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 Date:5/21/2007 Accu-Shape |
| News Release NetBond PSA tape lets one supplier stay ahead in the game Part of Accu-Shape Die Cutting, Inc.s business in Flint, Mich., is serving the auto industry, primarily as a second-tier supplier. To further enhance its available services, the company was considering alternative ways to supply die-cut shoddy to its first-tier customers Meridian Automotive Systems and Blackhawk Automotive Products for use on General Motors vehicles but at a reduced cost and expedited delivery. Shoddy is a low-cost, felt-like material made from cotton and polyester clothing industry scraps and long-used in a variety of automotive applications, including carpet underlayment, trunk padding, headliners and the interior trim for consoles and door panels. It is also the traditional and least-expensive material used for sound absorption in automotive vehicles. The material itself is heavy, dusty and stiff, and needs to be kept dry. Assembly is often difficult because of the irregular shapes found in vehicle interiors behind a dashboard, for example that require many cotton shoddy parts to be cut and individually bonded into place. Accu-Shapes competitors have used an old-fashioned way to put an adhesive backing onto shoddy parts. First, one operator would die-cut the shoddy to net shape, while another operator would cut silicone release paper liners roughly to shape, but oversize, so that they can be pulled off during customer assembly operations. The stacked shoddy were then individually swirl-sprayed by an operator, coating each liner by hand with a hot-melt pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). The previously cut release liners were then bonded to the shoddy part and boxed for shipment. Joe Brooks, Accu-Shapes general manager and COO, was already aware of a relatively new line of acrylic adhesive tapes from New Jersey-based Compac Corporation called NetBond. When I recalled the NetBond PSA tape properties, I thought, Now here was a better way to make this product, Brooks said. After considering all the properties the adhesive must have for this application, I found that instead of having to pay for five separate process stages, I could use NetBond instead and whittle it down to essentially three. Brooks described the process in which the 54-inch-wide adhesive tape, which comes with an easily removable release liner already attached, is affixed to the shoddy material in one roller drum operation, then both are die-cut together to net shape. The liners are then ready for packing and customer delivery. The NetBond acrylic adhesive tape was chosen because of its inherent advantages over other laminating tapes on the market. Rather than having the usual polyester film substrate to which adhesive is attached, NetBond tapes use a synthetic fiber mesh netting, called scrim. Unlike Mylar and other polyester-based tapes, which tend to pull apart over time, NetBond tapes have the ability to adapt and form to curved surfaces. In addition, the synthetic mesh reinforces the laminate material, whether shoddy, rubber or thin foams. These properties allow it to adhere to diverse materials such as ether, ester, polyethylene, neoprene and vinyl nitrile foams. Brooks says that the two most important criteria for choosing the NetBond PSA were whether is was compatible with the shoddy material, and if it met the customers needs, which had to follow General Motors GM-3622 automotive product performance specifications, and also other criteria regarding the suppliers applications. In considering what kind of PSA tape to use, Brooks initially had two choices: transfer adhesive tapes or double-coated tapes, generally used on foam substrates. Transfer tapes had excellent adhesion qualities but were very high in cost; double-coated tapes were low-cost, but did not bond well with substrate materials. By contrast, NetBonds flexible scrim encapsulates adhesive, and bonds well with most any substrate material, strengthening it as well, at a very competitive price. According to Ray Ciamaga, the business segment leader for Compac, the NetBond line of tapes is really a hybrid of both types of tape systems. It has the best feature of each kind of system, but without the limitations, Ciamaga said. Brooks figures that hes about 15 percent more competitive with the NetBond approach. Not only was I able to take several steps out of the manufacturing process, and the additional labor and spraying equipment costs, he said, but I also dont have to purchase release paper since it already comes with the tape. I can get the finished parts to my customers faster and at a better price. Accu-Shapes first-tier automotive customers have been very pleased with the new adhesive. Not only does the tapes synthetic scrim reinforce the die-cut shoddy, but its excellent bonding properties to both smooth and rough surfaces and its ability to easily conform to irregular shapes makes assembly operations relatively simple. Flush with the success of using NetBond for interior automotive applications, the company has expanded its use for applications as disparate as attaching dense rubber seals to machine gun stands on military vehicles and for the foam backing used in various electronic devices. For more information contact Accu-Shape, . |
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