Method for the production of adhesive-coated articles, articles obtainable thereby and their use

1. A method for the production of an adhesive-coated article, comprising the steps of:

(I) providing a substrate;

(II) applying a first polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer onto the substrate,

the first polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer being capable of attaining an at least partially crystalline state with a final degree of crystallinity,

wherein during and/or after the application the first polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer is present in a non-crystalline state;

wherein the first polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polymer has a melting temperature from ≧42° C. to ≦80° C., a glass transition temperature from ≧−100° C. to ≦−10° C. and a molecular weight M w from ≧20000 g/mol to ≦80000 g/mol, the glass transition temperature being determined by differential scanning calorimetry according to DIN 65467 at a heating rate of 20 K/min,

wherein the method further comprises the steps:

(III) applying onto the first polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer of step (II) a composition comprising a mixture of a second polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer and furthermore an acrylate polymer,

wherein the application is performed while the degree of crystallinity of the first polyurethane-polyurea polymer is lower than its final degree of crystallinity,

wherein the second polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer has a glass transition temperature from ≧−50° C. to ≦10° C. and the acrylate polymer has a glass transition temperature of ≧30° C., the glass transition temperatures being determined by differential scanning calorimetry according to DIN 65467 at a heating rate of 20 K/min.; and

(IV) cooling the article obtained to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the acrylate polymer.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the composition in step (III) is applied via intaglio printing.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (III) is performed ≧0.1 seconds to ≦60 seconds after the end of step (II).

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in step (IV) the obtained article is cooled to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the acrylate polymer via a chill roll.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is conducted as a roll-to-roll process.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the composition in step (III) has a thickness of ≧1 μm to ≦50 μm after drying.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer in step (II) is a latent reactive adhesive and furthermore the second polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer and/or the acrylate polymer in step (III) comprise free isocyanate reactive groups.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer in step (II) is obtained by the reaction of:

(A) at least one diol and/or polyol component,

(B) at least one di- and/or polyisocyanate component,

(C) at least one component having sulphonate and/or carboxylate groups,

(D) mono-, di- and/or tri-amino-functional and/or hydroxyamino-functional compounds, as appropriate, and

(E) other isocyanate-reactive compounds, as appropriate.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer in step (III) is obtained by the reaction of:

(A) at least one diol and/or polyol component,

(B) at least one di- and/or polyisocyanate component,

(C) at least one component having sulphonate and/or carboxylate groups,

(D) mono-, di- and/or tri-amino-functional and/or hydroxyamino-functional compounds, as appropriate, and

(E) other isocyanate-reactive compounds, as appropriate.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the acrylate polymer in step (III) is obtained by the reaction of:

(a) ≧40% to ≦70% by weight of styrene and/or other vinyl aromatic compounds,

(b) ≧4% to ≦40% by weight of an acrylic ester,

(c) ≧2% to ≦5% by weight of an acid-functional, olefinically unsaturated monomer and

(d) ≧10% to ≦40% by weight of a methacrylic ester,

wherein the total weight proportions of the components a) to d) amount to ≦100% by weight.

11. An article of manufacture, obtained by the method according to claim 1 , comprising:

a substrate;

a first layer on top of to the substrate,

the first layer comprising a first polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer which has a melting temperature from ≧42° C. to ≦80° C., a glass transition temperature from ≧−100° C. to ≦−10° C. and a molecular weight M w from ≧20000 g/mol to ≦80000 g/mol, and

a second layer on top of to the first layer,

the second layer comprising a second polyurethane and/or polyurethane-polyurea polymer with a glass transition temperature from ≧−50° C. to ≦10° C. and

further comprising an acrylate polymer which has a glass transition temperature of ≧30° C.,

all glass transition temperatures being determined by differential scanning calorimetry according to DIN 65467 at a heating rate of 20 K/min.

12. The article of manufacture according to claim 11 , wherein the article does not comprise a release paper or a release film.

13. A method for coating of an object utilizing the article according to claim 11 .