Before diving into this exceptional substance's many uses, let’s start with the basics: “What is hydrogel?”
Scott Chambers
Recent posts by Scott Chambers
10 min read
Overview of Wound Dressings
The injury healing process can be long and painful whether wounds are open or closed, shallow or deep.
Topics: Converting Medical Medical Adhesive Tape
10 min read
Medical Adhesive Tape: Types and Best Practices for Wound Care
When you think of healthcare supplies, which comes to mind first: A stethoscope to hear a heartbeat? A syringe to give a needed shot? Perhaps even the "Ahhhhhh, open wide" tongue depressor!
Topics: Medical Medical Adhesive Tape
5 min read
So, You're Looking To Use Electrically Conductive Transfer Tape
Electrically conductive transfer tape has been used for years to avoid causing messes with thermal glue.
5 min read
An Overview of 3M's F9473pc VHB Adhesive Transfer Tape
Regardless of the type of material, it should always fit the needs of the project you’re embarking upon.
5 min read
These Are Your Application Temperatures For 3M VHB Tape
When purchasing tape in the past, you may have noticed the term “application temperature” in its description.
Topics: 3M VHB Tape
6 min read
6 Surprising Applications of Custom Die Cut Adhesives
OK, here’s the tagline: Die cut adhesives are incredibly versatile and can solve business challenges in various industries.
Topics: Adhesives Generally Converting
10 min read
Here's Why EPDM Gaskets Might be The Right Fit For You
EPDM rubber is known for its UV light resistance, but there are other reasons EPDM gaskets are used in the construction and automotive industries, right?
24 min read
Types of Poron Foam and the Pros and Cons of Each
Polyurethanes are the largest class of polymers worldwide, with a global market of $79 Billion. As a class, it’s rapidly expanding.
Breakthroughs in materials science continue to add opportunities for innovation in materials science and global industries, and taking advantage of those opportunities yields a big reward.
Just ask the electric vehicle industry. Top EV companies increasingly use polymer foam as a thermal interface. This keeps powerful Li-ION batteries safe and prevents them from overheating in electric vehicles.
PORON foam is one such groundbreaking material.
Topics: Converting Foam Gaskets
9 min read
How Die Cut Adhesive Tape Can Improve Production
With most of the world connected online, innovation might seem like a labyrinth of endless ideas.
10 min read
Neoprene Gasket Chemical Resistance: Read This Before You Choose a Material
Nature gave us one of the best gasket materials possible — rubber. Natural rubber can stretch and has the same elasticity in all directions, something wholly unique to the material.
Topics: Gaskets
5 min read
Here's the Latest Rundown on Precision Die Cutting
Precision die cutting has existed for over a hundred years, yet the technology is still developing, and the industry continues to grow.
Topics: Rotary Die Cutting
7 min read
The Difference Between a Gasket and a Seal
In 2021, the global gaskets and seals market reached a US $60.2 billion value.
Topics: Foam Gaskets Gaskets
6 min read
Die Cut vs. Kiss Cut: What's the difference?
People are often confused about die cuts and kiss cuts, but what's the difference?
Topics: Rotary Die Cutting
5 min read
Kiss Cutting
Kiss cutting allows us to engineer more complexity and functionality into customer solutions while keeping costs low, especially with pressure-sensitive materials.
Topics: Converting
6 min read
When Closed-Cell Foam Is The Best Option For Your Gasket
There are so many options to choose from when looking for the right gasket; how do you know where to begin?
Topics: Foam Gaskets
10 min read
Everything You Need to Know About Die Cut Adhesives
You may have heard the term in manufacturing before, but let’s define it: What is die cutting?
You’ve got a part that needs to be bonded, masked, protected, etc., so you must add adhesive, films, foams, or soft metals to your assembly. The raw material must be cut into a particular shape to generate a finished product. However, nobody has the time to sit around and fiddle with a pair of scissors. So, what’s the solution?
Topics: Rotary Die Cutting
9 min read
Silicone Gaskets: A Comprehensive Overview
The gasket industry is a large and thriving industry. In the United States, the gasket industry generates annual revenue of about $8 billion.
In recent years, the gasket industry has been shifting how it approaches the manufacture of gaskets. The gasket industry often used asbestos to manufacture gaskets in the past. Because of its abundance and unique texture, gasket material would often contain up to 80% white asbestos
4 min read
6 Factors that Impact Transdermal Patch Delivery Systems
Transdermal patches are a modern medical marvel. They provide a convenient way to deliver medicine to people consistently and efficiently with little disruption to their routines, and in a small package to boot! Depending on the patch, a person might be able to stick it on to start the week and leave it there for several days, which is far more convenient than starting the morning by popping a few pills.
Still, a lot goes into making sure the drug contained within the patch gets administered to the patient as prescribed. If the patch isn’t designed and constructed to medicate the patient properly via the skin, it’s a bust — if not dangerous. Let’s look at 6 factors that impact transdermal patch delivery systems.
Topics: Medical
4 min read
Vital Aspects of Manufacturing Wound Dressing Tape
Remember skinning your knee when you were a kid? As inexplicable as it was that you didn’t pull off that amazing move on your bicycle that you’d been practicing all day, it was nice to have something available to help you heal. If a standard bandage wasn’t up to the task, you may have relied on some gauze and wound dressing tape to do the trick.
In addition to being found in homes, medical professionals also count on it for much more severe concerns in doctors’ offices and hospitals worldwide. With wound dressings, you have the adhesive, backing, and gauze (if needed) that must all work together to protect and assist with the healing of injuries, surgical incisions, and more.
Topics: Medical
4 min read
How Does Gasket Tape Compare to Alternative Gasket Adhesives?
“Tape? Spray? Glue? What should I do?” Rhyming questions aside, when considering all the materials needed for a successful custom gasket, it is crucial to factor in the type of adhesive needed.
The right adhesive depends on numerous factors:
- the purpose of the gasket (permanent seal vs. temporary seal)
- the composition of the material it’s bonding to (natural rubber? foam? steel?)
- what the gasket is meant to contain (water? chemicals? air?)
You have several adhesive types to consider for the task. The most common gasket adhesives are gasket glue, spray, liquid, and gasket tape. Each adhesive type has its own unique characteristics that must be understood before calling on them for your gasketing project.
Topics: Gaskets
4 min read
5 Key Benefits of Adhesive Patches and Transdermal Absorption
What are the advantages of using a transdermal patch?
If you’ve seen advertisements for a nicotine patch, then you’ve already gotten a glimpse of where adhesive patches and transdermal absorption fit within our modern world. That, however, is far from the only use these small-but-important medical items have.
The development of adhesive patches to medicate people is one of the most impressive medical advancements of our time. Over the years, it’s become clear that this method has numerous advantages. We wanted to look at five key benefits of adhesive patches and transdermal absorption and where the adhesive component fits in the process.
Topics: Medical
3 min read
Top 4 Tips for Using Dual Lock Tape
Convenience is everything in our modern world. Being able to quickly and easily create a reliable and reclosable attachment between two substrates could cause a revolution.
That’s what happened when the original patent (1958) of hook and loop tape — Velcro® — expired, ushering in incredible innovations and instant popularity in the early 1980s. Soon it was on sneakers, vehicles, astronaut suits, airline seat cushions, blood-pressure cuffs, and much more.
While hook and loop tape’s adhesive/protective liner backing makes it very versatile, another “reclosable fastener” (a device that allows for repeated opening and closing) — dual lock tape — is seen as an improvement on the original hook and loop tape. For demanding projects, there is industrial strength hook and loop tape; however, dual lock tape is naturally stronger.
8 min read
Foam Tape: A Comprehensive Guide
Are you looking for a strong and versatile adhesive to help get things done?
Topics: Adhesives Generally 3M VHB Tape Foam Gaskets
3 min read
What is Adhesive Converting? Why is an Adhesive Tape Converter So Important?
Few things are more rewarding than taking material and transforming it into a product. It’s what manufacturing is all about. Raw materials are impressive, but they’re not exactly something people actually want or can easily use.
An adhesive converter typically takes large rolls of raw material — tape, films, paper, plastic, foam, soft metals, and more — and “converts” them into usable parts. As technologically advanced as the materials themselves may be, the large, continuous rolls (called master rolls) provided by a manufacturer (such as 3M) are of practically no use to customers; they’re too large to handle, not the right shape or size, or the material isn’t finished the way it needs to be.
Topics: Converting
5 min read
Microfluidics Manufacturing: Converting Materials for Multilayer Microfluidics Devices
Microfluidic technology involves moving tiny amounts of liquids to perform various functions: ink in an inkjet printer, solder on an electronics board, bodily fluids within a medical device to perform chemical analyses. The use of this technology isn’t exactly new, but its popularity is rapidly rising.
Multilayered microfluidic devices — the majority of microfluidic devices — typically have channels built into the device through which the specific amount of fluid flows at a particular speed and path. Construction is accomplished by either adding channels between layers or subtracting material from a solid sheet to form channels. These individual layers eventually need to come together in one usable package or device.
