Tapes for Thermoforming
For over 40 years, Alamotape™ (previously FLEXcon Industrial) has pioneered high-performing adhesive tapes and laminates for use in durable goods applications. Now they have developed a new cutting-edge adhesive technology, a breakthrough for use in heavy gauge thermoforming plastics. This development uses thermosetting adhesive tapes to address many common challenges in thermoforming by adhering similar and dissimilar substrates in-house. This new adhesive technology is an economical alternative for creating prototype capped parts and avoiding costly custom set-up costs.

Thermosetting adhesive tapes are cured with a combination of heat, pressure and time. The curing process creates a chemical bond that prevents the material from being removed. The bonded structure has superior strength and environmental resistance, making thermosets optimal for structural applications. Thermosetting adhesive tapes are clean and simple to use. The tape is cut to shape and placed between the materials to be bonded. The adhesive fully cures once heat and pressure are applied - making it a perfect match for thermoforming. These tapes are ideally suited for bonding dissimilar sheets during the thermoforming process.

The ability to bond two substrates during the thermoforming process has huge advantages. Bonding post process is time consuming. Currently, a thermoformer must form each piece, cool them, and then apply the liquid adhesive to marry the parts. Gaps can be an issue since the parts were not initially formed together as one solid piece. The use of thermosetting adhesive tapes significantly reduces or eliminates these issues.

Alamotape manufactures a wide range of structural adhesive tapes, flexible insulation laminates, and pressure sensitive adhesive tapes for many industries and can custom design solutions for specific application needs.

For more information, contact Dave Rosen, Alamotape™, 6110 Rittiman Rd., San Antonio, TX 78218, 800-549-9860/210-798-1902, E-mail: drosen@alamotape.com, Web: www.alamotape.com.