Protecting Automotive Electronic Components From Excessive Wear Using An Electrical Insulator

Challenge

This customer had a heat sensitive electronic application and was concerned about protecting the internal components from electrostatic discharge and excessive wear.

Without changing the integrity of the final product, they needed to find a material that would not only fix the issues, but is also able to be integrated seamlessly into the application.

Fixing the issue would greatly improve the final product by protecting the internal components of the electronic device.

Solution

The solution recommended was to cut a thin layer of KAPTON to apply over the circuit board that would act as an electrical insulator and protection layer for the sensitive components.

Results

Due to the performance of the KAPTON Polyimide Film, coupled with the available thickness, or thinness if you will, there was never a doubt that our manufactured part would make a better end product.

In addition to high performance dielectric insulation properties, Kapton also provided excellent high heat resistance. The unique construction of KAPTON polyimide film provided the customer with the additional abrasion resistance they were looking for.

Materials Used

KAPTON Polyimide Film

Manufacturing Process

Flat Bed Punch Press
Steel Rule Die-Cutting

SRP Teams Up with 3M to Manufacture Custom Solutions for a Telecom Company

Challenge

LCI’s, or Liquid Contact Indicator’s, are small indicators that turn from red into another color after contact with water.

A customer in the telecommunications industry came to us looking for a more efficient solution that would enable them to identify water damage inside of their electronic devices using LCI’s.

In case of a defective device, service personnel can check whether the device might have suffered from contact with water. After contact with water, or other liquids, the device is not covered by warranty.

Solution

Our partnership with 3M allows us to work as the middle man between supplier and customer. Using their technology and material resources, they were able to produce a proprietary material specially made for our customer.

SRP provided solutions that helped reduce costs by changing the design of the part from a circle to a hexagon shape, which not only helped to increase the yield, but it also reduced the amount of material used in production.

Results

Our customer benefitted from this product immensely. It was a low cost solution to an issue that potentially saved the company millions in warranties from customer’s using their handheld devices.

Materials Used

3M 5557 Water Indicator Material Combined with Custom-Made 3M Security Tape

Manufacturing Process

Rotary Die Cutting

3M Thermal Interface Tapes Help to Improve The Life of an LED Lighting Application

Challenge

An LED lighting manufacturer came to us seeking ways to improve the lifetime performance of LED bulbs within their fixtures.

This company was previously using a thermal grease to help transfer the heat being created from the bulbs away from the enclosure.

The problem with using a thermal grease is that it can get quite messy, and unless you are used to working with thermal grease, it is hard to apply and evenly distribute.

Solution

SRP recommended a thermal interface material to dissipate the heat in the fixture. This material is designed to provide a heat transfer path between heat generating components and cooling devices.

We also suggested a microcellular urethane to prevent environmental contaminants from entering the product. We were con dent this was the perfect solution to prolong the life of the LED bulbs.

Results

Our customer was pleased that their thermal-management product was now higher performing and superior to its predecessor. The elimination of the thermal grease resulted in a much simplified assembly process as well.

These cost saving improvements reduced assembly time immensely, while providing more ef cient distribution of heat throughout the application.

Materials Used

3M Thermal Interface Transfer Tape 8810
Rogers PORON Polyurethane

Manufacturing Process

Adhesive Laminator
Flat Bed Die Cutting

Switching To A More Cost Effective Material, While Maintaining Optimum Performance

Challenge

This electronics manufacturer was using a silicone interface pad on a heat sink for a small electronics application. The purpose of the interface pad is to provide a preferential heat transfer path between heat generating components to keep the product from overheating, which will eventually damage the product and rendering it useless.

The challenge, however, was not in the functionality of the product, but in the expenditure of the application. Our customer was looking to be more cost effective with their products.

Solution

After understanding the temperature specifications of the application, SRP realized that the performance of the silicone adhesive they were currently using was a lot more than what was required.

Our solution was to switch to the 3M™ 5571 Acrylic Thermal Interface Pad to be more cost effective, while continuing to maintain the same performance of the Silicone Pad.

Results

After thorough testing of the new 3M™ 5571 Acrylic Thermal pads, our customer found that this material was more than enough performance to keep their products safe from the heat at a fraction of what they were spending with the silicone interface material.

Materials Used

3M 5571 Thermally Conductive Acrylic Interface Pad

Manufacturing Process

Rotary Die-Cutting

Utilizing a Sealing Gasket to Keep Unwanted Environmental Debris From Damaging a Telecommunications Cabinet

Challenge

This company was seeking a product for their telecommunications cabinets. These cabinets are built in two separate sections, and then the sections are pieced together at the end of assembly to form one enclosure.

For this, they needed a gasket that would create a seal between the two sections that wouldn’t affect the integrity of the cabinet.

Solution

Closed cell sponge rubber with a rubber-based adhesive was the perfect candidate for this application for multiple reasons.

Since the application was non-critical, the material did not require specific properties other than sealing out water, rain, and dust. Also, considering the seal will never have to be broken, compression set was a non-factor.

Results

A sponge sealing gasket is all that was needed to protect the cabinets from the outside environment. Simple solution to a pesky issue. The combination of materials, coupled with our manufacturing process, allowed us to offer them the highest performing, lowest cost solution.

Materials Used

Closed Cell Sponge Rubber
Rubber Based Adhesive

Manufacturing Process

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Lamination
Automatic Log Slitting

Helping to Create Cost Effective Solutions to an Existing Product Line in the Appliance Industry

Challenge

This appliance manufacturing company came to us having already known exactly what they needed from us. It was a lightweight, heat resistant gasket using a common thermal material to create a barrier within the oven door of their products.

This particular application really wasn’t a challenge at all. The work was already done for us. However, we are always looking out in the best interest of our customers. Whenever we can offer a suggestion as to how to make their parts higher performing or more cost effective, we will not hesitate.

Solution

Due to our continuing education with 3M, and being up to date on all the latest and greatest solutions on the market, we proposed switching from the insulation paper they had spec’d in to 3M’s new-to-market FRB Series insulation paper.

The 3M Flame Barrier FRB Series is flexible insulation for OEM electrical flame barrier applications. The FRB Series products are made primarily of inorganic materials that are intrinsically flame retardant with good dielectric strength.

Results

Not only did it meet every stringent need for their application, but it also came with a 23% cost reduction for them without sacrificing performance with the potential for a better end product.

Materials Used

3M FRB Series NT-15
3M 467MP Adhesive

Manufacturing Process

Flatbed Punch Press Die Cutting

Preventing Hairline Cracks from Forming When Assembling Metal and Plexiglas

Challenge

One of our customers making aftermarket parts for a motorcycle manufacturer was having difficulties with a windshield application during their assembly process.

When assembling the base of the windshield to metal brackets on the motorcycles, it was creating hairline cracks in the PLEXIGLAS.

This was obviously a major quality issue, especially when the business model of the company they are selling to maintains the highest quality assurance.

Solution

As convertors, we understand that when two objects or parts are being put together, there usually needs to be a separation such as a gasket to aid in the force or tension being created.

SRP recommended separating the steel and PLEXIGLAS with a microcellular urethane gasket to prevent cracks from being created in the PLEXIGLAS.

Results

Due to the simplicity of the part, it was an extremely cost effective solution that worked wonders for their product.

The part also provided seamless integration in the assembly process, and the change was virtually unnoticeable due to the thickness of the microcellular urethane.

Since this material does not take a compression set, the product will last for the duration of the final product.

Materials Used

Rogers PORON Microcellular Urethane Foam

Manufacturing Process

Rotary Die Cutting
Flash Cutting

Athletic Equipment Manufacturer Seeks to Improve High-Performance Shin Guards

Challenge

An athletic equipment manufacturing company was developing an ultra high-performance shin guard for their line of soccer equipment.

In order to manufacture the highest performing sports equipment on the market, they started with an aerospace grade 100% Carbon Fiber Composite material for their shin guards.

To complete the product, padding needed to be added for comfortability, and to protect the player from getting hurt or injured.

Solution

For the padding, a lightweight, high-performance material was necessary. Our customer selected Rogers PORON® XRD® with Microban® to be adhered to the back of the shin guards.

PORON® materials are ideal for applications where compression set resistance is a key product feature. This feature allowed our part to last throughout the lifetime of the product without any degredation.

Results

SRP’s manufacturing expertise enabled us to produce a custom-shaped pad using PORON® XRD® Extreme Impact Protection urethane foam as a cost-effective solution.

An additional benefit of using this material over conventional foams is it’s infusion with Microban® Antimicrobial Technology to help prevent the growth of bacteria that causes stains and odors.

Materials Used

2mm PORON XRD with Microban technology
3M 9472 Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive

Manufacturing Process

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Laminator
Flash Cutter

Eliminating the Need for Mechanical Fasteners in an Automotive Application

Challenge

A customer in the automotive industry came to us looking for a solution to eliminate the use of mechanical fasteners from their body side molding products.

Mechanical fasteners, when used is abundance, can get heavy. By eliminating these fasteners, companies are able to create lighter parts for vehicles. Mechanical fasteners also make the assembly process more complicated due to the fact that heavier tools are required for installation.

This company was in the market for some type of adhesive that would simply help adhere their product, to the end product.

Solution

Nuts and bolts are simply a thing of the past when it come to these types of applications. There are more and more applications that are eliminating the use of these mechanical fasteners everyday.

SRP suggested using VHB foam tape to eliminate the need for these fasteners and to prevent corrosion in the product. We also added tabs to the product for ease of assembly, reducing labor overhead. Due to the high production yields, we utilized our rotary die cutter.

Results

Using Foam Tape allowed our customer to assemble the body side molding parts more ef ciently and effectively, and the only tool needed were a workers hands.

The Foam Tape created a lighter product, making the end product more ef cient as well. Not to mention the fact that they no longer needed to drill holes in the vehicles. Less work, less mess, more cost effective.

Materials Used

3M VHB Foam Tape

Manufacturing Process

Rotary Die Cutting

Sealing Out the Weather Using Microcellular Urethane Foam

Challenge

A heating and air conditioning company came to us in search of a more efficient gasket to seal their units from outside contaminants.

Having a product permanently outdoors makes the construction of the units more difficult, especially when dealing with different weather conditions throughout the year.

This goal was to minimize as much risk as possible, without having to change the design of the HVAC units entry doors.

Solution

SRP suggested using a microcellular urethane to create a seal to prevent dust, dirt, and water from entering their heating and air conditioning units.

We designed dovetail gaskets to improve material utilization and to also improve the assembly process. This helped lower cost of production for both SRP and our happy customer.

Results

Since the PORON microcellular urethane has incredible compression set resistance, the sealing gasket will be able to last through the life of the system without any degredation.

Materials Used

Rogers PORON Microcellular Polyurethane Foam
3M Pressure Sensitive Adhesive

Manufacturing Process

Flash Cutting

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