Flexible Solutions

What There is to Know About Tape Primers 

3M recently launched two high-performance acrylic foam tape lines for the automotive market: EX4500 and PX5000.

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 and promote and increase adhesion.

Zoned adhesive lamination describes the process of laminating a selective pattern of PSA (pressure-sensitive adhesive) onto another material to achieve a specific function. Simply said, this process involves manufacturing a multi-layer part in which the layers have different geometries. This occurs through a process of conversion - laminating materials together, precisely die cutting those materials, and pulling away from the unwanted PSA material from the finished part.  

Zoned adhesive patterns are often required for filter and venting die-cut components and often include a PSA layer. As you can see in this image, the mesh is cut into a circle while the adhesive is cut into a ring, which allows air and sound to flow through the center of the mesh.  

Tape for Permanent Mounting AND/OR Temporary Fixation. Is that possible!? 

How can an adhesive tape have an extremely high bonding strength while also being easily removable?  Seems improbable, right?  Let us introduce you to the tesa® Bond & Detach series of stretch release tapes.  

When selecting a pressure sensitive adhesive for your die-cut tape, there are many characteristics to consider. Tapes have varying degrees and even different varieties of peel strength. Peel strength, tensile strength, and shear strength of a tape are each measured utilizing specific tests, as shown in the video demonstrations below.

When choosing a PSA for your application, you will want to consider the different types of adhesion strength and determine which are the most important to your application’s proper function.  

Over the years, the use of pressure sensitive adhesive tape has grown rapidly in manufacturing and practically all other industries. This means a growing number of design engineers are learning about and sourcing pressure sensitive adhesives for their application. Adhesive selection is an involved process is to determine the surface energy of the two substrates that are being bonded. 

WHAT IS SURFACE ENERGY?

Are you designing a product or working on an application that requires a double-sided tape or transfer adhesive? There are infinite amounts of tape materials available with different adhesive types, carrier types, and constructions. We understand that it can be overwhelming to look through numerous catalogs of pressure-sensitive adhesive products to determine which one will work best in your application. Therefore, we have come up with a checklist of only 4 questions that will help you narrow down the most important factors in your decision. Some factors to start with when selecting a PSA material include:

• Required function of the PSA (i.e.: bonding, sealing, skin contact)
• Substrate surface energy (is the bonding surface high surface energy, low surface energy?)
• What type of stress will be exerted on the PSA? (shear stress, pluck stress?)
• What other conditions will the PSA be exposed to? (high/low temperatures, solvent & liquid exposure, visual appearance)