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How tape helped turn a mobile display into a road warrior.

Guerrilla cube office

If there is one thing that all Canadians know, it’s that miserable winter conditions don’t adhere to any geographic boundary. No matter where you live across the nation, extreme cold, snow, slush, sleet and ice, are always in plentiful supply.

While these conditions can be challenging for everyone, they can present a particular problem to any business that relies on the strength of spot welds and mechanical fasteners, such as rivets and screws.

While these bonding methods can hold metal pieces together, they all have one thing in common – they also weaken the metal they are joining.

In the case of mechanical fasteners in particular, the holes that are punched in the metal for the fasteners create areas that are prone to damage from water, dirt and salt, which can corrode, rust and ultimately break apart the metal.

So whether you’re joining custom metal panels for a niche project or building an entire airplane, the type of bonding solution you apply can make all the difference to whether your product thrives or comes apart.

This is why many engineers and entrepreneurs are turning to tape.

Bringing form and function together with tape.

Canadians are nothing if not adaptable, especially when it comes to ensuring that the beat of business drums on.

Take Defined Designs, for example. The Vaughan, Ontario company, led by co-founders Matt Gordash and Dwayne Virag, developed a unique product called the Guerrilla Cube, a custom fabricated mobile marketing display that serves as an alternative to traditional festival tents and trade show displays.

The Guerrilla Cube needs to be the perfect marriage between aesthetics and function – able to attract customers to the businesses that deploy it, while also being able to withstand high-traffic, outdoor venues and the grueling conditions on the road during transport, 365 days a year.

“Durability is very important for the Guerrilla Cube, since our clients will bring it into any environment,” says Dwayne. “[Especially]’ in Canada, you have the rain, winter slush, snow, salt, which just tears away at anything that’s going to be on the road.”

See it to believe it: 3M™ VHB™ Tape helped create a quality product and cut manufacturing costs

Where 3M™ VHB™ Tape gets its cold-weather mettle

3M™ VHB ™ Tapes are thermoplastic in nature, becoming softer as temperature increases and firmer as temperature decreases.

Even harsh environments can be tolerated (as long as proper design has been thoroughly evaluated).

For instance, since 1984, commercial aircraft manufacturers have used 3M™ VHB™ Tape 9473 to bond exterior stainless steel anti-chaffing strips to the wing flaps of their aircrafts. In this application, the tape is routinely subjected to temperatures from  -54°C  (-65°F) to more than 66°C  (150°F) several times each day, as well as the typical vibration and environment encountered on the outside of a passenger jet.

This is just one of thousands of applications for 3M™ VHB™ Tape, which has been used by fabricators, builders and entrepreneurs across the globe to solve unique challenges for over 30 years.

Explore 3M™ VHB™ Tape and learn more about its cold weather durability, as well as bonding applications and solutions.

 

About the Author

[enBio=Across the globe, 3M helps companies and individuals succeed every day. All while contributing to true global sustainable development through environmental protection, corporate and social responsibility and economic progress. We are applying our science to make a real impact in every person's life around the world.],[enJob=Science. Applied to Life.],[frBio=Chaque jour, 3M aide les entreprises et les gens à réussir. Tout cela en contribuant au développement durable réel par le biais de la protection de l'environnement, la responsabilité sociale en entreprise et le progrès économique. Nous appliquons notre science afin de faire une différence réel dans la vie de chaque personne dans le monde.],[frJob=Science. Au service de la Vie.]

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