What can we do for you?
Capabilities
Die Cutting
Preston Technical has amassed over 30 years’ experience in providing die-cutting services to customers nationwide. We continually invest in the latest equipment and machinery. This proactive approach keeps us at the forefront of the industry and ensures we maintain a high standard of service. Our die-cutting equipment includes flat-bed cutting extending to complex, multi-stage rotary and laser cutting to name a few.
TabTech®
Preston Technical has proved its reputation for innovation by producing to present specific die-cut lengths of VHB™ tape in a unique roll form and which incorporates a new method of enabling the VHB™ release liner to be removed as an operator assembly aid. Major cost savings can then be achieved in the manufacturing process.
Narrow Width Slitting
More product manufacturers are using very narrow widths of VHB™ tape in their designs as a way to reduce cost and weight of components. Preston Technical has significantly developed their slitting and conversion processes to enable designers to facilitate narrow width VHB™ tape usage in their product design.
CAD (Computer Aided Design)
Preston Technical has a full in house service design and prototyping capability for its customers. This helps in optimising a VHB™ tape conversion design to achieve cost, quality and functionality objectives for the customer. It also helps achieve a rapid prototyping process which reduces design cycle times and development costs.
Sheeting
This process capability can apply to many of the products that Preston Technical manufacture but we have honed the processes to ensure that we can achieve a high yield of output even if the order volume is relatively low. This is important to reduce waste in valuable products such as VHB™ and keep process costs as low as possible.
Kitting
We can also create tape kits for use in a specific manufacturing process which may, for example, require a large number of different die-cut shapes, some of which may need to be laminated onto other products, but are designed to work on a designated process within a manufacturing plant.
Product Innovation
An example of how Preston Technical innovate for customer manufacturing problems was the creation of their DuoMask® product. We developed this product mainly for use in aerospace masking applications, for example, in applying sealant on aircraft wings. The multi-layer masking tape construction solely developed by us is designed to save significant paint processing preparation time and labour cost whilst achieving a high performance paint and coating edge finish.
Sub Contract Manufacturing
We can apply tapes to customer substrates and then convert into die cut parts to the required customer dimensions. This may be an option for a customer who wants to source a complete part from Preston Technical rather than sourcing substrates themselves and then have the cost and labour involved in having the lamination and conversion process “in-house”.
“It’s been great working with Preston Technical – we had a very specific issue involving tiny logo badges on an automotive project. It needed to have a perfect finish, but we were using glue to attach them as they were so small - and it was a total mess. Glue kept seeping out around the sides, leaking everywhere, creating rejects - and it didn’t even do the job!
We really thought we’d have to throw together a makeshift solution in-house until we came across Preston Technical – they had lots of experience with die cuts and a focus on innovation to boot. At first the intricate little badges caused issues even for regular die-cutting machines, but they kept working until they found us a real solution – laser cutting! Everything we’ve received has been made to measure, made specifically out of automotive grade tape, and they even added in a special addition to the liner for our operators since the pieces are so small. So not only did they fix our initial problem – they made the whole process more effective for us!
It's beyond what we expected, and we’d be more than happy to come back for any future issues. If you’re looking for a company that knows adhesives inside and out, you’ve found it”.
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Automotive Client
“We had a major issue at a really critical point in our gas mask production – this consisted of 2 delicate gaskets which need precise placement on both sides of the mask component. These had to be fitted manually, and we were having to throw away so many as they kept breaking during assembly because they were so miniscule and fragile.
We knew there had to be a better way, so we went hunting and found Preston Technical – we thought maybe there was an adhesive solution, but they surprised us by instead engineering a specialised machine for gasket fabrication, and then jumping off from that to completely redesign the gaskets themselves and fix the application issue by including designated location holes in that new design! Gone were the awkward angles and desperate attempts to keep pieces intact as they were applied, and as a result we were basically flying through assembly compared to before – with a LOT less rejects being created.
Preston Technical say they’re adhesive tape specialists, but they also make a point to really understand the markets they sell in to make sure that you find the best solution overall. We weren’t expecting this level of problem-solving when we got in touch, but we’re proud to endorse Preston Technical as an invaluable partner”
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Industrial Client
“We knew Preston Technical were great tape converters as they were an existing long-term supplier to us, so when a problem arose with long tabbed strips in another part of our assembly process, we thought it’d be worth asking for their input about what we could do. They really listened and didn’t just fix the issue; they completely revolutionised the process!
It turned out to be the invention for TabTech (Preston Technical’s own product IP), which is a new method of providing tabbed strips in a roll form instead of typically being presented on a sheet of liner. It has totally streamlined our process by having everything already cut to measure, tabs reduce application times and waste, and on top of that it cut down staffing needs. What used to take two people to apply, can now be done by just one! So many small improvements have really helped give us a distinct cost advantage in such a competitive market as Automotive in both application time improvement and customer satisfaction with our end products.
Preston Technical aren’t just here to give you basic solutions – they look forward into the complete supply chain involved and really take the time to understand your needs before coming up with ideas you could never think of. If you have a process or design issue, they really are really innovative in solving them.”
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Automotive Client
Client Testimonials
Find out what it's like to work with us!
We have a full range of process equipment to die cut (flat bed, rotary and laser), slit (rewind or lathe), rewind, laminate, guillotine, sheet, and bond a vast range of materials and substrates to specific customer requirements. We can also provide a full bespoke assembly, packaging and kitting service including “floor to door” logistics capability if required.
Get in Contact and tell us what you need...
We would always advocate to new prospective customers to pick the phone up and call us when contemplating or needing the use of a self-adhesive tape die cut – don’t struggle on your own to come up with the answer.
We have an immense amount of process and design knowledge in using self-adhesive tape. We have both internal and field based technical sales engineers who are only too willing to advise you how to achieve the best design solution to your problem. We often find by visiting the customer’s facility we can see first-hand that there may be other solutions that may not have even been considered. So please talk to us as early as possible!
...then we'll design and create your sample...
Having seen exactly what the customer is hoping to achieve the next step is for us to design and supply the initial sample or prototype for the customer to review. We understand the need for speed of response at this point and we have developed our design and prototyping processes to achieve optimum responsiveness to our customers and selecting the right solution for them.
...before sending it to you for feedback!
Once we have developed the solution or solution options that need to be considered we will get prototype parts to you as quickly as possible. We often find at this stage that we need to be in close contact with you to be able to fine tune any modifications that may be required as a result of your testing and approval processes. Once the final selection is approved, we will then speedily provide drawings and a quotation for the supply of the die cut parts.
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Our Free* Prototyping Process
Our comprehensive prototyping service is extremely useful for ensuring proposed products are fit for purpose before a full production line is initiated – we can utilise a 3D printing capability to ensure a prototype design will fit a customer component. This can help to save valuable time and money during the fabrication process. We are happy to produce prototypes before proceeding with any full batches. Preston Technical is experienced in crafting prototype products to assist customers. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
*Free samples are available dependent on job type and quantity