3M™ Dual Lock™ are the Reclosable Fastners Your Application Needs
Designed for high-performance applications, 3M™ Dual Lock™ fasteners are a versatile bonding solution that can replace many others hook and loop solutions on the market. These tapes have mushroom-shaped heads available in three different densities, allowing you to choose a fastener that has the right strength for your application.
Looking to learn more about 3M™ Dual Lock™ fasteners? Find out what makes them one of the leading reclosable bonding solutions available to durable goods manufacturers today.
What are 3M™ Dual Lock™ Fasteners?
Dual Lock™ from 3M™ is an industrial strength bonding solution that provides an alternative bonding method to traditional screws, bolts, metal fasteners, and hook and loop stripes. Dual Lock™ fastener tapes are reclosable, removable, and reusable, featuring a mushroom-shaped interlocking design that creates a strong bond using a positive locking system. These reclosable systems can be used up to 1,000 times before losing 50% of their tensile strength, making them an incredible option for bonding together components that need to be separated and rejoined.
The reclosable interlocking components are attached with a PSA adhesive— available in acrylic, clear acrylic, and low surface energy acrylic—allowing them to be attached to many different substrates that include:
Metal
Glass
Plastics
Powdered-coated paints
3M™ Dual Lock™ fasteners are safe for use in both indoor and outdoor applications; they are temperature, moisture, and UV resistant. Low-profile options are available for bonding solutions in tight spaces and where a low-profile aesthetic appeal is desired.
The Benefits of 3M™ Dual Lock™ Fasteners
When compared to metal fasteners, welds, screws, etc., Dual Lock™ fasteners have many of the same benefits as traditional PSA tapes (see more about those benefits here), these include:
Being easy to install
Having the ability to eliminate stress points
Avoiding corrosion and galvanic reactions
Dampening noise and vibrations
Invisible fastening (low profile and aesthetic)
When specifically compared to liquid adhesives, Dual Lock™ fasteners have the benefits of:
Having no odor
Not requiring cleanup
Maintaining viscoelasticity in many different environments
Being able to be applied evenly and accurately
The other benefits of using Dual Lock™ fasteners include:
High strength (Dual Lock™ has 5 times the tensile strength of other hook and loop fasteners)
Repositionable upon itself (until the positive interlock is engaged)
Easily removable and replaceable
Blind fastening (the audible closure alerts the person applying it that a positive lock has been made)
A quick release without the use of tools
Manufactures can also simplify the parts ordering process for assembly by using Dual Lock™. Since these fasteners mate and bond to themselves, this means that only a single SKU needs to be purchased as far as these parts are concerned.
The Applications of Dual Lock™ Fasteners
Dual Lock™ fasteners are most ideally used for applications that require a strong, reusable bonding solution. If you have parts of components within a product or application that need to be occasionally removed, Dual Lock™ allows for a strong, separatable bond to be formed. While standard hook and loop fasteners are also reclosable, there are many applications where the engagement strength isn’t high enough. Dual Lock™ has terrific engagement strength while still being durable enough to handle more than 1,000 open and close cycles over the life of the fastener.
These features and benefits make Dual Lock™ ideal for:
Anchoring removable accessories
Access panel attachments
Attaching control boxes
Fixed interior ceiling panels
Any removable part or components