tesa UK Ltd

Certified Double Sided Tapes for Mirror Mounting

tesa UK Ltd — 30/05/2019

We continue to support furniture manufacturers, with the announcement that our double-sided PE foam tape, tesa^® 62510, has been certified for use in mirror mounting applications.

tesa^® 62510 has been certified by TÜV Rhineland, where tests included observation of performance in a climatic chamber. The creep strength of the product was extrapolated up to a period of ten years and a recommendation of 50 cm2 per kilo of mirror weight was made.

Offering a rapid, reliable and efficient element of the production process, whether on wardrobes, occasional furniture, dressing and vanity units or bathroom cabinets, manufacturers can be assured that the newly certified tape will provide instant bonding strength and durability over time

Secure bonding of mirrors in furniture is a critically safe application that requires the specific type of adhesive and the correct amount of tape applied in the correct way. As additional aids, tesa provides added value tools, including:

A bond strength calculator which determines the correct amount of adhesive tape for safe mirror bonding, given the weight and size of the mirror. With a 10x safety factor built into the calculations, manufacturers can be confident that they are using the right amount of tape to meet safety standards.
A reference guide showing how much pressure should be applied when applying the tape which manufacturers can incorporate in their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

These tools, together with professional advice and tested and approved quality products, provide tesa’s customers with the confidence to use the correct amount of tape in the knowledge that it is reliable and safe to sell on to their own customers.

tesa^® 62510 is a double-sided PE foam tape for mirror mounting. It consists of a highly conformable PE foam backing and a tackified acrylic adhesive. It has a softer foam backing than its counterpart, tesa^® 4952, requiring less pressure to be applied and making it easier to fit to large wardrobes in a productive environment. tesa^® 62510provides a better solution for long term reliable bonding, performing better than rubber adhesives.

This is true across a variety of substrates used in furniture manufacturing, including wood, MDF, acrylics, glass and polypropylene. Additionally, tesa can test customer materials to ensure they are safe for bonding.

Customers can rely on the many benefits that using tesa^® 62510 brings, including high ultimate adhesion level for reliable bonding performance that is UV, water and ageing resistant; with a conformable PE foam core providing high inner strength suitable for automatic and manual assembly.

Peter Spencer, tesa’s Key Account Manager, works closely with furniture manufacturers to find solutions for the ever-changing requirements of the industry. He summarised: “The use of tesa^® 62510 allows manufacturers to provide the best aesthetic results, with the hidden bond offering designers clean, uncluttered lines free from any mechanical fixings. In an industry where cost-effectiveness in production goes hand-in-hand with contemporary design requirements, tesa’s solution meets both sets of requirements.”

Weighty matters

tesa UK Ltd — 18/01/2019

Vehicle lightweighting has become a ‘must have’ for motor manufacturers – and adhesive tapes are now delivering advantages over traditional mechanical fixings that are helping to drive this expectation to even greater heights

Despite a recent period of sustained prosperity, latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), indicate that 1.67 million cars were produced in UK factories in 2017, a decline of 3% compared with the year before. Uncertainty has affected multiple industries in recent times, so, to address this decline early, many manufacturers are seeking out new methods of increasing productivity and keeping costs down, whilst also adhering to increasing environmental standard scrutiny.

In response to the innovation requirements synonymous with the automotive industry, adhesive tape has quickly become a key component in many production processes. Tapes are used under the bonnet, on the body and the interior and exterior trims of the car, where they offer various benefits over traditional joining technologies. With the continuing drive to keep vehicle weight to the minimum, tesa offers a clear advantage over traditional mechanical fixings and benefit manufacturers, the environment and ultimately the end customer”.

When considering attachment part mounting, product solutions are required that work for plastic to clear coat, plastic to plastic and plastic to metal applications. This constructive bonding can be very challenging and time-consuming, as dissimilar materials give different coefficients of thermal expansion, so, when they warm up or cool down, they expand and contract at different rates. In addition, parts that need to be bonded to a vehicle’s exterior have different levels of surface energy.

We produces a wide range of double-sided tapes that can be applied at low temperature to low surface energy materials, without the need for a primer. Applying primer as part of the attachment part mounting technique is an expensive, elongated and hazardous process. By skipping the primer, the production process becomes more environmentally friendly, total process cost and complexity is reduced, robust application is ensured over a wide temperature range and near-ultimate peel adhesion levels are reached within a minute on most substrates. Current solutions on the market need hours, or sometimes even days, to achieve the same level of performance, meaning adoption of tapes as an alternative can make a significant impact to the production lines efficiency and output.

tesa 64912 PE foam tape is the first foam tape introduced into the marketplace that can be applied in temperatures as low as 5˚C. It is used extensively in the automotive industry to permanently mount small similar and/or dissimilar parts, such as parking distance sensor brackets, make and model badges, and interior and exterior plastic bonding, such as entry trims. A PE foam core provides high-performance adhesion on low and medium surface energy materials, reaching ultimate peel immediately after application and offering excellent converting properties.

Similarly, tesa® ACX^plus technology is said to take the production of tape chemistry forward a generation by enabling a functional combination of its chemical components. While acting as a solvent-free coating of high-performance acrylic systems in thicker formats, enhanced performance is seen in the strength of its bonding power, strength dissipation and resistance to both weather and temperatures up to 40˚C

Further advantages claimed when using tesa® ACX^plus over traditional methods include clear full-surface bonding, extreme load capacity, corrosion prevention and good aesthetic results. “When mounting automotive attachment parts with self-adhesive tapes, the tape will not be visible after the part has been attached to the car body, enhancing overall appearance and ultimately customer satisfaction. In addition, the acrylic adhesive system enables optimal wetting and chemically adapts to bonded surfaces, while also fulfilling requirements such as vibration, noise prevention and shock absorption, and sealing against liquids.”

So, what exactly is tesa® ACX^plus 778XX? It’s a double-sided, triple-layer, symmetrically designed acrylic foam tape engineered for automotive exterior attachment part mounting. Coated on both sides with LSE adhesive, its strengths are in offering high initial performance on LSE plastics, as well as on difficult-to-bond OEM clear coats. In addition, its viscoelastic acrylic foam core absorbs and dissipates dynamic and static loads. Likewise, tesa® ACX^plus 777XX has been developed to securely bond exterior attachment parts to the easy-to-bond car body. A unique double-layer asymmetrically designed product, it is coated on one side with LSE adhesive for high initial performance on LSE plastics.

Applications said to be already benefiting from this viscoelastic technology include body side, door edge and boot mouldings, aero-flaps, brake-light spoilers, fender flares, rocker panels, ‘shark fin’ antennas and roof ditch trim and rails – all joined gently, yet set to withstand any external influences throughout a vehicle’s lifetime. Since the introduction of tesa® ACX^plus , the product has gained many industry plaudits, including official approval from major manufacturers such as Chrysler and Fiat.

With the elimination of the primer process, converters and manufacturers can provide a much healthier working environment. In addition, with a much simpler process, easier control and handling, production times are shortened, providing additional cost savings and not affected by seasonal temperature in the production areas.

For further information on tesa adhesive tapes for the automotive industry please click here

tesa UK Ltd – an introduction

tesa UK Ltd — 22/01/2019

As a newly joined member of Made in the Midlands we thought we’d offer a brief introduction by way of who we are and what we do.

We’ve been based in Milton Keynes since 1984 and tesa UK Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of tesa SE based in Hamburg which in turn is owned by Beiersdorf AG, responsible for brands such as NIVEA. tesa is one of the largest adhesive tape manufacturers in the world selling more than 7,000 types of tape in over 100 countries and with a global turnover in excess of €1.2bn. For us it’s important to innovate and as such 5% of our turnover goes towards R&D and on average we file for patent protection for over 100 new products each year.

We (sell tape) to all types of manufacturing industries, from automotive to flexographic printing, building and construction to vehicle converters and many more besides, selling either direct or via a network of industrial distributors: either way our aim is to understand the issues you face and make recommendations using tape to help improve your processes and final product. In support of this many of our sales team are from these industries bringing with them the knowledge and expertise they have gained.

We plan to attend as many of the morning networking events as we can and will certainly be present at the exhibition in June where we look forward to meeting you if we haven’t already done so. In the meantime we will be regularly uploading news, case studies and application stories onto our microsite.

Steve Plastow

Country Manager

Avoiding hand-arm vibration syndrome in vehicle conversion

tesa UK Ltd — 14/01/2020

Workers in the vehicle conversion business are amongst almost two million people considered to be at risk of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) in the UK, according to the Health and Safety Executive. HAVS is a painful, disabling and irreversible condition that creeps up slowly on sufferers – and by the time symptoms appear the damage has already been done. Information from leading adhesive tape specialist tesa, sets out the actions employers and employees can take to prevent it when converting vehicles.

What is HAVS and what causes it?

HAVS results from vibration transmitted into the hands and arms when using hand-held power tools, or hand-guided machinery, or holding workpieces while working on them with vibrating equipment. In vehicle converting, the danger typically comes from drilling holes to fit mechanical fasteners such as rivets, bolts and screws, from use of rivet guns and from grinding and sanding to smooth out welds. Elsewhere, vibration sources range from saws and road breakers to floor polishers and garden tools.
Vibration gradually damages the nerves, blood vessels, muscles, joints and bones. How badly the tool user is affected depends on the vibration’s intensity and the daily duration of exposure. Initially unnoticeable, its effects continue to grow and can ultimately lead to permanent disability.

Read more on how to reduce or prevent the symptoms of HAVS on our website here tesa.co.uk/HAVS

New Silver Member - tesa®

tesa UK Ltd — 09/10/2018

Hello to everyone, we are super excited to announce we are a new Silver Member of Made in the Midlands. Over the next few days we will introduce ourselves by outlining the industries that we operate in.

We hope you find our articles informative, if you wish to know more about tesa® or you think we can help with your production process or can offer some advise, please feel free to contact us, we will be very happy to talk and work with you.

We are proud to be a part of the #MIMFAMILY and look forward to meeting with you too in the near future at arranged MiM events.

Until then , happy reading

tesa® UK

We recently helped a metal fabricator to improve production efficiencies

tesa UK Ltd — 10/10/2018

tesa^® ACX^plus 7074, a new category of double-sided adhesive tape for high performance constructive bonds, is being used by a sheet metal manufacturer to bond profiles onto ceiling panels that typically house air conditioning units or lighting assemblies.
In the sheet metal industry, the ability to provide optimal wetting of different surfaces while also absorbing dynamic forces and vibration has been identified as a key factor, especially in panel bonding applications.

Application and Current Method
On this particular application, the customer was bonding profiles to panels using a conventional liquid adhesive, prior to powder- coating.

Customer Issue
Applying the liquid adhesive was found to be somewhat laborious, involving a relatively cumbersome jig and clamp in order to accommodate a six-hour cure time, in addition to presenting some health and safety issues.

tesa Assessment and Proposal
The tesacohesion team considered the process as a whole and engaged with the customer in an assessment and testing programme using 12mm tesa^® ACX^plus 7074 as an alternative solution.

tesa^® ACX^plus 7074 consists of a high performance acrylic system defined by the strength of its bonding power. It also offers viscoelastic properties, with elastic restoring forces that provide inner strength and viscous characteristics which relax mechanical stresses, to create a dimensionally stable and permanent bond.

Outcome

The testing phase was completed with impressive results. Bonding was found to be effective and robust, with a significant simplification of the production cycle and reduced time, in the order of some 140 hours per month.
In addition the process was cleaner and healthier for staff, with further cost reductions delivered by eradicating the need to manufacture a jig and clamp system.
With 350 units in production per month, the benefits to the company were significant.

Fantastic on Plastic

tesa UK Ltd — 19/09/2019

Due to their strength, rigidity and improved moulding techniques, there has been an increase in the use of plastics in vehicle production (PP 32% , PVC 16%), traditionally plastics would be bonded by either clips, gluing or costly Ultra Sonic Welding

With so many different types of plastic available, it is hard to make sure you can bond them together reliably - tesa^® HiP will change the way you think about this

A new era of creativity and efficiency is dawning. tesa^® HiP (High Initial Performance) is revolutionising industry as we know it.

No matter if you want to bond PP to ABS or PA to PC – tesa^® HiP offers fascinating design possibilities and contributes to making plastics even more attractive for the automotive industry, for example. Typical application areas for tesa^® HiP within the automotive industry include:

Assembly of Door Panels
Cock Pit
Dashboard
Instrument Panels

Bonding plastics means pre treatment, long curing times and expensive upfront costs right?

Wrong!

Because with our new tesa^® HiP adhesive tape solution we are revolutionising the industrial world: it is the first and only tape that bonds different plastics with different surface energy or different stiffness simply, quickly, and securely.

No matter whether you want to bond PP to ABS or PA to PC its time to forget the different melting points of each plastic and say hello to high bonding values - tesa^® HiP offers fascinating design possibilities and contributes to making plastics even more attractive for industry. Our new High initial Performance tape creates powerful bonds between plastics that are commonly used in industry and have a low surface energy (LSE) for example, PP, ABS and PE. Often the production process takes too long, may be unclean, or entails higher scrap rates. tesa^® HiP adheres immediately and is able to achieve 80% of its full bonding performance after 5 seconds if 10 N/cm2 pressure is applied.

Rivets, welds, screws, or liquid glue may not be suitable for all materials and production environments and cause various negative effects. These restrictions are now a thing of the past. Our new tesa^® HiP polymer foam tape joins different materials fast, permanently, cleanly, and without damage.

Together we develop new processes to optimise your production and integrate automation with our innovative tape solution.

Processing with tesa^® HiP is so simple that no expensive investments in machinery outlay and maintenence are needed. Benefit from the cost advantage through low investments and increased flexibility in the production process:

Reduced tooling costs
Reduction in welding machinery cost

tesa^® HiP leads to leaner processes resulting in improved efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability in automotive manufacturing.

- Lower scrap rates because the tape provides precise and clean results.
- Lower storage costs because no additional material (e.g. for pretreatment) is needed, and the adhesive rolls require only very little space.
- Fewer process steps necessary because the product is ready for use and supports immediate subsequent processing.

To find out more about tesa® HiP and to request a sample, please visit www.tesa.com/en-gb/fantasticonplastic

Any great travel experience starts with passenger safety

tesa UK Ltd — 24/10/2018

Whether it’s going to work or on a trip with the family, train travel is in increasing demand. Passenger safety is quintessential for a great travel experience. That is why we take fire safety guidelines very serious by meeting the demands of rail vehicle manufacturers and ensuring carefree train journeys. Our adhesive tapes are often used in components that provide travel comfort such as the seats, wall claddings, and displays.

Introducing our new fire-certified tesafix^® 4965 adhesive tape

We believe there can be no cutting corners when safety is concerned. That’s why we heavily invest in testing and developing fire protection tape for the railway vehicle industry. tesafix^® 4965, our latest fire-certified tape is the first of its range. tesafix^® 4965 is a transparent double-sided self-adhesive tape consisting of a PET backing and a tackified acrylic adhesive. Thanks to its outstanding technical properties this extensively tested adhesive tape fulfils all the requirements of DIN EN 45545-2 R1 and HL3, the highest hazard level. The tests involved are as follows:

Heat release
Smoke generation (smoke density and toxicity)
Lateral flame spread (speed of burning)

The outcome is an efficient and certified fire protection for interior and exterior applications in railway vehicles – this even applies for double-decker vehicles operated underground or in tunnels

Together, we are always on track

We are continuously investing in the testing and evaluation of our adhesive tape solutions. We are committed to partnering with our customers to learn, gather and share know-how with the mission to build on this expertise. Together we can create product profiles that are suitable for hazardous situations and meet both local and regional regulations for a more efficient and safer railway industry.

For further information on tesafix® 4965 or any tesa adhesive tapes, visit www.tesa.co.uk/industry

Introducing New Aluminium foil tapes for Fridges and Freezers.

tesa UK Ltd — 10/12/2018

We are introducing six new thermally conductive aluminium foil tapes that supplement our current range of five tapes - tesa^® 50525, tesa^® 50565, and tesa^® 50575 ( with or without liner), which is widely used in the appliances industry to mount the refrigeration coils of fridges and to cover the liners of freezers for better heat transfer.

The new members of the foil family are proven products that are known for their stability and reasonable pricing, and they play quite an important role. With the right aluminium tape, the energy consumption of fridges and freezers can be significantly reduced – helping the appliances even reach a higher energy efficiency class.

Our new single-sided aluminium tapes are more heat-resistant – they withstand temperatures up to 160°C – and can be used to secure the cooling lines in refrigeration. The main difference between the six aluminium foil tapes is the thickness of the aluminium foil backing. They are available in 30, 50, and 75 µm. The conformable 30 µm tapes easily adapt to curved surfaces, while the robust 75 µm tapes have the highest abrasion resistance and the highest mechanical stability, whats more all 6 tape designs are tested flame retardant in accordance with the requirements in UL 510A.

For each of the three types, there is a version with a paper liner, which makes the product suitable for die cutting. Additionally the liner increases stability in tape processing and offers the best anchorage for the insulating foam.

To read further information or to register your interest in the new range of foil tapes please visit www.tesa.co.uk/aluminium

tesa Reaches for the Skylight

tesa UK Ltd — 25/02/2019

The market leader in its sector, the Suffolk-based company Sunsquare is the only flat roof skylight manufacturer in the world to have been awarded a BSI Kitemark for a rooflight.

Sunsquare visited our stand at a trade exhibition to learn more about the advances in adhesive tape technology. During the initial discussion it emerged there was a lengthy cure time required for a modified Silane adhesive that was used to structurally bond the insulated glass unit (IGU) to a frame in the design of their Flat and Pyramid products which resulted in factory space being taken up and an unavoidable extension to the lead time before shipping to their customer. A double sided thermal spacer tape was also used to hold the IGU during this cure time but it did not create a strong enough bond for the product to be moved.

Our customer team presented a high performance acrylic core tape called tesa^® ACX^plus which is ideal for structural bonding applications. We explained how this could also provide a thermal break and also the required gap for the Silane adhesive to flow. Subsequently, we visited the Sunsquare factory in Bury St Edmunds, and conducted product tests to demonstrate the high immediate bond that tesa^® ACX^plus could provide. This was supported by extensive laboratory tests from our R and D labs in Hamburg, to demonstrate the products performance and durability over time via accelerated ageing tests

Clive Howard, Technical Director at Sunsquare, is delighted with the outcome, commenting “The introduction of tesa^® ACX^plusinto our production process has increased individual unit manufacturing output, enabling shorter lead times for delivery to the customer.”

tesa’s Mat Lord summarises. “By replacing the existing bonding application with tesa^® ACX^plus, Sunsquare has reduced cure times, streamlining production and shortening delivery times, all elements that are key to ensuring customer satisfaction and repeat orders.”

To find out how we can help with your production process please contact us on 01908 500333 or ukenquiry@tesa.com