New double sided foam mounting tapes

New double sided foam mounting tapes aimed at high performance consumer electronics and non-permanent stress fastening applications are now available from tesa UK Limited. Developed to offer optimum mechanical and environmental performance the products extend the thickness range within the company’s thin foam tape assortment.

Two tapes – tesa 62946 and tesa 62948 – have been designed for technically demanding use such as fastening touch panels, lenses and decorative trims for electronic and electrical goods. Both tapes feature PET film reinforcement to improve stiffness and handling during the production of die cut forms frequently used during manufacturing processes in these industries. Also common is a tackified acrylic adhesive system, particularly suited to outdoor and high temperature environments, that optimises adhesive performance on high energy surfaces such as metal and glass.

These tapes also share a closed cell PE cell structure featuring a thick membrane that offers high mechanical strength. Additionally, the highly conformable foam backing compensates for design tolerances and uneven surfaces while the elasticity of the foam accommodates the different expansion of parts that are bonded. Dampening properties and shock absorption are excellent too.

While both tapes offer superior ultimate adhesive strength, tesa 62948, which has a thickness of 400µm, achieves a peel adhesion of 13.1N/cm on steel and tensile strength of ≥ 40N/15mm. At 300µm thick, tesa 62946 offers peel adhesion of 13.2N/cm on steel and tensile strength of ≥ 35N/15mm. Short and long term temperature resistance is 80 oC and 70oC respectively for both tapes which are coloured black.
Targeting lighter weight sealing applications, tesa 62939 is a double sided 3000µm thick tape that utilises low strength closed cell PE foam with large cells and a thinner membrane which make it exceptionally conformable and ideal for gap filling. It is equally suitable for protecting against dust, moisture and heat transfer. A versatile tackified adhesive allows the tape to be used outdoors and on a very wide range of substrates where it exhibits excellent immediate adhesion on uneven surfaces. Adhesion peaks at 5.0N/mm on steel and tensile strength is 13.3N/cm. Short and long term temperature resistance is 80oC. This white tape offers good resistance to humidity and is UV, water and aging resistant. Long term dampening and aging resistance have been certified by the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (IfT) in Leipzig, Germany.

Typical applications include the mounting of wood, metal or vinyl window components where a 3mm gap is required or for fixing wood or vinyl roof, flooring or skirting profiles where a thick tape is needed to compensate for variations in wall surface texture and alignment. It can also be used to fasten solar panel junction boxes and as a seal between aluminium, vinyl, wood and sandwich materials as found in partition walls in buildings. Long, slightly curved substrates with a gap variation of up to 50% of the foam thickness can also be mounted successfully.