Flexible Solutions

Wearable Device Design - Selecting a Stick-to-Skin Adhesive

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Dec 15, 2020 8:30:00 AM

When designing a wearable device that will be attached to the human body, selecting the most appropriate stick-to-skin adhesive is a very important part of the design process, and Marian can help. If you take two things away from this article, they should be the following:

1. Think about material selection early in the wearable device design process.

2. Involve your material converter early in the wearable device design process.

Material converters, like Marian, can be an invaluable resource as you begin to make decisions about your design, including choosing the stick-to-skin adhesive materials.

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Topics: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive, Medical PSA, Skin-Contact PSA, Material selection, 3M, 3m tape

Kapton® Polyimide Film's Extraordinary Properties

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Oct 26, 2020 11:00:00 AM

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® films have been used in many advanced markets including, electronic devices, electric vehicle battery, aerospace systems, power transformers, and more.

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Topics: Insulators

Pull-Tabs, Extended Liners, and Split Liners for Ease of Assembly

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Sep 9, 2020 9:34:31 AM

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.

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Corona Treatment of Silicone Elastomers and Plastic Films

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Aug 12, 2020 8:30:00 AM

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.

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Topics: Surface Energy, Foams, BISCO Silicone, Silicone

The Best Thermal Gap Pad for Your Design

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Jul 29, 2020 9:30:00 AM

Thermal gap pads 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.

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Topics: Thermal Management, thermal pad, thermal interface material

Die-Cut Solutions for Rapid Diagnostic Testing

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Jun 22, 2020 8:45:00 AM

Point-of-care and rapid diagnostic testing are increasingly important in the areas of disease detection, treatment monitoring, and preventative care. This market is particularly important as the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic. It is imperative that components of these devices and test kits are reliable and of the highest quality.

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Topics: Foams, medical device, Medical PSA, 3m tape

BISCO HT-800 Medium Silicone Foam: Material Spotlight

Posted by Katie Sullivan

May 27, 2020 12:02:32 PM

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 are going to dive a little deeper into this excellent material.

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Topics: Foams, LED Lighting, BISCO Silicone, Silicone

Silicone Rubber, a Low Surface Energy Material

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Mar 31, 2020 10:00:00 AM

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.

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Topics: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive, Surface Energy, Foams, BISCO Silicone, Silicone

3M Die Cut Tapes

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Feb 13, 2020 9:00:00 AM

3M Die Cut Tapes

M arian die cuts millions of components containing 3M tapes. 3M die cut tapes are used in countless applications across many industries. 3M offers one of the most innovative portfolios of tape products in the world including double-sided tapes, single-sided tapes, adhesive transfer tapes, 3M™ VHB™ tapes, and double-sided foam tapes. While 3M tapes can be applied utilizing rolls of material, there are many scenarios where a die cut component can greatly improve placement efficiency and accuracy. 
 

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Topics: Acrylic Foam Tape, Die-Cutting, Application Story, 3M, 3m tape

Sealed Devices: Venting Solutions For IP Rated Enclosures

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Dec 11, 2019 10:00:00 AM

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. 

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Topics: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive, manufacturing techniques, IP Rating, Vent Material, Automated Assembly, ingress protection, PTFE membrane