How to make manufacturing efficient with adhesive and tape.

March 21, 2017

Kejian Zhang

Two manufacturing employees inspect a product together

Details matter to Canadian manufacturers. Every day they are challenged to bring their visions to life using the available assembly solutions.

When I visit customers, they often ask me if there are ways they can achieve production and design efficiency without compromising their high quality standards.

I encourage them to think outside the box and consider adhesives and tapes.

The drawbacks of traditional fasteners

Traditional bonding methods like mechanical fasteners, rivets and welds have limitations.

They can compromise the metal surface and require the added step of post-finishing. Relying on rivets and welds could also prevent you from using modern, thin, lightweight materials – as well as dissimilar materials.

In many situations strong bonds, tight seals and exceptional designs can be achieved using tapes and adhesives, or even a combination of the two.

tape application

Opportunities for tape and adhesive bonding

Depending on the assembly type, substrates used, process, end-use of the product and the cost, you have the option to choose your assembly solution.

Here are some examples:

Signage: Canadian weather can be volatile. Industrial tapes like 3M™ VHB™ Tape can help you create strong bonds that withstand the extreme cold, water and even hurricane wind. Tapes can also offer design flexibility and enhanced aesthetics, eliminating pocks and punctures for modern-looking signage.
Transportation: Structural Acrylic Adhesives, such as the 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Structural Acrylic Adhesives, are well suited for manufacturing buses, trucks and speciality vehicles. These products are fatigue resistant and can withstand repeated stress and vibration on the road.
Sporting equipment: Lightweight sporting goods like kayaks and bikes are now produced using dissimilar materials, including composites and engineered plastics. Structural adhesives like 3M™ Structural Two-Part Epoxy Adhesives and Composite Bonders can create effective bonds that work and play as hard as the products do.
Woodworking: Bonding wood to wood traditionally involves multiple steps, including creating holes and inserting dowels. Adhesives like 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ PUR Easy Adhesive simplify this process by providing direct wood-to-wood mitre joining. You can achieve a thin glue line and high-strength bond in a short period of time!