A premium manufacturer planned to bond an illuminated radiator grille—a component with high requirements in terms of appearance, tightness, and process reliability.

The acrylic foam adhesive tape initially used was impressive in terms of adhesive strength, but reached its limits in this case. 

INNO TAPE ultimately worked with the material manufacturer to develop an alternative based on PE foam. The result: uniform sealing and stable processes.

Find out in our case study how a customized choice of materials and optimized design stabilized series production.

A premium manufacturer planned to introduce an illuminated radiator grille—a component that places the highest demands on appearance, tightness, and material quality. We were commissioned to develop a self-adhesive molded part that would ensure the fixation and sealing between the cover and the components behind it.

Initially, the plan was to leave the illuminated areas blank and apply the adhesive tape only to the existing surfaces of the cover. However, this approach proved difficult in practice: positioning was very time-consuming, repeatedly led to inaccuracies – and thus to uneven sealing and rejects.

To simplify the process, a new concept was developed: a full-surface adhesive tape molded part that was first glued to an impermeable cover and then punched out together with the cover to expose the areas to be illuminated later.

Objective

The goal was to develop a self-adhesive molded part that securely fixes the illuminated radiator grille in place and reliably seals it—while also delivering the highest optical quality and eliminating rejects due to error-prone positioning.

Challenge

The acrylic foam adhesive tape specified by the customer left residues on the punching blades due to its adhesive core, which necessitated regular cleaning intervals. In addition, the plastic punching degree and material tension at the edges caused slight lifting, which prevented complete wetting and thus impaired the desired sealing effect. The problem was exacerbated by the challenging component geometry and the pressure plates of the application device, which made it difficult to form the tape evenly. Since it was not possible to adapt the machine for economic reasons, the material had to be optimized.

Together with the material manufacturer, we developed a new solution based on PE foam. The material is softer and more flexible than the acrylic foam used previously and adapts better to the curved contour. This evens out any unevenness and ensures that the surface is evenly wetted. Since the PE foam only has adhesive layers on the top and bottom, the knives remain clean during punching and the cleaning cycle is significantly extended. In addition, the liner design has been optimized: a tab made from excess liner material allows the liner to be removed from both sides starting from the middle – quickly, ergonomically, and reliably.

In brief 

• flexible PE foam for better adaptability and sealing
• non-adhesive core for clean punched edges and less residue
• less cleaning effort and higher machine availability
• consistent sealing performance despite complex geometry
• optimized liner design for fast processing

The new molded part ensures uniform wetting, stable sealing, and clean punched edges—without changing the system design. The production process has become noticeably more stable and requires less maintenance.

The acrylic foam originally used remains a high-performance material with high adhesive strength. However, PE foam was the better choice for this application.

At a glance 

• improved sealing and process stability
• clean punching process
• less maintenance and downtime in production
• series-stable solution
• consistently high quality
• project duration: approx. 30 months