Mactac Teams up with Strouse to Fabricate New Assistive Technology

When you’re building a new product, choosing the right materials can make or break your first production run.

As a converter, Strouse constantly partners with suppliers and distributors to help customers turn their ideas into real, manufacturable parts.

This is how we teamed up with Mactac to help a startup company source and die cut the best adhesive for a stainless steel-to-aluminum bonding application.

The Problem

A startup inventor approached us with a concept for an outdoor, handicap accessible button. However, instead of using traditional screw-mounted components, he wanted to create a clean, adhesive bond between stainless steel and aluminum.

By this point, this inventor had already finalized his design, but needed help finding the right material. His design required something thin, durable, weather-resistant, and strong enough to withstand year-round outdoor use.

So, we tapped into our longstanding partnership with Mactac to help us identify a material that checked all his boxes.

Collaborating with Mactac

Mactac was a massive help to us in finding the material that our customer ultimately approved for this project; however, it required trial-and-error prototyping, as many adhesive products do.

First, Mactac recommended several candidates and sent us samples for us to cut and send to the customer for real-world stress testing. We performed several tests with the customer, testing the actual end product. After each test round, the customer provided detailed feedback on durability, bond strength, and performance in outdoor conditions. We worked with Mactac to evaluate the data and refine their recommendations.

After a few cycles, we landed on Mactac’s IM1763-78, a thin, double-sided white foam adhesive that delivered exactly what our customer’s application required.

Our Solution

Once the material was specced in, we moved forward with production using rotary die cutting to support the higher volumes the customer needed.

Throughout the process, we kept our client updated and supplied multiple rounds of samples so that he could test an increasingly accurate representation of his product.

After final approval, we quickly scaled up to full production and shipped the finished parts without delay.

STROUSE’S CONVERTING PROCESS

At Strouse, we can help bridge the gap between innovators and material suppliers to help you find the right solution for your part! Thanks to our contacts at Mactac, we were able to create a sophisticated bonding solution that will help increase building accessibility worldwide.

Whether you need die cutting, laser cutting, slitting, or clean room manufacturing, we have the capabilities to bring your product to life! If you need help finding a solution, feel free to reach out to us directly so that we can talk more!