Replacing mechanical fasteners in automotive applications

Increasingly, the automotive industry is turning to adhesives for interior and exterior mouldings, trim and accessories. Where previously rivets and screws would protrude and butt out decorative finishes, the acrylic foam tape supersedes with a homogenous finish and unwavering quality. Uniform stress distribution over a greater bond area is possibly the most beneficial characteristic acrylic foam tape has to offer the automotive trade. The elimination of rivets and screws means that the risk of stress concentrations and localized failure points are completely eradicated as well as providing a bond with higher overall strength. There is a common misconception that rivets and screws are stronger and more enduring than adhesives. In actual fact, adhesives outrival mechanical fasteners in many common applications. Acrylic foam tapes in particular maintain the integrity of bonded materials intact, along with decorative or protective coatings making them ideal for automotive finishing. A long-time advocate of acrylic foam tape bonding, Zouch Converters offer fifth generation, state-of-the-art tapes that are especially designed for the automotive trade through their partner company AFTC. The AFTC SilverTape AM 94 and 96 series have proven particularly prized in the auto trade for their superior adhesion and performance qualities. Being 100% acrylic based they will form an almost indestructible bond between materials as well as being resistant to UV, ageing and softening agents. These tapes bond immediately and offer perfect resistance to the peel and shear loads that have the capacity to jeopardize a bond. The AM grades are very well suited to absorb dynamic loads as they are viscoelastic, simultaneously able to bond and seal giving a permanent tension free bond as well as providing a watertight seal. About AFTC UK: AFTC manufactures self-adhesive product and system solutions for industry and trade. The continuous development of innovative product solutions is an essential part of the Acrylic Foam Tape Company strategy (AFTC). AFTC’s product range varies from special adhesive tapes to tapes giving very precise adhesion in a wide variety of applications. The SilverTape product family is used in many diverse applications, particularly in the automotive, marine, aerospace and rail construction industries and in applications in the electronic industries as well as for building works such as structural glazing.