CONVERTING NEWS
AND INSIGHTS

Thermal insulation tape, like all thermal insulation materials, reduces the amount of heat transfer between objects. The most widely known application of this concept is the insulation that goes in houses to save money on energy.

Many flexible material converters become partners with manufacturers in the automotive industry, a highly competitive environment where precision is necessary. The vehicle building process can be compared to die cut adhesives. 

Have you ever wondered how exactly tape works?

When something works well, you likely won’t even notice. In the manufacturing world, well-running machines result from precise engineering with the right components to make for a smooth, dependable, and quiet experience. When it comes time to build those machines and consider such parts as an industrial gasket, it’s vital to ensure the right pieces are in the right spots and made to tight tolerances for the most accurate fit.

In your search for the right gasket material, you’ll find an abundance of options. What is gasket material, and what material will you need? Before you engineer your next flexible material, read our overview of gasket materials to see what might work best.

“High temperature” in the industrial world means something entirely different than what you’ll see during the evening weather forecast. When machines are working hard to create products or keep operations running smoothly, moving parts, chemical reactions, and even the substances being used can conjure up scorching temperatures that must be kept in check. 

When you account for these extreme temperatures with the proper equipment, including a suitable gasketing material, you can keep productivity moving at a regular pace. To illustrate this, we’ve gathered the top 5 benefits of using heat-resistant gasket material for your reference.

Simply put, a gasket seal prevents a liquid or air (most often) from going somewhere you don’t want it to go or doing something you don’t want it to do.

Gaskets can be made of metal, plastic, silicone, polymers, neoprene, foam, or rubber. A majority of the time, an adhesive holds them in place, depending on the application (of which there are literally thousands). Yet, not all gasket applications require an adhesive. For instance, some are held on by mechanical fasteners: bolts (classic car engine) or screws (watch).

None of this is news to you, likely, but here’s something new. Think of gaskets as the function it performs, not the construction of the piece itself (its material or shape). So, a gasket can simply be a piece of 3M VHB tape used in a cell phone screen to prevent rainwater from entering, or a piece of double sided tape used within a membrane switch touch panel.

Manufacturers rely on adhesive tape converters to provide accurate and high-performing adhesive components that add value to projects. Converters with decades of custom adhesive solutions experience — most often full-service adhesive tape converters — put a premium on ensuring that finished components/products also drive businesses’ bottom lines.

There is no single, specific treatment for a wound. Because they vary in type, severity, and location, each wound dressing must be designed and constructed to help heal that wound — whether it’s a cut, burn, sore, etc. — as well as prevent infection and reduce pain.

Similarly, the adhesives used for wound dressings must also be selected based on how each wound dressing is built and the environment in which it will perform.

An adhesive in a wound dressing product has two main goals: stick to human skin and be removed from that same skin. Sounds simple, but there’s a lot more involved that challenges flexible material converters.

Attaching one substrate to another.

It shouldn’t be that difficult. And usually, it isn’t. Yet, when the application is a medical diagnostic device, for instance, things can get complicated.

Consider a device that attaches to a patient’s skin, a “wearable.” That adhesive system must be chosen wisely, with care given to how long it will be on the skin, how conformable it needs to be, what conditions it will encounter, and whether the adhesive needs to be medical grade (hint: it usually does; more on this later).

Many different types of medical adhesive tapes are used in many sorts of situations and for various applications. The ultimate decision is based on a tape that meets the specific performance need, and that often is a double-sided medical tape.

I bet wherever you’re reading this blog article, at this very moment, you’re within an arm’s length of pressure sensitive adhesive tape (or PSA tape) in some form.

That’s how prevalent its use is in our modern world. And for good reason! PSA tape has helped change how we spend our days and has improved (and saved!) lives. It’s so important that we previously dedicated a 3-part series to pressure sensitive adhesive tape.

In this blog article, let’s touch on some of the many ways adhesive tape is used (we included 10) and how often you likely use it without even knowing.

When inspiration hits like lightning, the result can be a cutting-edge electronics product. From smartphones to HDTV screens to marine navigation systems, electronics manufacturers rely on the thinnest products in 3M’s VHB portfolio to fit into electronic assemblies, places where thick VHBs cannot fit.

Electronic device engineers know space usually isn’t the only challenge. Modern electronics bonding solutions often must address impact resistance, waterproofing, heat resistance, and/or reworkability to create a device with reliable functionality. In addition to overall performance, some surfaces — paints, metals, low surface energy plastics — are hard to bond and require unique acrylic foam tapes such as 3M VHB tape.

When a spark of creativity results in devices optimized for the IoT, 5G, and beyond, specialized VHB tape is often needed as well. This article dives deeper into how pressure sensitive adhesive converters meet the high standards of the electronics industry today and into the future.

The stress is on.

You’re under pressure to create the best possible product. That includes choosing the right material, the right adhesive, the right format, the right elongation at break percentage … even the right converter!

That’s because you know your product will be under pressure, too. It has to perform with a certain tensile strength — the maximum force or stress a material can withstand while being pulled apart from both ends before failing. That’s why it’s also called “breaking strength.”

NOTE: This article is #1 in a 3-part series on the power and versatility of pressure sensitive adhesive tape. It’s really a celebration of applications and possibilities. Part 2 covers 3M™ VHB™ tape as a superior bonding solution, and Part 3 offers help on choosing a converter.

When manufacturers need to bring together two or more surfaces, either temporarily or permanently, they often choose to use a viscous substance — adhesive bonding — because of its many assembly advantages and versatility. The materials used to do this could be adhesive tape, adhesive film, glue, epoxy, or something else, however, pressure sensitive adhesive tape (PSA) is becoming increasingly popular.

Excellence.

Every business wants to achieve it, and every business wants to partner with other businesses that achieve it. And while saying you have it is easy, being recognized for it by an industry leader is quite another thing.

For companies in the converting industry, being honored for excellence by 3M is the top of the top. It shouts to the world that a converter deeply understands the industry leader, and the industry leader trusts them.

This article explores the origins of the 3M Preferred Converter program, digs into why it matters in a highly competitive marketplace, and shares why customers should care.

Of course, as a converter of flexible materials we love to talk about pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA). However the unsung hero of the adhesive world may be the release liner (often called “carrier” or “backing”). This is the product — typically a coated paper or film — that carries the sticky material and serves as a protective covering until the pressure sensitive adhesive is needed. Think of the shiny paper that carries a sticker or label.

A release liner’s base may be paper, polycoated paper, film, or even a metalized film. The liner can be coated with silicone or non-silicone to ease separation from the adhesive. It all depends on the precise delivery and dispensing system needed for the application.

In many cases, the release liner is one of the most critical decisions when designing a PSA. It has to have the right qualities and features to precisely match the application (hand applied or automatic dispensing) and processing (slitting, die-cutting, etc.).

The good news is you have options.

Although small in size, microfluidic devices carry an enormous burden. Patients and caregivers rely on them for accurate test results and crucial information at the point-of-care. They screen for cancer, monitor blood glucose, detect pathogens. As they transport and protect samples of blood or other fluids, consistent and reliable performance is imperative. What could be more important?

Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) are considered a crucial part of any efficient thermal management system. Their job is to transfer heat between two or more solid surfaces.

Today, thermal interface materials include an array of products, including phase change materials, gap fillers, and thermal grease. There are also less compliant materials, such as thermally conductive hardware, adhesive films, and thermal rubber pads.

Many electronics products require specific adhesives that dissipate heat. Thermal interface materials (a combination of high-performance acrylic adhesive and highly conductive ceramic particles) enhance performance by minimizing reliability concerns and reduced operational lifetimes that are often affected by heat.

Is your paint process one of the most scrutinized steps in your entire assembly process?

How’s that department performing? Experiencing any bottlenecks?

Whether manufacturing for automotive, military, aerospace, industrial, or electronics, every industry expects the highest quality product. And, with the painting process usually being quite complex, there can be many delays and rework.

Have you ever seen this spec listed on a material data sheet? 

“Elongation at Break %”

To understand it, and realize why it’s important in adhesives, let’s first tackle two definitions.

Any time a mechanism requires superior barrier and bonding features, gaskets are ideal. However, these handy devices are far from one-size-fits-all.

While many gaskets are comprised of flat materials such as paper, rubber, metal, silicone, felt, and neoprene, foam delivers impressive sealing capabilities that are important to know.

You've probably heard people say that tape is the solution to all of life's problems, and they're pretty much right. The right tape can fix any challenge that you throw its way and is quick to apply, so you can get back to doing your job. It's also very likely the solution you need at your company right now.

Strouse is proud to now offer two versions of a face shield that are made entirely in Westminster, MD. Both masks offer a soft foam headband, anti-fog PET, one size fits all adjust-ability, and latex free materials. We've designed the construction of these masks to be fully automated on our presses. 

A heat activated adhesive is a type of adhesive, usually applied to a tape backing, that will not bond at normal temperatures. Instead, it becomes sticky in certain temperatures, wherein the adhesive chemicals are activated and can form a bond.

If you're someone who likes to get your hands dirty and create new things, you're far from alone. In fact, the US craft industry is worth over $44 billion. If you're someone who's contributed to this booming economy, then it's likely that you've used die cutting services before in your arts and crafts- or at least have heard of them before.

About every 11 years the sun's magnetic field flips. North becomes south and south becomes north. This change causes solar storms on the sun's surface that send solar flares careening towards Earth.

Strouse, an industry leading adhesive tape converter and custom manufacturer is proud to announce its medical device establishment registration with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The registration builds on Strouse’s wide range of adhesive tape converting capabilities and allows for deeper penetration into medical device projects and the overall medical and healthcare market.