- Fragile Base Materials: The Core of Destructibility
The key to destructible stickers lies in using materials that easily break under force (like pulling, tearing, or bending), rather than deforming. These materials fall into two categories: natural fiber paper and synthetic fragile films.
(1) Fragile Paper: Naturally Weak Fiber Structure
Fragile paper is the most commonly used material in destructible stickers. Its destructibility comes from its short plant fibers arranged irregularly and weak internal bonding.
Composition & Structure:
Made from short wood pulp or grass pulp fibers (0.5–2mm, much shorter than standard paper), bonded with minimal plant-based glue (only 1/3–1/5 the strength of regular paper). This makes the paper tear easily rather than stretch.
Destruction Behavior:
When someone tries to peel or remove it by hand, knife, or heat, the paper breaks into small, rough fragments that can’t be reassembled. Even soaking in solvent causes swelling and disintegration due to its absorbent nature.
Applications:
Best for indoor, dry environments like warranty labels on electronics (phones, laptops), anti-counterfeit cosmetic stickers, and official document seals.
It’s low-cost (about half the price of synthetic film) and supports standard printing methods like offset and flexographic printing.
Limitations:
Poor water resistance (softens after 30+ minutes of soaking) and heat resistance (above 60°C can cause cracks). Not suitable for outdoor, wet, or high-temperature environments (e.g., car parts or bathroom products).
(2) Fragile Synthetic Films: Durable Option for Industrial Use
To solve the weathering issues of paper, fragile synthetic films like PET or OPP are treated chemically or physically to become destructible while staying stable in tough conditions.
Modification Methods:
Chemical: Add 5–15% brittle agents (like phthalates or polystyrene) to weaken molecular bonds and make the film easy to break.
Physical: Use high-stretch orientation in one direction, making the film strong in one way but fragile across it. When force is applied across the orientation, the film cracks instead of stretches, with break elongation under 10%.
Destruction Behavior:
These films show rigid cracking — when peeled, radial cracks form and quickly spread, breaking the film into sharp, unrepairable pieces.
Applications:
Ideal for outdoor, wet, or high-temperature use, such as power boxes, telecom equipment labels, auto parts, or chemical packaging.
Strong resistance to water (no swelling after 24h), temperature (-40°C to 80°C), and chemicals (acids, alkalis).
Limitations:
Higher cost (2–3x more than fragile paper), requires special inks (to avoid film breaking during printing), and is harder to process.
- Layered Structure Design: Enhancing Tamper-Proof Effects
Single-layer materials have limits — for example, fragile paper can sometimes be removed intact after soaking. To improve tamper resistance, multi-layer structures are used. The goal is to control the bond strength between layers so that:
Layer separation happens before the base layer breaks, creating a complex, unrepairable destruction.
(1) Two-Layer Structure: Fragile Film + Breakable Paper
A common combo is brittle PET film (top layer) + fragile paper (bottom layer), bonded with low-adhesion glue (peel strength 5–10N/m).
Destruction Mechanism:
When someone tries to remove the sticker:
The top PET layer cracks.
The adhesive fails and layers separate.
The bottom paper tears into fragments.
This results in a mixed damage state: cracked PET + torn paper + layer residue — impossible to remove cleanly.
Key Technical Point:
Precise control of glue adhesion is critical.
If glue is too strong: layers tear together, no layering effect.
If glue is too weak: layers may separate too early.
The balance is usually achieved by adjusting the crosslinking degree of polymers in the adhesive.
