NAA Member News: Preston Technical – What is an Adhesive Tape Converter?
That is a very good question! The fact of the matter is that not many people use a whole roll of adhesive tape in one go, and ideally want pieces of tape to stick materials together. However, that is where the problems can start, since that normally involves cutting the pieces off the roll of tape which can be tricky, as anyone knows who has to wrap lots of presents, for example!
So, an Adhesive Tape Converter takes big widths and lengths of tape rolls from the manufacturer – slits and rewinds it into smaller sizes to make it easier to use and can then die cut, laminate it with other materials, and can shape it into an exact size or configuration that the tape user ideally wants.
Why is an Adhesive Tape Converter so important in the supply chain? The adhesive tape manufacturers want to sell lots of volume of tape in rolls, and do not want to be involved in supplying complex shapes in smaller volumes to customers. The Adhesive Tape Converter adds considerable value in the adhesive tape supply chain by supplying tape such as Acrylic Foam Tapes in the right size and shape to suit their exact needs.
Using shaped die cut adhesive tape parts with specialised release liners to make it easy to peel the part off a sheet or a roll and apply it without getting sticky or dirty fingerprints all over the adhesive face – which means the tape will adhere better to the material you are applying it to. Tape Converters such as Preston Technical with its array of converting equipment can literally supply die-cut tape in any way that the customer wants it – from cut single pieces to highly complex shapes that need to be presented in a way to facilitate use in a production line environment.
Nowadays, using traditional mechanical fixing methods such as screws, welding, riveting etc are being replaced with high performance adhesive tapes like VHB TAPE in modern manufacturing design and production methods. Why is that?
Adhesive tape joints are faster to manufacture, which reduces manufacturing cycle times and costs – but they also have numerous other advantages – they can be stronger, lighter, have no corrosion issues, are more repeatable and consistent in quality and less noisy to produce (as anybody who has stood next to a rivet gun will attest!).
Where die-cut tape can really win is that it easily allows for robotic and automated applications processes to be used when manufacturing components which gives major cost and quality benefits to customers. Preston Technical has a wealth of expertise in assessing manufacturing production lines and finding ways to remove bottlenecks or long assembly cycle times using die-cut adhesive tape – this is what a top-notch Adhesive Tape Converter should be able to provide to the customer.
Preston Technical, as a Premier Converter, also has considerable competence in being able to take on sub-contracting work in its facilities to combine the customer’s materials with converted adhesive tape, to provide a complete product ready to use for modular assembly, as an example.
So – this is what the modern Adhesive Tape Converter can do for your business!
