Flexible Solutions

Benefits for Plastic Injection Molders: Vendor Consolidation, Value Add Solutions

Why is it so imperative that plastic injection molding companies provide value added services and secondary manufacturing services to their customers after molding their parts? The answer is easy! Many end-customers of plastic injection molders are looking for vendor consolidation and supply chain simplification. They want to cut out and skip steps in their supply chain, sequentially helping to reduce costs and save time!

Emblem Adhesive Tape Solutions

Imagine all the torture and stress an emblem endures in its lifetime. Emblems have to absorb the shock of a car driving over a pothole, the blow of a boat sailing over a wave, the turbulence of a plane flying through a jet stream, and even the vibrations of a running washing machine. 

Not only must emblems survive those tensions, but also harsh weather conditions. It is no easy task for an emblem to hold its bond or evade cracks during hot summers, cold winters and severe weather storms.

After all the stress an emblem endures, you would expect it to fall off quickly, which it will, unless you use industry leading emblem adhesive tapes to create a strong bond. Using the highest quality attachment materials ensures an emblem will maintain its longevity and hold a strong bond.

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.

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:

The use of pressure sensitive adhesives is growing rapidly in the industrial manufacturing market. The advantages of using adhesive tapes are clear:  they are lightweight, clean, and safe. Marian has the converting capabilities to produce die cut tapes, which are cut to specific dimensions. Tapes are often combined with, or laminated to other materials such as foam or film to create a more dynamic die cut part.

Ingress Protection (IP) Rating is a common international test method (IEC 60529) to rate enclosure protection from objects and liquids.  

Why is an IP Rating important?  

UL, CSA and CE Mark Standards often require certified products to hold a specific IP rating. Some examples of such products include IT equipment, laboratory equipment, electronic measurement equipment, plus anything claiming to be "dust tight" or "water-resistant", etc. These terms indicate that a device is able to operate successfully in harsh environments with potentially wet and dusty conditions. The IP rating scale provides a range of two numbers that indicate the level of protection provided.

The IP Rating looks like this:  IPXX

1.  The first number indicates protection from solid objects or materials

2.  The second number indicates protection from liquids

For example, an enclosure that is rated IP54 is dust-protected. It will allow limited ingress of dust with the operation of the equipment for two to eight hours. The enclosure is also protected against water splashed from all directions, limited water ingress permitted.

Die-cut foam tape can be an excellent choice for your bonding application. With help from our friends at 3M, here are the top 10 reasons to choose acrylic foam tape versus mechanical fasteners. 

Marian is offering TWO new 3M acrylic foam tape series: EX4500 and PX5000 

3M recently launched two high-performance acrylic foam tape lines for the automotive market. 3M Tape primers are applied to the bonding surface prior to the application of the tape. Primers are often made of chemicals like isopropyl alcohol. They promote and increase adhesion. While the use of primers can be beneficial, they can also be an irritant to exposed employees and harmful to the environment. The application of primers also adds more labor and time to the tape application process. For this reason, 3M has developed two new acrylic foam tapes, EX4500 and PX5000. Marian, a 3M automotive preferred converter, is now offering these materials.