3M VHB™ – How to Approach VHB Acrylic Foam Tape Supply Challenges
If we were looking for a word to sum up the supply chain challenges of 2021, the term that comes to mind would be Force Majeure. The Legal Information Institute defines Force Majeure as, “A provision commonly found in contracts that frees both parties from obligation if an extraordinary event prevents one or both parties from performing. These events must be unforeseeable and unavoidable, and not the result of the defendant's actions, hence they are considered "an act of god". “ Has there been a year where this legal contractual term has been enacted more often than 2021? We’d be hard pressed to find one! While there were hopes such declarations were in the rearview mirror, if you are a company working with 3M VHB acrylic foam tapes, your familiarity with the term has just begun!
On November 15th, 2021 3M officially announced to its partners that it experienced a major commercial interruption resulting in Force Majeure. An environmental authority imposed new safety measures on a 3M plant causing it to immediately suspend some of its operations. It is our understanding that the operations at the plant required to make many widely used 3M VHB were suspended.
The VHB products affected by the Force Majeure are the following:
4941 Series VHB Tapes: 4941; 4926; 4936; 4941 ;4956; 4991
RP Series VHB Tapes: RP16; RP25; RP32; RP45; RP62
3M™ VHB™ Tapes: 4929; 4949
Commercial Vehicle Tapes: CV45F; CV62F; CV90F
Architectural Panel Tapes: G11; G16; G90; B11; B16; B90
Window Tapes: B45; G45
Structural Bonding and Glazing Tapes: G23F; B23F
4622 Series Tapes: 4618; 4622; 4624
4951 Series Tapes: 4943F; 4957F
Other 3M tape products were also affected. They are the following:
Extreme Sealing Tapes: 4411B; 4411G; 4411N; 4412N; 4412G
3M™ Dual Lock Products: SJ3550; SJ3551; SJ3552
While it is unclear if 3M will be able to reach an accommodation to resume production, it is clear that production was abruptly halted. Due to the immediate and unexpected nature of the stoppage, it is likely that the supply constraints will begin almost immediately. Products in the RP Series, 4929 / 4949, 4622 Series, 4951 Series, and the Extreme Sealing Tapes will see supply shortages right away. Users of the 4941 Series VHB Tapes, CV Tapes, Glazing & Architectural Tapes, and Window Tapes, may have a bit more time before shortages appear. It is our understanding, however, that supply challenges will begin for all the products in weeks.
In any case, if you produce products whose construction is dependent on these tapes, it would be wise to develop immediate contingency plans. This should include understanding the scope of exposure, calculating expected depletion dates, shoring up current supplies, minimizing consumption in the short run, and beginning to evaluate viable alternatives.
Fortunately, there are several suitable alternatives for most of these tapes. 3M produces several high performing VHB acrylic foam tapes which are unaffected by the Force Majeure. 3M VHB 5952 Series Tapes, 3M VHB GPH Series Tapes, 3M VHB LSE Tapes, and 3M VHB 4950 Series Tapes are all very good acrylic foam tapes that may be suitable substitutes. Additionally, there are several other global tape suppliers with credible acrylic foam tape options. Given, that each product family has unique characteristics, it is vital to work with qualified experts who can tailor the right solution for your application. It is even more critical to test those options in your application to ensure suitability. Lastly, given the stress this event is placing across the acrylic foam tape supply chain, it will be important to ensure consistency of supply for any approved alternative.
In all cases, selecting and qualifying a new VHB acrylic foam tape that works for your particular application will take time. Given the current outlook, making your contingency plan and enacting it should be a very high priority.
Engineered Materials is a precision industrial tape and specialty materials converter.We are a 3M converter partner and work with hundreds of specialty tape and materials suppliers.Our goal is to create parts to meet your specific needs.We specialize in collaborating with customers to make their products better. Let’s talk about what is possible.