FEATURE FASTENINGS & ADHESIVES
Offering an aesthetically pleasing finish, flexibility and enhanced performance levels, and by eliminating the stress concentration that can be caused by mechanical fastenings, adhesive tapes are being specified for a range of industries and applications, as tesa explains
ADHESIVE TAPES: AN EFFICIENT alternative to traditional bonding
T
raditionally, mechanical fastening, fixing and welding equipment has been
required for most bonding processes, but adhesive tape manufacturers such as tesa are continually proving that more efficient and cost-effective solutions are achievable. As one of the world’s leading manufacturers
of technical adhesive tapes and self-adhesive system solutions, tesa has over 75 years of experience and produced more than 7,000 products for industrial and professional customers as well as end consumers. Its solutions are suitable for any industry that requires an optimised production process. Offering a huge range of double-sided tapes
that deliver enhanced performance levels, the company’s products represent an efficient alternative to traditional bonding techniques.
WHY CHOOSE ADHESIVE TAPE? Adhesive tape can eliminate the stress concentration caused by spot welds, rivets,
screws and other mechanical fasteners, while maintaining surface integrity. Where rivets or screw holes in a substrate concentrate the stress at the hole, potentially decreasing the physical properties of the substrate, adhesives spread the load over the entire bonded area. In addition to this, the introduction of new HSE
legislation (Change in Enforcement Expectations for Mild Steel Welding Fume) last year led to a sharp increase in the need for companies to purchase special ventilation/respiratory equipment to protect their workforce from harmful fumes present in welding processes. This legal stipulation will mean investing in new equipment and could be a stretch for smaller companies trying to keep their competitive edge. This is further reason for companies to consider alternatives to expensive and time- consuming traditional bonding, joining and fixing processes. Adhesives, however,
are not only cost- effective but they can provide time savings as well as a more aesthetically pleasing finish. Designers will also benefit from the increased flexibility of adhesive tape, enabling them to focus more on creativity and less on visual limitation. To ensure the correct method and solution
for any bonding requirement, tesa provides product information advice, and its team will consultatively assess customer needs before suggesting the correct solution. The company’s Application Solution Centre (ASC), based in Hamburg, Germany, opened in 2016 and regularly produces solutions for unique design challenges.
For the stiffeners in sound-proof doors, the team concluded that tesa ACXplus
bonding strength to match spot welding 6 FEBRUARY 2020 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS 7074 provided a
SELF-ADHESIVE DESIGNS Self-adhesive tape from tesa is often used within industries such as automotive and electronics. In a recent project, however, the company worked with a specialist in the design and manufacture of retail display equipment to find a replacement for its traditional bonding methods – such as welding, permanent mechanical fasteners and structural adhesives. As a result, tesa ACXplus
tesa ACXplus adhesive tape is being used for a wide range of applications where a cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing finish is required
7063 are now being used in the company’s manufacturing processes, resulting in quicker process
times and improved cost efficiencies. In another example,
tesa has worked with a leading global supplier of
engineered noise control products and testing
services to find a solution for use in the manufacture of acoustic panels and doors.
The stiffeners in sound-proof doors
were traditionally joined inside the panels and doors by spot welding, leaving surface marks which took extensive sanding and finishing to remove. Following intensive assessment, however, the tesa team concluded that tesa ACXplus
7074 provided a bonding strength to
match spot welding, whilst minimising the production process, resulting in significant time savings for the customer.
CLEAN, LIGHT AND STRONG Jeremy Smith, tesa UK trade marketing manager, said: “Adhesive tapes are used in many visible and invisible ways and are increasingly establishing themselves across a broad spectrum of industrial applications. Clean, light and strong, they simplify assembly operations and provide a better aesthetic finish. “We are always willing to review current
bonding applications and present customers with alternative ideas if we feel we can help them to improve efficiency. The feedback we have received from companies that have used tesa ACXplus
to replace rivets, welding
and other mechanical fixings has been unanimously positive.”
7074 and tesa ACXplus
tesa
www.tesa.com/en-gb
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