CONVERTING NEWS
AND INSIGHTS

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.

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.

Are you looking for a strong and versatile adhesive to help get things done?

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.

High-speed. Accurate. Versatile. You want your die cutting method to fulfill your needs because it’s an essential part of manufacturing. Realistically, however, you may have to make some choices based on the project’s priorities. High precision or high volume? Super speed or complex cuts? Low cost or low maintenance?

OK, here’s the short story: Die cut adhesives are extremely versatile and can solve business challenges in a variety of industries.

Nice (and true), but not very exciting. What’s really fun is hearing about the unexpected ways that die cut adhesives are being used; the solutions that definitely do not immediately pop to mind when you hear “adhesive applications.”

Automotive manufacturers are throwing away thousands of dollars a month in rework costs.

Gaskets have many essential responsibilities. In fluid processing and handling equipment, they create a pressure-tight seal between two surfaces — preventing fluids from escaping and preventing contaminants from intruding. Plus, they insulate, cushion, and reduce noise. Not much to ask, right?

You have adhesive options.

Two of today’s most popular are adhesive tape and liquid adhesive. Of course, both have their advantages and drawbacks. Let’s not waste any time. We provide the pros and cons for an attribute of each, and you make the call. Your quick comparison checklist starts right now!

Doing things properly when converting pressure sensitive adhesives is essential. Yet avoiding poor adhesive or the wrong process is just as vital. But you might say, “C’mon, it’s just adhesive. How significant could the consequences possibly be for making the wrong choice?” Well, read these product examples:

Joining two surfaces together.

It doesn’t sound that difficult. Yet, depending on the substrates and the performance demanded of that adhesive bond, it can be pretty tricky.

Historically, mechanical fasteners of all kinds — rivets, brackets, bolts, screws, retaining rings — have been used to “permanently” bond two substrates. But, these are not low-profile, plus their weight and likelihood to corrode increases the possibility of bond failure.

Many industrial bonding adhesives are low profile, including 3M™ VHB™ and acrylic foam tapes, which evenly distribute pressure along the substrates and enhance aesthetics.

For decades, engineers have had to deal with the downsides of many permanent bonding materials:

• Screws, bolts, and mechanical fasteners significantly increase weight
• Rivets punch through a material, are uneven, and create vulnerable stress points
• Welding is time-consuming and disruptive in an otherwise efficient assembly process
• Liquid and spray adhesives are tedious, time-consuming, and messy
  
  

Gaskets — whether adhesives, foam, metal, cork, rubber, paper, or another material — are substrates used to perform two essential functions: 1) create a pressure-tight barrier/seal between two stationary surfaces and 2) use superior adhesives on these difficult-to-bond surfaces.

Pressure sensitive adhesive tape has become the preferred solution for many adhesive needs. Its flexibility, strength, design, and versatility provide many assembly advantages. It’s so impressive, we recently ran this 3-part blog series.

As we explored in the first article in that series, engineers have used many solutions — each with their own limitations — to bond materials. The right pressure sensitive adhesive tape can replace these inefficient options and add additional benefits: evenly distributing pressure, converting to custom sizes/shapes, adding design aesthetics, and more.

Thin bonding is a huge category of adhesives with many applications, so we’re continuing our efforts to share what we know in our ongoing series. You’re invited to check out an overview of thin bonding and details about double sided tape.

The world of adhesive materials within flexible material converting continues to expand and change. As technology overall evolves, so does the ability of adhesives to bond two or more substrates together.

Protective film is a material that protects surfaces that are susceptible to damage: minor or moderate abrasions to scratches and more. One example is a vehicle. Protective film helps protect a car from daily wear and tear that comes with regular usage and other more uncommon damage.

The world of adhesive technology is an exciting place these days! Adhesive manufacturers are pushing the limits of science and technology, and the industry is enjoying:
• Product advancements and innovations
• New, sophisticated converting equipment
• Improved production rates, reduced labor costs, minimized waste, less rework

Unsolvable application challenges are now being solved as manufacturers look to use new materials in their processes and products. Yet, technological advancements on their own aren’t worth much. They require industry knowledge and insights from an expert adhesive converter to capitalize on advances in technology.

NOTE: This article, #2 in an ongoing blog series on thin bonding, focuses on double sided tape. To read the series kickoff, an overview on thin bonding, click here.

Of the two main thin bonding types — double sided tape and adhesive transfer tape — double sided tape is the most converter-friendly, allowing for many manufacturing processes with few limitations. Having a carrier provides stability that makes the tape easier to handle and convert into small shapes and parts.

Welcome to our ongoing blog series featuring the many advantages of thin bonding. If you’re looking for specific information on double sided tape, click here.

Why dedicate so much attention and digital space to thin bonding? Because it’s a virtually invisible, super-strong bond for nearly any material in almost every industry. And that just begins to tell the story of thin bonding. There are so many benefits; we need an ongoing series to share them all.

If you're in the electrical trade, you've probably used Polyimide tape before. You might know it under a different name, though: Kapton tape.

Polyimide tape, or Kapton tape, has a ton of benefits when it comes to the electrical side of any given industry. If you want to know more about polyimide tape, keep reading. You'll be a certified polyimide master by the end.

Doctor Horace Day is credited with the invention of the first tape in 1845. As a doctor using this invention in medicine it was called surgical tape. Dr. Day used a rubberized material applied to strips of fabric and the surgical tape was born. 

Do more with less.

If you’re a manufacturer, you know this has been the expectation for years.

Manufacturers have experienced many pressures that affect their operations and bottom line. One way to adapt is to optimize inventory; truly understanding inventory levels and discovering efficiency opportunities through use of automated component tracking systems that enable end-to-end traceability of individual components.

This level of tracking can improve assembly line performance, help identify defects in products during manufacturing, improve overall quality, increase production yields, and more. However, in order to track components, labels need to be readable by automated tracking machines. That’s when PCB labels become so vital.

A converted product’s carrier or backing material is one of the most important decisions when designing pressure sensitive adhesives. The carrier has to possess the right qualities to match the application (will it be hand applied or automatically dispensed?) and the processing (will it be slit or die-cut?).

Recently, we explored the basics of release liners in this article. In today’s blog post, we’ll dive into the physical components of backing (or “carrier;” we’ll use both terms throughout) and how it helps the converting process.

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.”

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.