Flexible Solutions

Bio-Based Tapes and Foams: Greener Component Manufacturing

Posted by Lynn Zeheralis

January 3, 2024 11:39 AM

As interest from consumers to purchase products that are sustainably sourced and manufactured grows, companies around the globe are modifying their practices to include measures and policies to reduce their carbon footprint.

As a result, bio-based tapes and foams are emerging as more sustainable alternatives to traditional petroleum-based products in industrial manufacturing. As these new subsets of materials draw more attention, some of our key supplier partners like Shihua®, tesa®, and Saint-Gobain have expanded their product lines to include bio-based materials.

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Topics: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive, Foams, Material selection, PSA, Sustainable Materials

Why P-THERM® Gap Fillers Are Essential for EV Battery Design

Posted by Ben Hvidston

November 1, 2023 8:45 AM

The rapid advancement of the electric vehicle (EV) market is no secret, and to keep pace with this progress, OEMs seek cutting-edge thermal management solutions that perform well and come at a reasonable cost.

Among essential materials used for heat management in EV batteries, thermal gap fillers play a crucial role. Marian collaborates with suppliers like Polymer Science, whose partnership allows for development of high-quality gap filler materials along with various other essential materials for managing heat in electric vehicles.

We sat down with John Biddle, Vice President of Product Development at Polymer Science for a Q&A session where we delved into their contributions to the production of thermal management material and the benefits they bring to the EV world.

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Topics: Thermal Management, EV, battery, Material selection, thermal interface material, Electric Vehicle, Thermal Gap Filler Pads, Automotive, Polymer Science

What are Double Coated Foam Tapes?

Posted by Katie Sullivan

October 27, 2021 8:53 AM

 

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.

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Topics: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive, Acrylic Foam Tape, Material selection, die cutting, 3m tape, PSA

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

Posted by Katie Sullivan

December 15, 2020 8:30 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

4 Insulating Materials for use in EV Batteries

Posted by Katie Sullivan

August 27, 2019 9:00 AM

Improvements are being made to the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. Car makers are developing more powerful lithium-ion batteries that have increased range and charge more rapidly. Along with these improvements, enhancing safety is 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.

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Topics: Thermal Management, EV, HEV, Material selection, Insulators

3 Common Misconceptions About Durometer

Posted by Andrew Bonar

July 9, 2019 9:32 AM

 
The Shore durometer (pictured right) is a scale for measuring the hardness of a material, such as rubber, plastic, thermal  plastics (TPE), and rigid plastics. The term "durometer" is often used to describe a material's rating on the scale, for example “this material has a durometer of 60.”
  
It's worth noting, there are a variety of durometer scales since elastomeric and plastic resins vary over a wider range than one scale can accommodate. Download our comparison chart to see how these scales overlap.
 
Durometer hardness is one of many physical properties considered when selecting a material for a specific application. Beware of some common misconceptions. Durometer hardness is often inaccurately confused with the properties described below. 

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Topics: Foams, Compression Force Deflection, PORON, Elastomers, Material selection

PORON® EVExtend For Use In EV/HEV Li-ion Pouch Cell Batteries

Posted by Katie Sullivan

May 29, 2019 1:01 PM

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). 

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Topics: Foams, PORON, EV, HEV, Material selection

11 Considerations When Selecting TIM for EV Li-ion Battery

Posted by Katie Sullivan

March 22, 2019 8:06 AM

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. 

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Topics: Thermal Management, EV, HEV, battery, Material selection