement decides whether it survives washing, so choose from the requirement.
1. Two adhesive families, two different bonds
Lamination in this scope runs on two enterprise-level families. They are not interchangeable, and the choice changes the failure mode as well as the cost.
| Hot-melt adhesive lamination | Oil-based adhesive lamination | |
|---|---|---|
| How the adhesive arrives | A thermoplastic adhesive in film, web or powder form, fed between the layers | An oil-based adhesive applied to the substrate by the coating head |
| How the bond forms | The adhesive is activated by heat and consolidated through the roller nip, then sets as it cools | The coated substrate is bonded directly while the adhesive is still active, and the assembly is then dried |
| Where it fits | Constructions that can take heat and nip pressure, including porous membranes | Substrates that are heat-sensitive, or builds where a hot nip would damage the face or the membrane |
| What limits it | Substrate heat sensitivity; adhesive film width and placement must be controlled or the edges starve | The solvent or carrier has to be driven out completely; the drying step becomes the quality gate |
| Adhesive metering | Fixed by the adhesive film or web specification chosen | Fixed by the coating head setting and the pick-up, which is a live process variable |
| Solvent handling | No solvent to remove | Solvent recovery and drying capacity are part of the process design |
The practical difference for a buyer: hot-melt lamination buys repeatability — the adhesive dose is a purchased specification. Oil-based lamination buys process flexibility — it can bond builds a hot nip cannot touch, at the price of needing the drying step to be controlled.
2. Inside the hot-melt family: match the adhesive material to the substrate
Choosing hot-melt lamination is only the first decision. The adhesive material has to match the substrate, because the bond depends on the adhesive wetting and anchoring to both faces:
| Adhesive material | Fits | Points to check at specification stage |
|---|---|---|
| PA hot-melt adhesive film | Standard polyester and nylon face fabrics | The melting point stated on the adhesive supplier's technical data sheet is the baseline for setting the lamination temperature |
| PES hot-melt adhesive film | Cotton and blends | Wash and dry-clean behaviour after bonding, because the face fabric behaves differently in water |
| TPU hot-melt adhesive film, high-elasticity grade | Elastic fabrics | Stretch and recovery of the bond, not only the as-received peel figure |
| Reactive hot-melt system | Water-repellent face fabrics and other hard-to-bond surfaces | Reactivity means the bond keeps developing after lamination, so cutting and wash testing have to wait until it is cured |
A repellent, water-repellent or otherwise low-surface-energy face fabric is the hardest case for any adhesive. The finish that gives the fabric its performance is also the finish that resists wetting by the adhesive, so the adhesive system has to be chosen for that surface rather than assumed from the base fabric.
3. Oil-based adhesive lamination changes the failure mode
Oil-based lamination applies the adhesive wet, bonds directly and then dries. That sequence creates a different set of failure modes from hot-melt lamination:
- Residual carrier. If the drying step does not drive the carrier out completely, what remains in the bond layer migrates later and the peel figure falls after ageing, not after washing.
- Strike-through on porous substrates. A wet adhesive applied to a porous membrane can be drawn into the pores, which changes both peel behaviour and the moisture vapour transmission of the finished laminate.
- Pick-up drift. Because the adhesive dose is set by the coating head rather than fixed by a film specification, the peel figure varies with line conditions and has to be monitored as a process variable.
- Edge behaviour. Adhesive applied as a coating often runs to the selvedge, which is helpful for edge peeling but demands proper control at the edges.
Where it wins: heat-sensitive substrates, builds where a hot nip would damage the face fabric or the membrane, and constructions that need the adhesive to key into a surface a film adhesive cannot wet.
4. Peel strength: which test item applies, and how to read it
Two peel test items sit in TTK's commissioned testing scope, and they are not interchangeable:
| Standard | Focus | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| FZ/T 01010 | Determination of bond strength of coated fabrics | Coated and laminated fabric itself — face layer against coating or membrane |
| FZ/T 80007.1 | Test method for peel strength of garments using fusible interlinings | The fusible interlining process, fabric against interlining |
For coated or membrane-laminated fabric, FZ/T 01010 is the item; FZ/T 80007.1 belongs to the fusible interlining route. Mixing them produces two figures that cannot be compared, which is a common reason for an argument that should never have started.
How to read the peel figure
Peel strength is expressed in N/25mm or N/cm as the standard specifies, and it is a curve rather than a single point. The test yields a peak, an average across the traverse, and a minimum at the weakest point. The average alone hides the weakest point, and a complaint is normally built on exactly that point. Ask for the per-specimen results, not only the reported figure.
Post-wash is where the bond is really decided
An as-received peel figure says very little about the shipped article. The requirement that matters is the post-wash peel figure, under a named washing standard and a named tier. The washing standard has to be stated because GB/T 8629, ISO 6330 and AATCC 135 do not apply the same mechanical action, and the tier has to be stated because the bond decays at a different rate at five washes and at twenty.
Peel figures and a visual blister check belong together. Blistering after washing is a distribution problem — edges, patches, or the whole sheet — and each form points at a different cause: adhesive film cut too narrow at the edges, insufficient activation temperature, or uneven adhesive application. A peel number alone cannot tell you which.
5. Matching the adhesive family to the requirement
| If the requirement is… | Start from | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Highest repeatability of the peel figure on a stable build | Hot-melt adhesive lamination with a film adhesive | The adhesive dose is a purchased specification rather than a live coating-head setting |
| Bonding a heat-sensitive substrate | Oil-based adhesive lamination | No hot nip is required to activate the adhesive |
| A porous membrane that must keep its transmission | Hot-melt adhesive lamination with controlled film placement | Avoids wet adhesive being drawn into the pores |
| A water-repellent or otherwise low-surface-energy face | Reactive hot-melt system, or oil-based adhesive with a matched chemistry | The adhesive has to wet a surface designed to repel liquids |
| A build with a strict post-wash peel requirement | Either family, with the tier and the washing standard written into the specification | The requirement is the process window, not the family |
| A short development programme with a tight line configuration | Oil-based adhesive lamination | Fewer consumable specifications to qualify per build |
6. Common pitfalls
| Pitfall | What it looks like | Cause |
|---|---|---|
| Debating the peel number before choosing the family | Meetings about millimetres of peel figure, with no decision on the adhesive | Peel strength is a consequence of the bond, not a control knob on its own |
| Mixing the two peel standards | Figures from FZ/T 80007.1 compared with figures from FZ/T 01010 | One standard belongs to fusible interlining, the other to coated and laminated fabric |
| Quoting only the average | The report passes and the bulk is rejected | The minimum on the traverse is what the complaint is based on |
| As-received data handed over as the whole answer | No post-wash peel figure exists | Post-wash testing was treated as optional |
| A post-wash figure with no tier or washing standard | The report says "after wash" | GB/T 8629, ISO 6330 and AATCC 135 differ, and so does every tier |
| Oil-based adhesive picked without drying capacity | The bond holds initially and drifts later | Residual carrier left in the bond layer |
| Film adhesive narrower than the bond area | Edge-first delamination after washing | Starved edges where the adhesive film did not reach |
| Wash testing run before the reactive system cured | A sound process is judged as a failure | The bond keeps developing after lamination |
7. Working order for development teams
- State the construction and the washing tier in the technical specification (2L, 2.5L or 3L, and after how many washes).
- State which peel standard applies — FZ/T 01010 for coated and laminated fabric, FZ/T 80007.1 only for the fusible interlining route.
- Choose the adhesive family from the substrate and the membrane, not from habit.
- Choose the adhesive material from the substrate chemistry and the face fabric's finish.
- Test peel after the named wash tier at sample stage, and ask for per-specimen results alongside the reported figure.
- Run a blister check alongside the peel test, and record which form of blistering appeared, because the form points at the cause.
Criteria Table: How to Tell Whether the Adhesive Choice Will Hold Its Peel Strength
| Criterion | What Passing Looks Like | Common Failure |
|---|---|---|
| The construction is named in the specification | The specification states the layer build, the membrane and whether 2L, 2.5L or 3L applies | The peel requirement is quoted with no build attached, so the figure cannot be reproduced |
| The adhesive family is named | The specification states hot-melt adhesive lamination or oil-based adhesive lamination, not just "laminated" | "Laminated" alone leaves the bond formation, the failure modes and the process window undefined |
| The right peel standard is used for the construction | Coated and membrane-laminated fabric is tested under FZ/T 01010, and the fusible interlining process under FZ/T 80007.1 | The two standards are mixed, and two incomparable figures are argued over |
| The peel unit is stated | The figure is given in N/25mm or N/cm exactly as the standard specifies | A figure appears with no unit, so nobody can tell whether it is comparable |
| Peak, average and minimum are distinguished | The report shows the peel curve behaviour, not one number standing for the whole traverse | Only the average is reported, and the complaint is based on the minimum at the weakest point |
| A post-wash peel figure exists | A peel figure is reported after a stated wash tier, not only in the as-received state | As-received data are handed over as the whole answer, and the bond fails on the shipped article |
| The washing standard is named beside the wash count | The post-wash figure is tied to GB/T 8629, ISO 6330 or AATCC 135 | A wash count with no washing standard cannot be compared between suppliers |
| The tier tested is the tier claimed | The tier named in the specification or in marketing is the tier on the report | A figure from one tier is used to support a claim at another |
| The adhesive material matches the substrate | The adhesive film or adhesive chemistry is named and matched to the face fabric chemistry and finish | A standard film is applied to a repellent face fabric, and the bond never develops full strength |
| Film placement covers the bond area | The adhesive film width and position are specified and verified against the bond area | Starved edges appear, and edge-first delamination follows after washing |
| The drying step is controlled on the oil-based route | The drying condition is specified and monitored, and the carrier is driven out before winding | Residual carrier stays in the bond layer and the peel figure drifts with age |
| Blistering is checked as well as peel | The report or the inspection record notes the blister distribution as well as the peel figure | A passing peel figure hides patchy blistering that points at uneven adhesive application |
| Reactive systems are cured before testing | Wash testing and cutting follow the curing period the adhesive supplier specifies | A sound process is misjudged as a failure because the bond was tested before it finished developing |
Related Reading
- Two-Layer and Three-Layer Lamination Structures: What Each Layer Is Doing — companion article, the build the adhesive has to hold together
- ePTFE and TPU Membrane Lamination: Different Requirements on the Same Line — companion article, why the membrane changes the adhesive requirement
- Peel Strength and Post-Wash Delamination in Laminated Fabric — different angle, not a duplicate: that article covers the test methods (FZ/T 01010, FZ/T 80007.1) and post-wash delamination troubleshooting; this article covers adhesive-family selection and how to write the peel requirement
- Moisture Vapour Transmission Testing: GB/T 12704, ASTM E96 and JIS L1099 Compared — existing article, what a laminate has to transmit once it is bonded (draft
content/drafts/en/03-mvtr-testing-guide.en.md) - Lamination — process page, where both adhesive families run
- Process Knowledge — Resource Section — section page
Suzhou Tutaike Textile Technology Group Co., Ltd. (formerly Wujiang Tutaike Textile Finishing Co., Ltd.) Website: https://www.szttk.com.cn