In an era of labor shortages, lightweighting and, increasingly, electronics creating EMI/RFI interference, die-cut pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes can play a key role in addressing a variety of challenges faced by manufacturers in the battery energy storage, electric vehicle, and e-mobility. Whether the goal is to increase manufacturing throughput, reduce sticker prices, enable faster charging, extend drive ranges and battery lifetimes, or decrease the risk of thermal runaway, chances are, there’s a PSA that can help.
Die-cut, pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes are integral to EV manufacturing due to their versatility, efficiency, and ability to improve the performance and reliability of electric vehicles.
Depending on their unique formulation, PSAs can create multi-functional material stack-ups, bond components, facilitate efficient heat dissipation, seal battery enclosures, improve electrical insulation, dampen vibrations, and even minimize the EMI noise and crosstalk.
Custom parts fabricated using PSA tapes are cost-effective, lighter-weight than mechanical fasteners, and require less skilled labor than welding — resulting in faster production times, increased throughput, and lower manufacturing costs.
This article will explore how PSAs can play a pivotal role in battery packs, electric vehicles, energy storage solutions, and even high-voltage electronic systems. It will also highlight the production efficiency-enhancing benefits that an engineering-driven flexible materials and die-cutter converter can offer.
But first, it’s important to take a step back and provide a high-level tutorial for those unfamiliar with pressure-sensitive adhesive tape.
Understanding PSA tapes
According to the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC), three basic characteristics define a (PSA): permanent tack, adhesion with light pressure, and no liquid-to-solid phase change. Think Scotch Tape or 3M Command Strips. All they need to do is stick and stay stuck on a clean, dry surface, plus a combination of time and pressure.
They come in various constructions and adhesive formulations, each with its own benefit. There are double-sided tapes that have adhesive on each side of a carrier (backing), differential double-sided tapes that have a different adhesive on each side of the carrier, single-sided tapes that have adhesive on one side of a carrier, and transfer tapes that don’t have a carrier at all.
There are tapes with rubber, acrylic, and silicone adhesive — and, in the case of a differential adhesive, sometimes a combination of the two. There are also several options for the carrier — or strip of material that provides structure to the adhesive.
No matter the formulation, PSAs are easy to apply, provide uniform adhesive coverage, can be converted to unique shapes for precise application, and have preassembly possibilities throughout the value chain. Because they’re so easy to use, they offer considerable advantages for manufacturers trying to increase throughput during the assembly process.
Using processes that include hot roll and cold-pressure laminating, a flexible material converter can create multi-layer material stack-ups that combine the benefits of discreetly dissimilar materials into one functional composite.
How a converter adds value
Adhesive tape manufacturers, often referred to as “coaters,” run big coating lines to lay the adhesive down on the carrier. The resulting product is a full log of material. There are times that these full logs can be used in their native form, but more often than not some form of converting is required before they can be effective at the next stage of production.
Converters take these big logs, laminate them to other functional materials, slit them to custom widths, and cut out discrete shapes.
Laminated composites
When you consider all the performance benefits design engineers are trying to achieve — temperature resistance, thermal insulation, dielectric protection, compression management, particulate resistance, and cost, to name a few — no one material has a top score in every category. Optimal functionality is likely achieved with a multi-layer stack-up incorporating pressure-sensitive adhesives. This is where the converter comes in.
Using processes that include hot roll and cold-pressure laminating, a flexible material converter can create multi-layer material stack-ups that combine the benefits of discreetly dissimilar materials into one functional composite.
These multi-functional stacks can then be slit to a custom width, die-cut to discrete shapes, or delivered in master sheets or rolls, depending on the production needs of the end user.
Consistent functional components
Leveraging manufacturing techniques that include high-speed rotary and platen press die-cutting, a converter can produce high volumes of parts with speed, consistency, and precision. These parts range in complexity from single shapes to multi-layer parts, incorporating different shapes or sizes in each layer of material. Vision high-speed inspection systems can also be implemented to drive zero-defect quality.
Optimized assembly
When you work with a quality die-cut solutions provider, you’ll often hear terms like pull tab, kiss cut, gapped, through cut, butt cut, on a roll, slugs removed, back-scored, perforated, and others. These phrases explain the different form factors in which the part can be delivered.
Features like easy-to-remove extended liners, pull tabs, and adhesive-zone coating enable pick-and-place operations that speed up installation and increase assembly accuracy.
It’s important to share in advance how you plan to incorporate the installation of that part into the next phase of your product assembly so your solutions provider can ensure the most efficient assembly operation. This can be as simple as making sure the parts are oriented the right way on the roll, or as complex as bringing some of your sub-assembly in-house and using automation to apply the part to a molded clip or other component.
In industries as fast-paced as electric vehicles and e-mobility, the challenge becomes how to cost-effectively iterate during the design stages and be ready to ramp up production quickly once the design is locked.
The ideal solutions provider can assist throughout the product lifecycle — from material selection and reliable prototyping to high-speed, high-volume production using state-of-the-art equipment. It’s possible to convert your design concepts into reality.
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Filed Under: Adhesives, FAQs