.svg){kind=logo}
Have you ever opened up something you purchased online, only to realize it wasn’t what you ordered? Product descriptions don't always match reality, and you need suppliers’ words that match their actions.
Strouse has over 40 years of experience working with suppliers and converting die cutting materials. Having collaborated with 100+ vendors, we revisit our top picks because they offer strong quality, flexibility, and communication.
Ensuring the quality of your product’s components is synonymous with building a successful product. By the end of this article, you’ll see which aspects to consider when choosing a new supplier and a list of our current favorites.
What Makes a Good Flexible Material Supplier?
To be considered successful and trustworthy by Strouse’s standards, flexible material suppliers need to possess the following capabilities:
- Good communication
- Responsiveness
- Transparency
- Keeping us informed
- Listening to feedback
- Flexibility
- Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) Flexibility
- Pricing flexibility
- Access
- Information, datasheets, and pricing
- Samples
- Quality
Who Are the Best Flexible Material Suppliers?
If you’re new to this world or you’ve decided to try to diversify your suppliers, you may need help figuring out where to start. To that end, we’ll list some of our preferred flexible material suppliers that meet our criteria for good communication, flexibility, access, and quality.
This list is in no particular order. Each material supplier below specializes in its own materials, and prices vary. However, this list will serve as a starting point for finding a supplier that meets your needs.
3M • Mactac • Solventum • Polymershapes • Fox River Associates • Channeled Resources Group • 3-Sigma/Duraco • Rubberlite • Vybond/Berry Global • Pregis • Manchester Industries • Merryweather Foam • Piedmont Plastics • Adhesive Applications
3M
3M is a large company, but it still offers some pricing flexibility for large potential projects. However, their most significant leg up on the competition is access to information and samples.
We’ve been using 3M for nearly 30 years, and they have consistently addressed our questions, concerns, and sample requests. With 3M, we can access pricing and data sheets on their website and customer portal. They also offer a wide range of products and high product quality, and samples are readily available for testing.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Adhesives
- Abrasives
- Laminates
- Films
MACTAC
Mactac’s extremely competitive pricing and flexibility are its greatest assets. Our reps at Mactac are easy to work with, consistent, and quick to address our requests and questions, making them one of our top industrial tape suppliers and sources for medical die cutting materials.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Industrial tapes
- Medical adhesives
- Films
- Other pressure-sensitive products
SOLVENTUM
Solventum produces a wide range of specialized medical products that we use when die cutting medical materials. They are a safe and reliable source if you’re searching for clean wound care or skin-friendly products.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Wound care dressings
- Surgical drape materials
- Micropore tapes
- Nonwoven materials
POLYMERSHAPES
Polymershapes is flexible to work with and offers a wide range of products. They are one of our go-to film suppliers, with competitive pricing and consistently excellent communication.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Plastic sheets
- Film
- Foam tape
- Aluminum products
FOX RIVER ASSOCIATES
Fox River Associates offers very competitive pricing. In addition, they are generally flexible with minimum order quantities for startup developments and pricing based on volumes.
Regarding the product, Fox River offers many high-quality options and is always willing to provide samples of said material.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Siliconized paper
- Film release liners
CHANNELED RESOURCES GROUP
Channeled Resources is a highly dependable supplier with impeccable quality. They are one of our leading paper release liner suppliers, and in all the years we’ve used them, it’s nigh impossible for anyone at Strouse to recall any issues.
Their flexibility when offering our orders in different formats or adjusting the MOQ is always impressive and highly appreciated.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Release liners
- Pressure-sensitive roll label stock
3-SIGMA/DURACO
The biggest pro of working with 3-Sigma is their flexibility.
3-Sigma is a key partner for us when we can’t find what we need in the market for custom products. They have a quick turnaround time for custom products (which helps us cut down our lead times) and some flexibility regarding material order quantity.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Release liners
- Transfer tape
- Single and double-sided tape
RUBBERLITE
Rubberlite is a fantastic choice for one of the more challenging material categories to source: foam. They are relatively flexible with MOQs and pricing, readily provide samples, and communicate well, making them one of the most reliable foam tape suppliers.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Blended neoprene
- Cross-linked polyethylene
- Pressure-sensitive adhesives and fabrics
VYBOND/BERRY GLOBAL
Vybond, formerly a specialty tapes business from Berry Global, is a supplier we regularly choose for our adhesive needs. They supply many specialty adhesives for a range of industries.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Tapes & Adhesives
- Films
- Laminates
PREGIS
Pregis is a major manufacturer of protective films for wheel masking, carpets, and other applications. They also offer foams, papers, and many packaging and cushioning materials.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Protective or packaging films
- Foam
- Paper rolls
MANCHESTER INDUSTRIES
Manchester Industries is our go-to choice for paper and cardstock. They offer high-quality products at affordable prices, making them a great choice for a supplier.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Paper
- Cardstock
MERRYWEATHER FOAM
Merryweather foam offers a broad range of different foam materials, making them another valuable resource for your sourcing needs. If you need highly durable, impact-resistant foam, then Merryweather should definitely be on your radar.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Polyurethane foams
- Polyethylene foams
- PORON® foam/Rogers Corporation Products
- Sponge rubber
PIEDMONT PLASTICS
Piedmont Plastics carries most plastic-based adhesives, including rigid PVC, polyethylene (PET) films, polycarbonate, and more.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- HDPE (High-density polyethylene)
- LDPE (Low-density polyethylene)
- Polyurethane
- Polypropylene
ADHESIVE APPLICATIONS
Adhesive Applications offers products from silicone splicing tape to transfer acrylic adhesive. We’ve gotten many of their products over the years and have found their acrylic and silicone adhesives to be very reliable.
WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR
- Single and Double-coated tape
- Films
- Transfer tapes
Choosing a Flexible Material Supplier
You might have noticed we weren’t included on the list of the best above. That’s because Strouse outsources materials from suppliers to build custom parts.
Collaborating with a converter to source flexible material can lead to less-expensive or quicker material orders. In our field, companies often work through their manufacturer to choose a supplier and purchase material because each one (including us) has its own business relationships with specific suppliers.
Overall, the process between the supplier and manufacturer is smoother because they already have contacts and know what to expect from one another.
Need help finding the right material or supplier? Submit your project details, and our experienced team will help you find products that will serve your part application as you plan its manufacturing process.
To learn more about what we do, please visit our Capabilities page.
