OK, here’s the tagline: Die cut adhesives are incredibly versatile and can solve business challenges in various industries.
Nice (and accurate), but not very exciting. What’s really fun is hearing about the unexpected ways that die cut adhesives are being used; the solutions that don’t immediately come to mind when you hear “adhesive applications.”
Before diving in, check out our resources, which have excellent background information on adhesive tape products and materials, how they replace mechanical fasteners, and the flexibility and durability of high bonding 3M VHB tape.
Surprising Applications of Custom Die Cut Adhesives
- Truck Panel Assembly
Mechanical fasteners have been used for decades in many industrial applications. The heavy rivets on one thick truck panel (which created stress points, slowed assembly, and corroded over time) were replaced by pressure sensitive adhesive tape. - Electric Car Battery
The adhesive wasn’t transferring to the brittle and layered mica shields in a battery connection assembly process. We could create a feasible, cost-effective solution using a die-cut adhesive. These parts can still be found in Tesla’s Model S and all-electric RAV4 EV. Read more about this solution for Tesla Motors. - Water-Resistant Video Camera
Custom die cut adhesives generally accomplish specific tasks, bonding different materials before fulfilling additional needs. For example, a die cut adhesive was used to bond the components inside a water-resistant video camera and also helped prevent any damaging leakage. - Inkjet Cartridge Microchip
An inkjet cartridge’s performance relied on keeping a microchip fixed in place, yet the manufacturing process required an upgrade from hand assembly to an automated solution. Once they partnered with Strouse, they could produce more ink bottles for a fraction of the time and cost. Explore the full Lexmark story here. - Airport Terminal Ceiling
The construction industry regularly uses die cut adhesives for permanent and temporary applications, whether building gigantic highway signs (under extreme weather conditions) or holding up nearly five tons of mirrored ceilings.
The latter refers to the terminal of the Dulles international airport, where custom adhesives were used to create a seamless finish on their unique, eye-catching ceiling while ensuring that it’s safe and long-lasting.
- Army Vehicle Painting
A custom masking kit made of die cut adhesive was used to solve a complex, costly, and slow vehicle painting process. Instead of costing an entire crew of people hours to apply rolls of masking tape, using a single kit (even at 5x the cost of tape) was a cost-effective solution because it can be applied by two people very quickly. See how Humvee production doubled.
And that’s just a start! Here are some additional applications of custom die cut adhesives:
• Continuous glucose monitoring
• Drug dosing
• Hair removal
• Face lifting
• Gaskets for weight loss devices
• Scar reduction
• Incontinence management
• Sperm separation
• Snoring mitigation
• Body marking for CT and X-ray scans
Why Custom Die Cut Adhesives?
It’s not enough for us to celebrate odd and exciting ways to use custom die cut adhesives. We need to explain their specific advantages:
- In our quick comparison of liquid, spray, film, and tape adhesives, we explored how temporary bonds are only available with die cut adhesives.
• The stress, or force, put on an adhesive bond is dispersed evenly along the entire bond. This stress distribution minimizes concentrated stress points, so there’s less failure.
• Die cut adhesives create secure physical seals between components, and they can expand and contract as temperatures change.
• Good-looking products have never been more critical, and die cut adhesives create tight, low-profile connections that are clean and sleek.
• The ability to bond a wide range of items (and surfaces that aren’t the same) is a decisive advantage of die cut adhesives.
• Accuracy, efficiency, and consistency are all benefits of automatic adhesive dispensing, a strength of die cut adhesives.
• The “custom” part of “custom die cut adhesives” should not be overlooked. Converting into custom sizes, shapes, and formats can make assembly processes easy. More on this later!
A Trusted Converting Partnership is a Treasured Thing
When it comes to converting custom die cutting adhesives, nothing’s more valuable than a trusted partnership.
A full-service converter helps evaluate a project in its entirety to determine what type of die cut adhesive solution will work best. They’ll consider function, material, design details, budget, and more to most efficiently go from rough sketches to reliable solutions.
Choosing an adhesive converter can be intimidating. Even if you have a current relationship with a converter, you may not understand how to evaluate their performance. Make sure you’re getting maximum value by reviewing these 11 questions you should ask a converter.
The best converters should be asking you specific questions, including how the product will ultimately be used, because they know the application (whether surprising or not) drives a custom die cut adhesive’s success.
Speaking of converting, you’re invited to learn more by reading our Flexible Material Converting Q&A Guide. It features common questions asked of adhesive converters and their answers. Need help now? Call Strouse today (800)-410-8273, or ask an engineer!
