TAPES
Bonding different
plastics
40
www.fastening-solutions.co.uk
AUTUMN 2019
Launched earlier this year, tesa HiP
(High Initial Performance) was
born out of a specific automotive
requirement for a customer who had
historically used ultrasonic welding but
encountered a confining shape issue.
tesa created a flexible hybrid tape in
order to fulfil this need, designing,
testing and perfecting the product at the
company’s Application Solution Centre
in Hamburg, Germany. The solution
proved to be ideal for the customer, but
also offered several additional benefits,
from clean adhesive bonds and thinner
material capabilities, to the elimination
of heat-induced dents, visible screw
connections and geometry limitations.
Available in a roll or in die-cut form, tesa
HiP is made from a single layer performance
polymer foam. Capable of bonding all
common plastics immediately after
application with no curing time, this is the
first and only tape that bonds even different
plastics with different surface energy or
different stiffness. It is distinctive to any
other adhesive
The ability to join dissimilar plastics with
different melting points instantaneously not
only opens a world of new possibilities for
designers, but also boosts overall efficiency
of production. Ultrasonic welding of different
plastics has long been an issue, due to
differing melting points, so hotmelt, liquid
glues or mechanical fixings have historically
been used, but these processes are messy,
time consuming and add weight. As it takes
the form of a lightweight adhesive tape, tesa
HiP solves this conundrum and additionally
eliminates the need for any pre-treatment. It
takes just seconds for tesa HiP to reach 80%
bond strength, speeding up existing methods
considerably and resulting in fast and hasslefree
application. Pausing a job to wait for ‘wet
out’ to take place is now a thing of the past.
Futureproofi ng
The ongoing electrification of the automotive
industry is well documented, with some MPs
even calling for the planned 2040 ban on new
petrol and diesel cars to be moved forward to
2030. But with battery packs weighing more
than a standard car engine, other areas of
weight-saving across vehicles will need to be
identified in order to compensate.
The addition of small metal rickets may
not appear to make significant difference to
overall weight, but once a complete vehicle
is finished, every saved gram matters.
For today’s petrol or diesel customer, fuel
efficiency is an obvious benefit of owning
The demand for plastics in automotive
manufacturing continues to grow as it remains a
durable, cheap and lightweight solution to many
modern manufacturing challenges. But plastic on
plastic solutions, whilst visually appealing, can
be notoriously difficult to bond cleanly, quickly
and securely.
solution as no other performance tape
includes the same Z-axis pull-resistance
suitability, making it a comprehensive
alternative to traditional joining methods.
Testing has shown that resistance of up to
150+N/cm is possible.
Typical application areas for tesa HiP
include the assembly of door panels, cockpits,
dashboards and instrument panels.
Design Freedom
Material restrictions have long been
considered a limiting factor in any automotive
product design, but thanks to the emergence
of tesa HiP, designers have more freedom
than ever to use their imaginations with no
restrictions. Any two plastics, whether they be
desired for aesthetic or cost-saving purposes,
can now be bonded together quickly and
accurately, as well as adhesive joints created
in all directions. No matter if bonding PP to
ABS or PA to PC, this innovative solution
makes even low surface energy (LSE)
bonding instantly possible.
tesa HiP removes any risk
of marking to the outsides
of bonded surfaces meaning
previous limitations on material
thickness are no longer
applicable. No heat or additional
steps are required. Simply
attach the tape to one of the
(clean and dry) materials, and
press together.
/www.fastening-solutions.co.uk