The future holds no limits

Excuse me, I would like to rephrase that last sentence: The possibilities ARE endless.

But there are a couple of things you should be aware of before you start designing your objects.

Did you know, for instance, that self-adhesive tape simplifies the process of treating or pickling aluminium surfaces? I did not, to be honest, until I came across a very interesting article on the internet about research conducted recently by two leading scientific researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Bremen, Germany, which specialises in Shaping and Functional Materials, and Adhesive Bonding Technology and Surfaces.

Über-interesting, to say the least! Anyway, the new technology is supposed to be safer and more sustainable than existing treatment methods involving pickling pastes, sprays or baths, because there is no rinsing stage.

Aluminium is a light metal used wherever low weight is a prime consideration, and therefore an ideal working material for designers and architects alike. Before you even start to think about making objects from aluminium, you should realise that this high-strength material needs protection against corrosion, which is normally achieved by applying a special surface coating. Adhesive bonding is, as you might have found out already, a relatively new way of joining lightweight metal components. But it is impossible to bond or coat aluminium without an appropriate pre-treatment to remove undefined deposits of oxides, hydroxides or similar contaminants. Pickling is a common technique employed for this purpose, but the chemicals sprayed or spread onto the surface are strongly acidic or alkaline. “None of the currently available local pre-treatment solutions is entirely satisfactory. That’s what led us to the idea of developing a pickling tape that can be easily applied to the areas that require pre-treatment,” says Dr. Malte Burchardt of the Adhesion and Interface Research department at the Fraunhofer Institute.

To realise this objective, it was necessary to develop an entirely new adhesive for the pickling tape that would enable it to be applied as easily as any other self-adhesive tape, and removed without leaving any residues. All of the chemicals required for the pickling process had to be integrated in the adhesive. “An adhesive for pickling applications needs to have a high water content, whereas 95% of all conventional adhesives used in self-adhesive tapes are solvent-based. This means they stop working when they come into contact with water,” explains Dr. Malte Kleemeier of the IFAM Adhesives and Polymer Chemistry department. The Fraunhofer scientists met this challenge by developing a suitable adhesive formulation based on water-soluble polymers.

Practical tests have demonstrated that the new technology is just as effective as conventional bath pickling and alternative paste or spray methods. IFAM and its partners intend to ready the tape technology for production. They will also conduct tests to evaluate the suitability of the pickling tape for use with other materials such as stainless steel. I promise to keep you informed about what the future holds in the ever exciting world of self-adhesive tape!

If you would like to learn more about 3D printing and tape, please contact one of our members or visit their websites.