Automotive

AFTC Automotive SilverTapes show excellent adhesion to automotive carpaints and clearcoats as well as a wide variety of polymers used in automotive exterior bonding.

Chrome trims

Visual trims like chrome trims mostly suffer limited stress, therefore enabling the use of thinner tapes for bonding. In most cases these trims are bonded using the 0,8mm variation of our SilverTapes. Which one, depends on the OEM paintsystem. For more information regarding the application and/or paintsystems, please contact your AFTC Representative.

Mirror bonding

In most cases these mirrors are bonded using die-cuts. For optimal die-cutting capabilities, we offer all our automotive SilverTapes with an optional siliconized paper liner. For more information, please contact your AFTC Representative.

Weatherseals

The weatherseal is the rubber material that forms a seal around your vehicle's windows, trunk lid, windshield and other areas, such as the roof rails. Generally consisting of PP/EPDM or TPE materials, the AFTC Heat Activated SilverTapes are the tapes of choice. Depending on the the OEM paintsystem you have the choice between three different adhesive systems (74-, 76- and 80-series) and three different thicknesses (0,4 - 0,8 - 1,2mm). For more information regarding the application and/or paintsystems, please contact your AFTC Representative.

PDC holders

PDC holders are the sensor brackets of the park distance control. Depending on the OEM paintsystem, you have a choice between all automotive SilverTapes (93-, 94-, 96-,99- and 1000-series). In most cases these PDC holders are bonded using die-cuts. For optimal die-cutting capabilities, we offer all our automotive SilverTapes with an optional siliconized paper liner. For more information, please contact your AFTC Representative.

Roof ditch mouldings

Roof ditch moulding camouflage the welded joint between the roof of the car and it's body. Due to sometimes uneven welds, we advise the use of a 1,5mm minimal tape thickness. Depending on the OEM paintsystem, you have a choice between all automotive SilverTapes (93-, 94-, 96-,99- and 1000-series). For more information regarding the application and/or paintsystems, please contact your AFTC Representative.

A/B styles

Visual trims like A and B styles mostly suffer limited stress, therefore enabling the use of thinner tapes for bonding. In most cases these trims are bonded using the 0,8mm variation of our SilverTapes. Which one, depends on the OEM paintsystem. For more information regarding the application and/or paintsystems, please contact your AFTC Representative.

Lighting units

In most cases lighting units are bonded using die-cuts to ensure a water tight seal. For optimal die-cutting capabilities, we offer all our automotive SilverTapes with an optional siliconized paper liner. Depending on the OEM paintsystem, you have a choice between all automotive SilverTapes (93-, 94-, 96-,99- and 1000-series). For more information regarding the application and/or paintsystems, please contact your AFTC Representative.

Wheeltrims

Wheel trims are protective, decorative trims around the wheels of a vehicle. Depending on the OEM paintsystem, you have a choice between all automotive SilverTapes (93-, 94-, 96-,99- and 1000-series). Wheeltrims are strongly curved. The radius potentially wrinkles the liner of the tapes, resulting in potential failures. This can very well be prevented by using different adhesive systems, different thicknesses or different liners. We customize our products exactly to our customers' needs and wishes and can alter anything from liner release to thickness of tapes. For more information regarding the application and/or paintsystems, please contact your AFTC Representative.

Emblems/ Lettering

The emblems/letterings are the signature of the manufacturers. They add a specific value to your vehicle. They are mostly made of ABS plastics which makes our SilverTape Direct Foam and general purpose- series the preffered option (Other SilverTape series remain as excellent options as well). For more information regarding the application and/or paintsystems, please contact your AFTC Representative.

AFTC^®Automotive
AFTC SilverTapes are widely used in the modern day automotive industry. Ten years ago, applications were bonded by traditional attachment methods like rivets, screws, clips or welding. Today, 90% of these applications have been substituted by adhesives and in particular acrylic foam tapes due to their specific performance characteristics.

The Automotive market can present a variety of challenges when trying to find the right acrylic foam tape to bond various polymers to painted metals. The type of plastic used for the manufacturing of the parts, in combination with the clearcoat finish of the car, requires a certain type of adhesive system. The thickness of the chosen adhesive depends, besides on the materials, on the length of the bond, the design and the stress levels endured by the parts. The surface tension of a substrate(s) may require you to prep the surface(s) in the form of plasma, corona treatment or, a liquid primer. Liquid primers, otherwise known as adhesion promoters are applied to the materials in order to help to increase the surface energy of the substrates providing better overall bonding characteristic’s.

AFTC^® High Conformable SilverTapes
For long bond lines and uneven applications the new range of AFTC High Conformable (HC) SilverTapes offers outstanding bonding characteristics. The new HC core is a soft closed cell acrylic core giving the products more flexibility in areas where this is needed. Mainly larger exterior part like rocker panels, spoiler and roof moulding benefit from the characteristics of these products. The new HC products are standard available in 1,1mm and 1,5mm thickness.

AFTC^® Heat Activated SilverTape
When bonding to soft EPDM sponge rubber, we offer our AFTC Heat Activated SilverTapes. The AFTC HA SilverTapes consists of a pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive on one side and a specially formulated hot melt rubber adhesive on the other. The hot melt heat has no adhesion qualities until activated by a heat source. Once the heat is introduced, it is laminated to the EPDM sponge rubber where a structural bond is achieved. The other side utilizes our traditional AFTC SilverTape. EPDM is one of the more difficult substrate to bond to where most traditional adhesive systems have been unable to provide the necessary adhesion. However, with the AFTC Heat Activated products you will see a strong and secure bond every time.

Typical applications where AFTC SilverTapes are utilized in Automotive are; door trims, body side mouldings, roof trims, roof ditch mouldings, emblems, shark fin antennas, spoilers, treat plates, weather seals etc… and many more.

For smaller volume trim applications AFTC will offer slit rolls in the desired width with our standard lengths of 33 or 66 meters or longer. For high volume (automated) trim applications we offer spool rolls with lengths up to 1500 meters. The overall length for spools will be dependent on the type of adhesive, the final width and lastly, the total thickness. AFTC is also able to offer a wide variety of custom designed die-cuts. We work in close cooperation with our converters / partners, to provide any form, shape and size to meet our customers’ needs.