Flexible Solutions

Many wound care device companies start with an innovative idea. Turning that idea into a mass-produced product can be extremely challenging. This concept is familiar to KitoTech Medical,a Seattle-based medical device company that develops wound care products. Kitotech was founded by Ronald Berenson, MD. Dr. Berenson is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years in biotech and medical device industry. Marian is proud to call KitoTech Medical a valued customer.

There are many EMI shielding materials to choose from when determining how to effectively control EMI within an electronic device. In this post, we focus on die-cut foil tapes for EMI shielding. Foil tapes with conductive adhesive provide effective shielding properties as the thin foil layer ensures good electrical contact with the component surface. Let's take a look deeper at EMI and why foil tapes may be the best-suited material for your application. 

What is EMI and Why is it Important?

Electromagnetic interference is unwanted “noise” or interference in an electrical path or circuit caused by an outside source. EMI can be caused by natural or man-made sources and can cause electronics to malfunction or to completely stop working. Therefore, EMI shielding and grounding components are important pieces in the design of electronic devices. 

When designing a medical device, the device is the focus. It must be safe and effective. It also must be packaged!

Marian is a converter of thin, flexible materials. Most often, these materials are supplied to us in a large roll format, sometimes called “master rolls” or “log rolls”. The materials are typically on a hard-fiber or plastic core.

 As you can see on our Materials webpage, Marian converts a wide range of material types in a myriad of different thicknesses. These include pressure-sensitive adhesives and tapes, sponge and foam, rubber, plastic films of all sorts, filter fabrics, foils, and more.

Double coated foam tapes are a type of adhesive tape that is made of tacky adhesive coated on both sides of a foam core or carrier. DC foam tapes fill gaps and distribute stress uniformly over the bonded area. Depending on the specific tape, the result is a bond line that seals, cushions, and damps vibration, resists impact, withstands a wide temperature range, and provides good insulating qualities. Double-coated foam tapes are strong and durable.

The need for EMI gaskets is growing as more high-frequency digital electronics are introduced into our everyday lives. This includes technologies like 5G infrastructure, IOT (internet of things), and rapid advances in automobile technology and connectivity.

Thermal Runaway Propagation Prevention with Thermal Barrier Materials

Marian provides custom flexible die cut solutions that are incorporated into battery design at the cell, module and pack level to aid with thermal management. These die-cut parts are made with high temperature resistant materials (also known as flame barrier materials) that are designed to offer thermal insulation to delay the onset of thermal runaway.

The majority of the die-cut parts manufactured by Marian include a Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tape (PSA). PSA tape is thin flexible material coated with a thin layer of adhesive, making one or both sides sticky. By producing billions of adhesive-backed parts each year, it’s safe to say Marian has a lot of experience with this sticky stuff!

PSA tapes can come in various constructions, which offer different functionalities based on your application. There are double-coated tapes, single-coated tapes, and adhesive transfer tapes. Check out our blog post, Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tape Constructions, to learn more about different tape constructions.

The first step is choosing the best PSA type and construction for your application (by the way, we can help with this! Download our ebook: 4 Questions to Ask Yourself when Selecting a PSA). An equally important step when utilizing a PSA in the assembly of your product, is the proper storage and proper application of the PSA. Missteps when storing and applying your PSA can lead to product failure.

Editor's note: As of 2024, 3M Healthcare is now a standalone company, Solventum. You can find more about the spin-off and how Marian is a Solventum Premier Converter here.

One of our top material suppliers, 3M, recently announced the release of their next generation of medical silicone adhesives, 3M Hi-Tack Silicone Adhesive Tapes. 3M 2480 is the first product to launch in this new portfolio. It is a single coated medical nonwoven tape with hi-tack silicone adhesive on a liner. The benefits of this exciting new material include:

• Longer wear-times (up to 4 days)
• Supports heavier devices
• Offers more secure adhesion
• Repositionable

Read the full press release from 3M here.

Editor's note: As of 2024, 3M Healthcare is now a standalone company, Solventum. You can find more about the spin-off and how Marian is a Solventum Premier Converter here.

In the 1960s, Dupont™ developed the versatile and high-performing Kapton^® Polyimide Film. Since its introduction, designers have relied on Kapton^® film because of its ability to maintain its electrical, thermal, chemical and mechanical properties at extreme temperatures. Kapton^® polyimide films have been used in many advanced markets including, electronic devices, electric vehicle battery, aerospace systems, power transformers, and more.

Pull-tabs, extended liners and split liners are assembly aids. They make the process of removing the liner from a die-cut adhesive part much easier. When you work with Marian, we keep your manufacturing and assembly process in mind as we develop the solution. Our goal is to make things easier for you, saving you labor and time spent during assembly, placement, or manufacturing. Once we understand how our part will be assembled into your product, we can often offer a variety of solutions. These solutions can include (but are not limited to):

• Part orientation / spacing on the liner
• Final packaging:
  • Kiss-cut to a liner and wound onto a roll
  • Singulated parts
  • Kiss-cut to sheets
  • Perforated liner
• Modifications to the carrier liner for fixturing
• Pull-tabs, extended liners, split liners

In this blog post, we are going to focus on pull-tabs, extended liners, and split liners.

Silicone rubber materials and some plastic films have chemically inert and non-porous surfaces, which equates to low surface energy. This means they have a weak molecular bonding force making it difficult to create a bond with many pressure sensitive adhesives.

Thermal gap pads are one common type of thermal management materials and are utilized in electronic devices within the interface, or gap, between a heat generating component and a heat sink. The heat sink or cooling plate is designed to conduct heat away from the heat generating component to keep it cool and running safely.

According to Parker Chomerics Thermal Management Engineering Handbook, the typical contact area between most semiconductors and heat sinks can be made up of 90% air voids! We also know that air is about 200 times less conductive than a 5 W/mK thermal interface pad. This is where the thermal gap pad comes in.

Thermal gap pads are made of soft polymer that flows into the air gaps in the interface to aid in the more efficient and effective conduction of heat.

Point-of-care and rapid diagnostic testing are increasingly important in the areas of disease detection, treatment monitoring, and preventative care. This market gained significant attention during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since become popular in helping patients diagnose other conditions from the comfort of their own home including variations of influenza and more.

It's imperative that components of these devices and test kits are reliable and of the highest quality, so material selection, precise manufacturing, and proper packaging are all extremely important.

Per the Rogers Corporation Website, Rogers “BISCO^® HT-800 Medium Cellular Silicone offers the lightness of foam with the enhanced sealing capabilities of sponge rubber.” In this post, we'll dive a little deeper into this excellent material.

Silicone Rubber, a "Low Surface Energy" Elastomer - What Does This Mean?

Silicone is a high-performance elastomer with the ability to withstand extreme temperatures, both high and low. It also naturally repels, which makes it an excellent choice for a water seal or a moisture barrier. However, this also makes silicone tricky to bond to other surfaces.

IP Rated Enclosures: Venting Solutions

Sensors, controllers, and other electronic elements are being integrated into devices across virtually every industry. Many of these products are made for use in conditions where they may be exposed to extreme temperatures, rain, wind, dust, and moisture. (See application story about "smart" shipping pallets linked at the bottom of this post.) Designing such products requires that the container or enclosure holding the electronic components be completely sealed. Exposure to harsh elements could cause a product failure. 

Custom Die-cut Parts for Automated Assembly

Among numerous assembly options, automated assembly is often the method of choice for many of our customers. Automated placement is used for projects with very high volumes where precise placement is critical. Automated assembly can also significantly increase assembly speed and efficiency.

Marian designs and manufactures custom components to fit seamlessly into our customers’ automated assembly process. We can modify many different aspects of the final part and packaging from liner type, part spacing and orientation, and quantity of parts per roll.  

Improvements are being made to the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. Auto makers are developing more powerful lithium-ion batteries that have increased range and charge more rapidly. Along with these improvements, enhancing safety has becoming increasingly urgent for electric vehicle development.

As mentioned in our previous blog post, 11 Considerations when Selecting Thermal Interface Materials for Electric Vehicle Li-Ion Batteries, Li-ion batteries produce a significant amount of heat while in use and while charging. Along with the use of thermal management materials, placing protective engineered flame-retardant insulating materials between the components of the battery cell, module, and pack can offer additional thermal and electrical insulating protection. However, adding such materials can be challenging due to space and weight constraints.

In this post, we outline four materials that can enhance the safety of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. Some shared characteristics of these four materials are listed below. 

• ultra-thin
• lightweight
• electrically and thermally insulating
• flame retardant
• can be die-cut and laminated with PSA

Read further for additional detail about each material.

Prototypes are typically produced in relatively small quantities and used by our customers to verify design, evaluate material choices, and build prototypes of their assembly.

Paint masking can be a tedious process. When masking an area with precision and over-masking is unacceptable, custom die-cut masks prove to be the best solution. Die-cut masks are pre-cut pieces of masking tape that are made to the exact size and shape of the surface area in need of masking. This video shows a direct comparison of the masking process with strips/knife versus masking with a die-cut part with a split liner. You'll see this demonstration proves that masking with a custom die-cut is easier, faster, more accurate, and safer. 

Materials for Battery Solutions - PORON EVExtend®

Our valued material supplier, Rogers Corporation, has released PORON EVExtend® polyurethane foam material. This material is ideal for battery pads for EV/HEV li-ion pouch cell batteries. The EXExtend 4701-43HBF offers an increased flammability rating of HBF, or HF1 (product dependent). 

11 Considerations When Selecting Thermal Interface Materials for Electric Vehicle Li-ion Battery

Currently, lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries are the most common type of battery used to power electric vehicles. Today's market is demanding that batteries charge faster and last longer. Because li-ion batteries produce significant heat when in use and charging, thermal management is critical. Excessive heat can cause irreparable damage to the battery. 

Technological advances in properties of soft, flexible foam and elastomeric materials have continued. These thick, soft, flexible foams and elastomers like PORON foam, silicone foam, and more are ideal materials for sealing, gasketing and cushioning across many industries and applications.

They compress, form to irregular surfaces, bend, and flex within an application without damage or delamination, but from the perspective of the converter, these materials may also introduce challenges when trying to achieve the tight dimensional tolerances common in metal and plastic-molded parts.

We have published a new customer success story! In this story, the customer required a static seal for a navigation module that would be contained and used on the exterior of a recreational vehicle. The exterior navigation/infotainment module would be exposed to outdoor elements including extreme temperature swings, rain, wind, and dust. The gasket was required to reliably perform for the life expectancy of the class A RV. This could be more than 10 years! The customer came to Marian for a solution.

Ever wonder why hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other healthcare providers don’t just use duct tape for bandages, wound care, and device fixation? Well, there are many reasons, but first, try sticking it to the skin and peeling it off. The main reason is simple: duct tape does not use a medical grade pressure sensitive adhesive.

Medical adhesives must be skin-friendly, non-migratory, and have a variable degree of initial tack and peel adhesion. Ease of removal, breathability, and durability also differentiate medical adhesives from other types of tape.

In this newly released application story, a global designer and manufacturer of critical intercommunication devices experienced a gasket failure allowing moisture to leak and compromise the internal components of their console. It's remarkable the amount of damage a single drop of water can do. Moisture often contains impurities and minerals that remain even after the water evaporates. Between the moisture and these remaining elements, the contamination can cause short circuits, corrosion, and mechanical problems. A malfunctioning device leads to recalls, replacements, and eventually a poor reputation. The company in this story did NOT want to deal with any of this. 

The intercom console product was intended to be used in medical office settings. Cleanliness and sanitary standards were very important for the high-touch surface of this device. The console was sprayed with liquid cleaners often. The console housing required a reliable sealing gasket to keep moisture out.  

Just about everything that has been engineered is likely to experience vibration. Unfortunately, it has been proven that vibration can be responsible for causing extreme damage to some applications. The source of vibration can come from impact, internal motors or external sources. 

Video Demo: Thermal Resistivity and Conductivity of Silicone Foam

Thermal resistivity and thermal conductivity can be two very important physical features of foam materials for certain applications. Most devices containing electronic components must be designed to deal with heat in one way or another. Electronic circuitry operates most reliably at lower temperatures. High operating temperatures decrease the service life of the device or module. It is critical for designs to either conduct or isolate heat away from delicate components to ensure ideal operating temperatures.

When choosing a foam for a product design, one feature that should be considered is the compression set resistance of the foam. C-Set is one of the most important characteristics to consider, and this blog post answers three basic questions to explain why. 

Silicone elastomers are used in several diverse applications and industries because of their many unique properties. Silicone materials' attractive features include low compression set at elevated temperatures, flexibility at low temperatures, hydrophobic characteristics, high dielectric strength, low flammability, and can be food grade compliant. It is also lightweight yet high performing which is ideal for extreme environments. 

Die-cut Components for Medical Devices

We believe that true stories can tell you more than any marketing materials that we create. That is why we are sharing two new case studies in this blog post. Both case studies explore die-cut solutions that Marian provided to medical device companies. Quality and reliability are critical in this industry. Additionally, assembly efficiency and cost savings are important to the success of the business. In these case studies, you will see that Marian is well equipped and prepared to meet the stringent requirements demanded by the medical device industry. Enjoy!  

As medical device designs trend toward including cutting-edge electronics technology and wireless capabilities, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) is a growing factor in device design.

Imagine going 65 mph in your vehicle while on a road trip. The road you are driving on is old, so your vehicle bobs up and down the many dips and divots, your speakers are loud and are causing your rearview mirror to vibrate, making it hard to see, and your moon roof has a roaring noise sneaking through the cracks.

These foul disturbances are examples of NVH, also known as Noise Vibration Harshness.

Marian sales engineers are experts in designing high quality parts for any small, complex applications. Below, you will find links to two of our newest success stories that highlight laminated foam materials in two very different markets (LED lighting and automotive). In both stories, you will find that Marian's team of experts worked closely with customers to design a unique part and provided exceptional material recommendations to create a winning solution. Sales engineers must be strategic in choosing materials to ensure that they meet all requirements of the design.

Marian has a brand-new demonstration piece to share with the world! Strategically named "Test My Memory," the demo illustrates the impact of compression cycling over time with 4 different foams. Neoprene, Polyethelyne, PORON Urethane, and BISCO Silicone are tested by being compressed for 48 hours.

Foam Material Compression

In the demonstration, you will see that certain foams depreciate as they take on impact over time, whereas other foams resist the compression set by returning to their original thickness. The material characteristic of being able to take a compression set, also called compression force defection, is extremely important in long-term sealing applications. The ability of the material to "push back" to fill in any potential gaps that would allow water or dust to pass through is critical. This makes such materials an excellent option for sealing gaskets. We wrote an entire blog post about compression force deflection, you can read it here: Compression Force Deflection in Foam Gaskets: A Critical Property

Nitto TR Thermally Conductive Adhesive Tape Series

Nitto’s TR series is a must-have for thermal and electronic applications. The TR series features a selection of double-coated tapes including TR-5912F and TR-5925F. These tapes exhibit powerful adhesion and thermal conductivity which accounts for their strength and reliability. Nitto recommends replacing the use of a screw-in an LED or other thermal applications with these thermally conductive adhesives for the best performance. Using the tape method offers superior thermal conductivity performance, and can extend the life of your LED, compared to using the screw method. 

Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are defined as any transfer, single coated, or double coated bonding tapes that only require pressure in order to completely adhere and bond to a surface. One important component that single coated tapes and double coated tapes share is their requirement to have a tape carrier. Depending on the type of tape you're using, the carrier serves different purposes.

3M™ has released a series of new attachment tapes for the automotive market with a goal to strengthen their offering in low VOC thin attachment tapes where increasing regulation and OEM/Tier suppliers are driving a larger need. VOC refers to the amount of volatile organic compounds. VOCs are inherently present in newly produced components for auto interiors, which are made of materials like rubber, plastic, foam, and leather. They contain additives that are especially volatile when vehicles are new.  Automobile manufacturers have become increasingly focused on the air quality of the interior, making a push toward lower VOC emissions, which makes low VOC tapes appealing. 

Here are 10 things you should know about 3M Low VOC Tapes:

PTFE membrane vents are made of hydrophobic microporous materials. This amazing PTFE material is designed to allow air to pass through while acting as a firm barrier to water and dust. 

Outdoor LED Lighting enclosures contain electronics assemblies that must be protected from the elements (rain, dirt, debris). As LED lights operate, they generate heat. As the enclosure heats up and cools down through the cycle of operation, the internal pressure changes. Without the ability to relieve this pressure, the enclosure can sustain damage and condensation can form. Both situations can be detrimental to the successful operation of the LED lighting system. 

PTFE membrane vents are a cost-effective way to protect your LED product. They keep dust and liquids out of the enclosure and relieve positive pressure or negative pressure within the enclosure.

What is a Light Shaping Diffuser?

Manufactured by Luminit - LSDs are light-diffusing films with patented holographic patterns embedded into optically clear polycarbonate or polyester sheets. These innovative materials homogenize and directionally shape light with high-transmission efficiency. Applications that could benefit from this technology are LED lighting, architectural lighting, recessed downlighting, signs & displays. Light-diffusing films are available with three types of angles: circular, elliptical, and linear.

• Circular spread a light source into a larger circular pattern, and for this reason, they are used widely across many industries. 
• Elliptical diffuser angles include 80 x 50, and 60 x 10. Common applications include hallways and specialty lighting that highlights a specific area. 
• Linear diffusers, typically 60 x 1 (60 along the width, and 1 along the length) are commonly used in applications where light must be diffused into a line (for example, a bar code scanner). 
   

Compression Force Deflection

Applications that experience periodic compression cycling over time may require a gasket that is capable of compression rebound. In the event that your application uses a material that does not resist compression force, the material may depreciate over time. When your gasket has dwindled or has deteriorated from all of the periodic compression cycling, your gasket will become ineffective and will need to be replaced. In a perfect world, your gasket should rebound to fill any potential gaps. Using a material with great compression resistance will guarantee a long-term sealing performance that will work just as effectively each time you reseal your application.

What is 3M™ FRB?  

It is thin flexible insulation made primarily of inorganic materials that is easily converted. The 3M™ FRB barrier material provides very high flammability and ignitability resistance, excellent arc and track resistance, good dielectric strength, and good thermal performance to safely contain electrical hazards. 

Outdoor LED lights are subject to a wide range of environmental elements and must be designed to withstand these hazards for the long life of LEDs. There are many components included in an outdoor lighting assembly, and one of the most important elements is a gasket. When choosing a material for an outdoor lighting gasket, it's imperative to understand the mechanics of an outdoor lighting fixture.

Thermally Conductive Materials in LED Assemblies

Although LEDs are considerably more efficient than traditional lighting forms, they do still produce heat. This heat can have an adverse effect on the LED and therefore must be managed to ensure the true benefits of this technology are realized. If excessive junction temperatures are reached, particularly above the maximum operating temperature of the LED (~120-150˚C), a non-recoverable effect could occur, leading to complete failure. Operating temperature is directly related to the lifetime of the LED; the higher the temperature, the shorter the LED life.

Platinum cure silicone materials can be an excellent material choice for your application. You may be familiar with peroxide cure silicones, the conventional method to cure silicone, which contains a catalyst biproduct that has a smell and contains industrial chemicals. The mechanism of a peroxide cure is a free radical cure that results in a number of different by-products. A post-cure is necessary to drive them off. While peroxide cure silicones are great solutions for industrial and environmental applications, health care products often require an ultra-clean material. This is where platinum cure silicone materials come in.  

Heat Spreaders

As summer comes to an end, we bring you our final post in our Hot Summer Blog Series exploring Thermal Interface Materials. In this post, we briefly look at heat spreaders.A heat spreader is a heat exchanger that moves heat between a heat source and a secondary heat exchanger whose surface area and geometry are more favorable than the source. Heat spreaders conduct heat in the x,y, and z axes which spreads the heat to a larger surface area for efficient and effective heat dissipation. This heat dissipation keeps devices running at a safe operating temperature.