Glen Rock, Pa., Nov. 5, 2026 — Adhesives Research (AR), a leading global provider of advanced adhesive technologies, is celebrating its 65th anniversary of solving complex customer challenges by reflecting on its history and offering a vision for the future. In 1961, Erwin Huber founded the independent, family-owned company in a garage in York, Pennsylvania, to serve the graphic arts label market. Today the company develops and manufactures high-performance, pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes, specialty films, coatings, laminates, and release liners for products people rely on every day around the world.
“This milestone is a testament to every employee, customer, and partner who has helped us grow into a global organization with operations in Europe and Asia,” said Hannah Huber, Chairman & CEO of Adhesives Research. “I’m proud that we are still a family-owned company that serves markets and technologies that positively impact lives around the world.”
A global technology leader
AR’s growth has been marked by steady investment in new facilities, technology and markets. After its founding in 1961, there have been many notable milestones:
- 1979–1981: AR opens its headquarters in Glen Rock, Pa., then quickly expands it in 1981 to grow the company’s innovation, production, and development capabilities.
- 1999: To better serve customers in Europe, AR opens a manufacturing facility in Limerick, Ireland, which offers similar capabilities as the Glen Rock headquarters.
- 2004: The company opens a sales office in Singapore to provide direct support to customers in Asia.
- 2007: AR unveils its Class 10,000 Cleanroom and an Innovation Lab, both in Glen Rock, PA, to help meet the strict cleanliness and quality requirements of healthcare and electronics customers.
- 2018: AR further expands its support for customers in Asia by opening its Shanghai sales office.
- 2019: By acquiring new precision converting capabilities, AR can now deliver finished components made to customer specifications.
- 2025: A new pilot coater helps speed the development and scale-up of new adhesive systems, allowing AR to move customers from concept to production faster.
- 2026: AR continues to invest in the future of materials science, employing ~400 skilled experts, with R&D capabilities that have resulted in over 35 patents to-date.
Serving today’s most demanding markets
AR combines polymer science, adhesive formulation, and materials science to develop PSA solutions for applications where performance cannot be compromised. In addition to working with customers to solve their unique challenges, the company also maintains a broad portfolio of core offerings that serve a variety of high-demand applications:
- Healthcare: AR’s ARcare® portfolio supports diabetes care, diagnostics, and wearable medical devices. These include skin-friendly tapes, as well as device-bonding, hydrophilic, and spacer tapes that help medical device manufacturers assemble reliable, high-performing products.
- Electronics: AR formulates optically clear, electrically conductive, moisture-resistant, and electronically clean tapes that are used for displays and touchscreens, EV batteries, and smart and solar glass.
- Industrial: For automotive, construction, and industrial applications, AR’s PSAs offer an alternative to mechanical fasteners, liquid epoxies, and solder. They support faster prototyping, quicker changeovers, and greater automation.
- Splicing: ARclad® splicing tapes for pulp and paper, flexible packaging, and personal hygiene manufacturing maintain splice integrity across a wide range of temperatures, humidity levels, and line speeds, and include repulpable options for paper production.
“Our products are the building blocks and performance enhancers for devices people know and rely on every day. For someone living with diabetes, reliable performance of a continuous glucose monitor is critical,” said Hannah Huber. “Skin is the most challenging substrate. Our skin adhesives allow these devices to be worn for weeks at a time, and can be removed gently. Our customers brought us a challenge to reduce skin irritation and increase the duration of time a patient could wear these life-saving devices. Solving that problem allows us to positively impact millions of lives around the world every day.”
The company continues to invest in research, development, and manufacturing capabilities that turn new ideas into production-ready solutions.
“Over the next several years, the biggest demands for innovation will come from medical devices, including wearables and patient monitoring, as well as pressure-sensitive adhesives needed to perform in critical electronics and automotive applications,” said Mike Allen, General Manager and CCO, Adhesives Research. “Customers in those markets are asking materials to do more under tougher conditions than ever before. While I was leading the R&D team at AR, we had earned a reputation for solving problems no one else could, and we continue to do that to this day. We get involved early, understand what the materials can do, and bring them into applications that make a difference in the lives of people every day.”
As AR enters its next chapter, it is building on the same foundation that has stood for 65 years: deep technical expertise, close customer relationships and a willingness to take on highly technical challenges.
See how 65 years of innovation, ingenuity and customer partnerships have shaped Adhesives Research. Watch our Then and Now video celebrating the company’s journey from 1961 to today.
About Adhesives Research
Adhesives Research (AR) is a global leader in developing and manufacturing products that improve the world. Since 1961, the company has partnered with customers to deliver high-performance adhesive tapes, specialty films, coatings, laminates, and release liners for demanding applications. Headquartered in Glen Rock, PA, USA, and supported by facilities in Ireland, China, and Singapore, AR’s team of world-class scientists and engineers provides unmatched design flexibility and solutions that accelerate product development from concept through commercialization. For more information, please visit www.adhesivesresearch.com.
Media Contact:
Amanda Kernan, Global Brand Communications Manager, Adhesives Research
Email: akernan@arglobal.com | Phone: +1 7176803849
