How to Work with a PSA Tape Converter for Custom Adhesive Solutions
When off-the-shelf adhesive tapes and foams can't meet your product's requirements, a PSA tape converter becomes your engineering partner, not just a supplier. For design engineers working on complex assemblies in aerospace, automotive, HVAC, appliance, or industrial manufacturing, the right converter transforms material limitations into custom solutions.
At Engineered Materials, we partner with customers throughout the design, prototyping, and production phases, helping them reduce assembly time, improve performance, and lower costs. Whether you need a multi-layer laminate combining silicone foam with high-temperature adhesive, a precision die-cut gasket from PORON® polyurethane, or a custom insulation assembly with PSA backing, our converting capabilities turn material concepts into production-ready parts.
Why Engineers Choose Custom Converters Over Off-the-Shelf Materials
Standard materials rarely offer the precision, performance, or processing efficiency that complex products require. Off-the-shelf PSA tape rolls often require secondary fabrication, or workarounds that introduce labor and variability into your process.
By partnering with Engineered Materials, you gain:
Improved performance: Materials designed to meet exact thermal, mechanical, or sealing requirements. For example, a converter can laminate an aluminum foil tape with ceramic fiber or alkaline earth silicate insulation to create an insulation shield that provides thermal protection to over 2300°F—a combination unavailable off-the-shelf.
Faster assembly: Pre-cut parts with precision tolerances (±0.005") eliminate hand-cutting and ensure consistent placement during high-volume assembly.
Lower total cost: Optimized nesting patterns and combined operations—lamination, slitting, and die cutting—in a single production run eliminate multiple supplier touchpoints.
Material expertise: Our 3M Preferred Converter-trained engineers understand acrylic, rubber, and silicone PSA chemistries and how they perform across different substrates.
Custom solutions: Need a differential adhesive tape with high-tack acrylic on one side for powder-coated metal and low-tack silicone on the other to bond to silicone rubber? Engineered materials can build that exact construction.
Core Converting Capabilities You Can Leverage
Multi-Layer Lamination
This is where converters deliver their greatest value—creating hybrid materials that don't exist in any catalog. Our wide-web lamination equipment (up to 60" width) combines multiple functional layers:
PSA + foam + foil barriers for bonding, cushioning, and thermal reflection
High-temperature fabrics + silicone adhesive for extreme environments (up to 500°F continuous)
Ceramic fiber paper + aluminum foil + acrylic PSA for aerospace thermal insulation
Conductive Tapes + EMI/RFI shielding film for server enclosures
Our servo-driven multi-station processes with temperature-controlled heater drums ensure wrinkle-free, void-free laminations to a wide range of materials. We can prototype custom materials and parts in days and scale to production volumes within weeks.
Die Cutting
We offer four die cutting methods, each optimized for different requirements:
Rotary die cutting: High-volume production (10,000+ parts) with tight tolerances. Ideal for complex multi-layer constructions with kiss-cuts, perforations, and tabbed liners.
Traveling head die cutting: Medium to high production runs with complex geometries. Material webs up to 60" wide for large format or intricate shapes.
Inline precision flatbed: Economical for thick materials (0.125" to 1.5") at moderate volumes. Perfect for foam gaskets with waste removal.
Wide format: Parts up to 62" for transportation, aerospace, and HVAC applications requiring oversized gaskets or insulation panels.
Toolless Cutting
For prototypes, short runs, or changing designs, or challenging materials, toolless cutting eliminates tooling costs a can reduce lead times:
Laser cutting: Micro-precision down to 0.005" for polyimide tapes, VHB tapes, and electronics applications
Waterjet cutting: Thick foams (up to 6") or 3 dimensional shapes
Knife cutting: Large-format parts (up to 120" x 60") with no tooling investment
Slitting & Spooling
Our slitting and spooling capabilities optimize your material for your specific assembly process:
Precision Slitting: Widths from 0.125" to 60", at standard or custom lengths for consistent automated dispensing, manual kitting, or service parts.
Custom Spool Configurations: Level-wound, traverse-wound, or pancake-wound rolls from 5 feet to several thousand feet
Sheeting: Custom sheet sizes with perforation options for manual assembly applications
Edge Quality: Clean, burr-free edges that prevent adhesive ooze and contamination during application
How Material Selection Works
Choosing the right pressure-sensitive adhesive, carrier, and liner requires understanding five key factors:
Adhesive Chemistry
Acrylic PSA: Long-term bonds, UV resistance, high-temperature performance (up to 350°F). Excellent for outdoor exposure.
Rubber PSA: High initial tack for immediate bonding. Cost-effective for non-critical applications. Limited temperature range (-20°F to 180°F).
Silicone PSA: Required for silicone substrates or extreme temperatures (-65°F to 500°F).
We also consider substrate surface energy. High surface energy materials (metals, glass, hard plastics) bond well with most adhesives. Low surface energy substrates (polypropylene, polyethylene, powder coats) require specialized PSAs that are formulated to bond to these challenging substates.
Carrier & Liner Options
Carriers provide functional properties:
Foam Carriers: Open cell for breathability; closed cell for sealing (2-45 lbs/ft³)
Film Carriers: Polyester, polyimide, PTFE for dimensional stability (0.5-10 mil typical)
Adhesive Transfer Tapes: Pure adhesive for minimal thickness
Liners impact efficiency:
Paper Liners: Cost-effective, multiple densities (40# to 100#)
Film Liners: Superior stability for precision die cutting, made with Polyester or Polyethylene.
Release Values: A variety of liner release values are available and can be optimized to ensure optimal release on one or both sides of the liner.
Tabbed Liners: Extended tabs (0.25"-0.50") for easy manual peeling
What a Converter Needs to Know About Your Application
The more you share, the better your outcome:
Application Basics:
Function: Bonding, sealing, insulation, vibration damping?
Substrates: HSE or LSE? Surface conditions?
Bond Type: Permanent or removable? Static or dynamic?
Design Requirements:
Bond area, gaps, step heights, compression needs
Critical dimensions and tolerances
Fenestrations, holes, or slots needed
Environmental Factors:
Temperature Range: Ambient, operating, peak
Exposure: Water, humidity, UV, oils, chemicals
Mechanical Loads: Peel, shear, tension, compression
Specific Tests Required: ASTM D1149 ozone, UL 746C weathering
Process & Standards:
Manual or automated application? Assembly line speed?
Required certifications like UL 94, UL 50/508, FDA 21 CFR 177.2600, MIL-SPEC?
Volume forecasts, lead times, inventory management needs
Testing and Qualification
Our process includes material sampling, production-method prototyping, and testing performed in-house or at certified labs:
Adhesion: ASTM D3330 (peel), ASTM D3654 (shear)
Compression: ASTM D1056 for compression deflection and set
Environmental: Heat aging, thermal cycling, UV aging, salt spray
Flammability: UL 94 vertical burn, FMVSS 302 automotive
Our ISO 9001:2015 quality system ensures full traceability and documentation for regulated industries.
Cost and Lead-Time Drivers
Understanding cost drivers helps inform design decisions:
Tooling: Rotary dies cost $800-$3,000 (4–6-week lead time) but amortize over high volumes while steel rule dies cost $125-$500. Toolless cutting has no upfront cost, ideal for < 500 parts.
Materials: Standard materials ship in 1-2 weeks; specialty materials (custom foam densities, aramid papers, ceramic fibers) require 3-5 weeks.
Scrap Rate: Efficient nesting reduces waste from 20-30% to 5-20%, directly impacting cost on expensive materials like 3M VHB Tapes.
Operations: Consolidating operations with one converter eliminate multiple vendor markups.
When to Engage a Converter
The earlier you involve a converter, the more value we add:
Concept Phase: Material feasibility analysis and design-for-manufacturing recommendations before committing to fastening methods.
Design Development: Material selection guidance and prototype samples when tape/foam is selected but materials aren't specified.
Design Validation: Production-method prototypes, qualification testing, and PPAP documentation when specifications are defined.
Production Readiness: Tooling design, process validation, and supply chain planning for scaling production volumes.
Even late in the design cycle, we've solved urgent production problems with rapid prototype turnarounds.
Build Better Products with a PSA Tape Converter
When you work with Engineered Materials, you're not just sourcing materials—you're engineering a better product. Our value lies in converting your design intent into manufacturable reality.
As a 3M Preferred Converter, we combine cutting-edge converting technology with access to the industry's broadest material portfolio. Whether you need a standard VHB tape construction or a completely custom multi-layer laminate, we have the materials, equipment, and expertise to deliver.
Our facility houses state-of-the-art converting equipment including wide-web laminators, rotary die cutting presses, laser cutting systems, and waterjet cutters—all operating under ISO 9001:2015 quality systems. We serve engineers in aerospace, automotive, appliance, HVAC, electronics, industrial equipment, and renewable energy industries who demand precision, reliability, and innovation.