The evolution of modern textiles has accelerated with increased rapidity over the last 30 years or so. As new materials have emerged, so have a substantial number of new fabrics that are made from them.
The joining of these new fabrics has itself presented a variety of challenges, in order to meet design and production briefs, and a fresh approach to this joining element has become a subject of much importance in the race-to-market for manufacturers across many sectors. As new fabrics have found new applications (particularly in the automotive, aerospace, medical, sports equipment and agricultural industries), one supplier of bonding technology has emerged as a leader in the field. Through its existing customer contacts, Milton Keynes-based Lohmann Technologies has been closely associated with the development of the latest generation of new technical fabrics.
The advantages of bonding with tape (to both the manufacturers that are embracing these new methods and the customers who end up using them) are proving important. Where sewing and ultrasonic welding may have been the only previously viable joining options for many fabrics, manufacturers now have a third way to consider for use on the production floor: one that is quicker, cleaner, light, effective and strong, as well more cost efficient. DuploTEC adhesive tapes are proving to be a game-changer in the joining of advanced fabrics.
In the cost-efficiency equation, it isn’t just the ability to help achieve better designs that has been behind the increasing use of DuploTEC structural bonding films. Another key driver is that, as the adhesive tape can be delivered to the customer as a precision die-cut to a tolerance of +/- 0.05mm in some materials, it means that the fabric manufacturer can achieve the closest possible fit on the production line, repeatedly, irrespective of whether one die-cut or a thousand are used on a particular piece. This not only guarantees strength with repeatability: in most cases, compared to ultrasonic welding or stitching, it also means that assembly processes are greatly simplified and also greatly speeded up, meaning: clear cost-reduction advantages are achievable. Moreover, with no capital equipment, such as welding units or sewing machines required in the first place, the bottom line numbers for a fabric manufacturer using DuploTEC bonding tapes can change dramatically – and instantly - for the better.
As Lohmann’s Consumer Goods Industry specialist Tony Glover points out: “DuploTEC really has revolutionised both the design and production elements for some manufacturers who are using the latest range of advanced technical fabrics. It has been a game-changer for many reasons, in addition to that of clear cost savings. Amongst these is the excellent thermal stability offered by these solvent-free, dry structural bonding tapes. However, other benefits can be hidden sometimes. For example, a different set of advantages has been experienced by a customer in the medical sector. They manufacture surgical tents. Previously, in order to meet the standards required for use in the operating theatre, they were stitching panels together and then having to seal the stitched seams as a further separate operation. Now, the customer uses DuploTEC bonding film supplied in precision die-cuts to both seal and bond the seams on multiple panels in one easy operation. As a result, the assembly time required has been slashed by eliminating a costly additional sealing process. Given that there are many panels making up the complete tent, the savings we have helped deliver are substantial.”
Stand no. F28
