What materials do we work with?
Products
We do products a little differently...
The Customer Journey
Here at Preston Technical we don't sell products, we transform products of your choice into the best format for you!
Get in Touch
Choose the best contact method for you - whether that's giving us a call, dropping us an email or arranging an in-person meeting to talk about what you need our help with!
Learning what you NEED
Now we need to know your key points - what materials are you working with? How big do these pieces need to be? Do you need special specific shapes with precise measurements?
Sample Design
Once we have a brief, our CAD staff can design and create a prototype extremely quickly so you can get to testing them out as soon as possible!
Product Creation
We'll ship your product(s) to you and if there are any changes or tweaks needed, we'll continue improving the design until your problem is solved!
So what options do we have for you to work with?
Let's take a look...
VHB Tape™
VHB™ tape was invented by 3M and has set the engineering standard for using acrylic foam adhesive tape as a joining material for product manufacturers. The acronym VHB stands for Very High Bond and it delivers what it says. It was conceived to replace mechanical fixing methods such as screws, welding and ultrasonic welded joints. The product has proven engineering credibility and can bond to virtually any substrate – be it metal, glass, plastics (including low surface energy materials such as polypropylene) etc – the list is endless!
Adhesive Transfer Tapes
Adhesive Transfer Tapes are pressure-sensitive adhesives pre-applied to a specially treated release liner. For application, the tape is simply pressed, adhesive side down, to a surface and then the liner is peeled off. Such tapes provide an almost instantaneous grab to the surface and can be easily applied by hand or using automated pick-and-place robotic application methods which makes them ideal for die cutting.
They are used for a variety of bonding and laminating applications; ranging from gaskets, graphics, trim and other similar lightweight materials to provide a strong reliable bond and they allow for good conformability and good adhesive wet out on the surface. They also provide a very thin bond line which is not visible once applied and the substrates bonded together. As well as permanent bonding products, transfer tapes can be repositioned and lifted without leaving any adhesive residue on the surface.
Acrylic Foam Tapes
Acrylic foam tapes (AFT) are high-performance bonding products designed to provide engineered assembly solutions for a wide variety of industrial applications. Preston Technical work closely with manufacturers who offer an extensive range of acrylic foam tapes; among the best are AFTC® – with the SILVERTAPE product range comprising over 75 product constructions varying in thickness between 0,1mm and 3mm and available in grey, black, white and transparent. Another key manufacturer supplier partner is Hi-Bond Tapes with their Very Strong Tape (VST) product range which include specialist tape types such as fire-retardant grades, low application temperature products, thermal transition tapes and many more.
Reclosable Fasteners
3M Scotchmate™ has durable hooks on one side and pliable loops on the other, and they provide secure closure and easy peel-away. They are available in a variety of colours (including clear) and specialised properties like flame resistance and sew-on application.
One of the most technically advanced products is 3M Dual Lock™. When you need a strong, reliable, yet removable closure or attachment, 3M Dual Lock™ Re-Closable Fasteners are the easy alternative to traditional fastening methods such as screws, nuts or bolts. This invisible fastener works behind the scenes to create a snug fit and smooth lines for an improved aesthetic and sleek appearance. The strong, interlocking mushroom-shaped heads close with a snap to ensure a secure attachment and help to reduce concerns about material damage and deformation, fastener placement, contamination and corrosion, and the challenges of joining dissimilar materials.
Double Coated Tapes
A double-sided tape has pressure-sensitive adhesive exposed on both sides, allowing two parts to be bonded together by the tape between them. A carrier that holds adhesive can range from a film as thin as a fraction of a millimetre up to a thick foam that helps damp vibrations. The carrier is the material that holds or “carries” the adhesive; in double-coated tapes, it separates the two adhesives. The carrier can be made of paper, plastic film, tissue or foam, and the type of carrier can be important for applications that need to withstand, as one example, the heat level of a paint-drying process.
Having a carrier in the middle enables two different adhesives to be applied for adhering to dissimilar materials that require different bonding properties.
Masking Tapes
Preston Technical, as a Preferred Converter of 3M tape products, understands the need to match the requirements of the application not only with the right masking tape for the job but also how to die cut the product and provide the most cost-effective presentation for the customer to use.
This could be a basic single die cut right up to a multi-layer presentation of many parts into a kit form to enable the customer to have the exact products needed to apply the masking tape with high precision, quickly and cost-effectively.
Masking tapes are also versatile, many can be used for basic tape applications – holding, bundling, easy splicing etc.
Protection Tapes
These tapes are vital to protect the show surface of materials such as painted, chromed and high gloss surfaces as well as panels, floor coverings and other expensive consumer items within the home. They are also widely used within the Transportation industry sector – including Automotive, Aerospace, Motor Cycles, Bicycles, Trains, trucks and Buses as well as Marine. Protection Tapes ensure that the manufactured product arrives at the end user in a showroom condition; reducing or eliminating customer returns, needed repairs or complete replacement.
As well as protecting the show surface of products, Protection Tapes can play a vital engineering function in applications as diverse as preventing stone chip impact damage in sensitive areas around a car body, to preventing wear and tear on rotor blades which increase the service life of helicopters. A key advantage is that these products can be die-cut or converted so that they can provide an exact fit to the component that you want to protect.
TabTech®
Preston Technical has proved its reputation for innovation by producing a way to manufacture specific die-cut lengths of double-coated foam tapes in a unique roll form and which also incorporates a new method of enabling the foam tape release liner to be removed as an operator assembly aid. Major cost savings can then be achieved in the manufacturing process.
TabTech® meets the customer’s needs for a way to produce narrow-dimension tape parts – especially those required in long lengths – accurately and within an easy-peel liner tab incorporated into the tape part. For example, the automotive component manufacturing industry is increasingly using double-sided tapes which provide both securities of fixing and helping to reduce weight. The type of application would include, for example, fixing exterior and interior trim parts to the vehicle.
Any adhesive has to come with a type of liner - the backing piece that prevents the adhesive sticking to anything before you need it to!
Here's a quick guide of each...
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Tab Creation
The liner extends past the adhesive shape in a specified area to create a tab to help with removal.
A single piece may have multiple tabs - such as one on either side - to fit whatever purpose you need.
Location Holes
Shapes (commonly holes) can be added to liners to help placement in assembly lines and jigs if needed!
These are totally customisable if you have a very specific machine.
Slab Liner
Similar to over-sized liners, except a slab liner is intact, missing the cut-out shapes you would see on an over-sized liner.
Over-Sized Liner
When a liner extends beyond the edges of an adhesive shape in order to provide an easily gripped edge, but also has matching cut-out shapes within the liner for various uses.
Perforated Liner
Easy tear lines between each piece for individual use - this method may be extremely useful if you need pieces that have to be hand applied!
Winged Liner
Two separate tabs that allow for easy removal of half the liner to help position the product piece accurately, then removal of the other half to finish application.
Plaster Liner
Very similar to winged liner, except one tab is longer and overlaps the other (the variation may be needed due to application location/angle issues).
Split-Back Liner
Divided into two to aid with easy removal, split-back liners are usually used when tabs can’t be utilised.
This liner can be easily implemented for both individual pieces and when creating a roll of products.