How Norbond® Tapes Enable Smarter Automotive Assembly

Automotive manufacturing is a complex and highly specialized process where every step matters to create optimal results and efficiency. Therefore, it is essential to understand how the use of different attachment technologies affect the production process and the final vehicle. The biggest challenge is to create reliable attachment to LSE (low Surface Energy) and HSE (High Surface Energy) surfaces that withstand harsh conditions over time. Let’s have a closer look at the most common attachment methods: mechanical fasteners, liquid adhesives and primerless adhesive tapes.

• Installation time and equipment: Due to curing, liquid adhesives require the longest time to reach the final bonding strength compared to mechanical fasteners or primerless bonding tapes that provide instant holding power. An advantage of adhesive tapes over mechanical methods during assembly is, that less equipment to fasten screws, rivets, bolts or clamps are needed as the tape can easily be applied. Norbond Attachment Tape solutions work in automated lines, improving efficiency and reducing manual errors. Especially primerless bonding tapes that don’t require pre-treatment of hard to bond surfaces allow for even more streamlined manufacturing.

   

• Protection and Safety: While mechanical fastening methods provide safe attachment, the holes needed for their use can cause risks to the vehicle body like corrosion, water and dirt ingress, noise or vibration transferred by metal fasteners. Liquid adhesives and primerless bonding tapes instead ensure full integrity of the vehicle body and its protective function as no holes or weak spots are created. In addition, multifunctional tapes provide secure bonding, reliable sealing and NVH (Noise and Vibration Harnessing) in one solution. In addition, primerless bonding tapes improve safety of manufacturing processes as no surface pre-treatment with harsh chemicals is required.

   

• Durability and Design Flexibility: Although the durability of adhesive tapes and liquid adhesives has significantly improved in past years and provide excellent results suitable for most application needs, mechanical fastening methods are still considered to be the strongest and most durable. But when it comes to design flexibility, liquid adhesives and (foam) tapes steal the show. Their unmatched conformability to uneven surfaces, complex shapes or to even filling gaps make them an ideal solution for aesthetic vehicle design.

We have seen that innovative adhesive tapes can be the alternative engineers in automotive assembly have been waiting for. Optimized load distribution that eliminates stress concentrations, ease of application, flexibility and high bond strength compared with good vibration and shock dampening, thermal and acoustical insulation, sealing and a clean appearance are advantages these tapes provide.

During assembly, there are additional advantages like improved manufacturing throughput or less tools and production steps that outperform, for example liquid adhesives that require longer curing time or heat activation. In most cases, assembly tapes are compatible with robotic systems and vision-guided placement which not only reduces the risk of misplacement to a minimum but also significantly improves manufacturing quality and speed which are both especially important for high-speed automotive assembly lines.

But which tape is the ideal choice? That depends on the exact processes and application needs but in general, there are two different types of Norbond Foam Attachment Tapes usually named after the core or carrier material that it is made up of; foam attachment tapes are so-called due to the carrier or backing consisting of flexible foam. Saint-Gobain offers two types of attachment tapes: Norbond Acrylic Foam Attachment Tapes and Norbond Polyurethane (PUR) Foam Attachment Tapes.

Polyurethane (PUR) foam cores have a greater tensile break strength than acrylic foam, but acrylic foams have higher flexibility or ductility based on their elongation values. This increased elongation lets Norbond Acrylic Foam Tapes withstand larger strain before failure, which is useful in bonding large flat components to body panels where CTE mismatches occur. Norbond PUR Attachment Tape is beneficial in applications where higher tensile strength may be required, such as bonding small parts like emblems.

While repairing a vehicle with tape might not be a good idea, using special tapes during automotive manufacturing is a good idea. Not only in terms of improved quality and output, tapes can also help reduce the environmental footprint. Primerless tapes eliminate the need for pre-surface treatment with harsh chemicals which not only reduces the risk for workers but also avoids waste chemicals during manufacturing. Many good reasons to dive deeper into the topic with your tape experts to find out which solutions can help you on the road to success.