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Pressure Sensitive Adhesives & Tapes

Pressure Sensitive Adhesives & Tapes

Pressure Sensitive Adhesives and Tape Materials

Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) and tape materials add value to manufacturing applications in countless ways. These materials are prized for their flexibility, manufacturability, durability and cost effectiveness. Whether they're being used to bond components, seal products, improve thermal management, or as part of a transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS), PSAs offer significant benefits over liquid adhesives and mechanical fasteners.

At Precision Converting, we maintain inventory of commonly used PSAs and tape products and have stocking locations across the country to shorten lead times for our clients. As a 3M^™ Preferred Converter, we offer unparalleled access to the entire portfolio of 3M adhesive and bonding solutions. We can convert these materials to exact specifications with tight tolerances and use our expertise to help you get the most out of your materials. Explore our PSA and tape materials below and then contact us to get the optimal adhesive materials for your application.

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Markets We Serve

Aerospace

Automotive

Electronics

eMobility

HVAC

Medical

Single Coated Tapes & Adhesives

Single coated tapes are created by laminating an adhesive onto a backing layer, often made from vinyl, metal foil, paper, woven and nonwoven substrates or other materials. Some single coated tapes, such as single coated foam tape, feature a carrier substrate with an adhesive and a release liner to protect the adhesive until application. Single coated tapes are made from a variety of materials, including acrylic, polyurethane, rubber, silicone, UHMW and more. Common examples of single coated tapes include masking tapes, splicing tapes, extreme sealing tapes, HVAC construction tapes and more.

Double Coated Tapes & Adhesives

Double coated tapes feature an adhesive on both sides of a carrier and a liner to protect the outer adhesive. Because there is adhesive on both sides of the carrier, these tapes are commonly used to bond two components together or as an adhesive in a complex stack-up. We can convert tapes to feature different types of adhesives on each side, which is ideal for bonding components with dissimilar substrates. Double coated tapes also help to decrease assembly time, provide immediate handling strength after assembly, increase design flexibility, reduce weight and prevent ingress from moisture or particulate matter. These tapes feature a range of adhesive types, including rubber, acrylic, silicone and more. Common examples of double-coated tapes are 3M^™ VHB tape, thin bonding tapes, mounting tapes and more.

Rubber Tapes & Adhesives

Rubber tapes are made with both natural and synthetic rubber resins with a wide variety of tackifiers to customize the adhesive for specific performance requirements. Rubber tapes and adhesives provide fast initial bond (high tack), good adhesion to substrates with low surface energy and can be a relatively low-cost solution for high volume projects. However, rubber adhesives also provide lower bond strength compared to acrylic formulations and aren't as resistant to harsh environmental conditions as silicone PSAs. Common examples of rubber tapes include duct tape, electrical tapes, splicing tapes, sealing tapes and more.

Acrylic Tapes & Adhesives

Acrylic tapes are among the most commonly used types of adhesive tapes for industrial bonding applications. Acrylic tapes can be formulated for adhesion to substrates with high, medium or low surface energy, as well as both high and low temperature environments. Acrylic tapes are also used for specialty applications such as flame retardancy and provide significant chemical and UV resistance. That versatility is why acrylics are used in just about every industry. Acrylic adhesives also tend to have greater internal strength compared to rubber adhesives, but they take longer to reach full adhesion and generally aren't as resistant to high temperatures as silicone adhesives.

Silicone Tapes & Adhesives

Silicone tapes are valuable because of their ability to bond to silicone materials and to tolerate extreme temperatures (-40 °F to over 500 °F). Because silicone is inorganic, it is inherently hypoallergenic and provides strong resistance to mold and fungi. Silicone adhesives are often used in stick-to-skin applications, such as wearable medical devices, because it generally causes less irritation and can be removed without damaging the skin. However, these materials typically provide low bond strength when adhered to non-silicone materials. This is why we often convert double coated silicone tapes to feature two different types of adhesives to bond silicone components with non-silicone substrates.

Transfer Tapes & Adhesives

Adhesive transfer tapes are essentially just a layer of PSA that can be paired with a release liner. The lack of a carrier or other backing substrate makes these tapes extremely flexible and they are often used in bonding applications where weight or space is a primary concern, increasing design flexibility. Adhesive transfer tapes come in a variety of formulations, including acrylic, rubber and silicone. These materials are used in a wide range of applications, including mounting and trim attachment, securing graphic overlays, foam gasketing, web splicing and more.

Tape Converting Services for Any Need!

No matter what type of pressure sensitive adhesive or tape material you need, we have the converting capabilities to create the ideal solution for your unique application. We offer adhesive lamination, die cutting, laser cutting, slitting, printing and more to convert tapes into the exact size and shape you need to speed up assembly and improve products. Connect with our materials experts to develop the optimal solution for your next manufacturing project.