Improving Electronics Assembly and Quality with PSA Tapes
As electronic devices, particularly consumer electronic devices, have become smaller, more delicate, and more complex over the years, manufacturers have turned to pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes to efficiently assemble more durable devices. PSA tapes provide at least as secure a bond when compared to metal fasteners, screws, liquid adhesives, and other traditional bonding methods. They also result in lighter, smaller electronic devices that have better durability and longevity. That’s not all. Manufacturers have used PSA tapes to improve their products, primarily because of the benefits PSA tapes provide.
PSA Tapes Serve Many Uses in Electronics Assembly
Many of the uses of PSA tapes in electronics assembly include:
Battery mounting
Lens mounting
PCB and component mounting
Cover and shielding mounting
Cable connections
Covering
Encapsulation
Tapes are ideal for the thin profile and small dimensions of consumer electronic devices. They can be cut and fabricated to fit small spaces and form complex shapes that fit to any component within an electronic device. Their precise thickness meets the tight tolerances required for multi-layer assembly.
PSA Tapes Shield and Protect Devices Against a Variety Things
Consumer electronic devices are subject to a large variety of environmental factors, from heat to vibration, impact shock, and moisture. While traditional metal fasteners do little to shield against these hazards, PSA tapes provide ample protection against:
Electrostatic discharges: certain types of tape have EMI/RFI shielding capabilities
Impact shock: PSA tapes hold up better against impacts caused by drops and falls, both of which are common in consumer devices.
Vibration: from vibrations caused by transporting devices to the small vibrations caused by cooling units (in computers), ringtones (in phones), and other normal operations, PSA tapes cushion devices against all manner of vibrations.
Sound: like vibration dampening, PSA tapes also provide sound dampening capabilities to electronic devices, lessening sounds created by processors, fans, etc.
Moisture: since PSA tapes can fill voids between components, they can also act as seals that prevent moisture and water penetration.
Chemicals: many different types of PSA tapes have resistance against chemicals and solvents.
Heat: PSA tapes provide varying levels of heat shielding based on their level of thermal resistance. This is ideal for electronic devices that produce any level of heat due to normal operation as it prevents devices from overheating and materials from warping.
All these protections help increase the overall durability, structural integrity, and longevity of electronic devices.
PSA Tapes Bond Well to Any Surface
The adhesives on PSA tapes form strong bonds with the materials that make up common components in electronic devices, including plastics, metals, powder-coated and painted surfaces, glass, and more. Since PSA tapes can also be double-sided, with a different type of adhesive on each side of the tape, they can easily bond two different substrates together with a single piece of tape.
PSA Tapes Eliminate Stress Points
When screws are used to bond together two surfaces, they create stress points where they are placed. Over time, these stress points can break, especially when they are subjected to vibration, impacts, and other forces.
PSA tapes have no focused stress points. Since they cover larger surface areas, resulting in smooth and even application of the adhesive, they are not as susceptible to breaking when exposed to external forces.
Increasing Assembly Speed with PSA Tapes
Outside of increasing the durability and longevity of electronics, PSA tapes also provide a simpler, faster, and easier way for manufacturers to assemble their products. They require less cleanup, less skill to apply, no special tools, and can be seamlessly integrated into any manufacturing line.
At Engineered Materials, we take manufacturing efficiency a step further. We offer nested parts (link to nested parts blog post) that have all the PSA tape components you need to assemble your products. These can be customized based on your needs, resulting in the fastest and most effective process possible.
We can help you choose the right tape, fabricate it to fit your products perfectly, and package all the components together to increase your manufacturing efficiency and output.