Pressure Sensitive Adhesives (PSA) are used in assembly processes of all types.  A wide variety of manufacturers of PSAs provide products to the market.  These PSA products are engineered and developed with specific characteristics to meet virtually any requirements.  An application may require a certain adhesive bond strength between two distinct substrates or may require a specific thickness.  The adhesive may include a protective, insulating, or conductive film laminated to the adhesive to be used for assembly.  There are adhesive transfer and double coated tapes.  There are tapes specifically configured for certain industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical, packaging, food, appliance, construction, and more.  These PSA components are delivered in the form of die-cut tape and can be as simple as labels or as complex as a multi-layer laminate of complex shape that provides functions of gasketing, shielding, and insulating all in a single component.

Nautilus Systems, Inc. (NSI) has a specialized portfolio of equipment solutions for accurately feeding and applying virtually any type of die-cut adhesive component.  The die-cut process is typically provided by a Converter.  A Converter works closely with the End-User, the PSA supplier, and NSI to configure the parts that they will provide to meet the application requirements both from a product perspective and from an assembly perspective.  NSI personnel are able to assist the Converter by providing specifications about the die-cut component layout that will assist in improving the ability to accurately dispense and place those components.

NSI Applicator systems including the PL100i, PL100r, PL165i, and PL165r are currently in use for the precise and reliable assembly of die-cut adhesive components in virtually every industry.  In Medical Device assembly our systems are being used to: apply conductive foils to surgical instruments; applying multiple layers of adhesive materials around electronic circuitry for diagnostics; apply barcode labels in precise positions on test tube units; and more.  In the Automotive industry our Applicators are in use in assembly of: Airbag components; Tire Pressure Monitoring System hardware; and more.  In Semiconductor and Electronic industries our systems are being used to apply Polyimide Tape Masks, Mask Labels using Thermal Adhesives, and more.  In Packaging applications are systems are used to apply Labels, Hang Tabs, and more.

As can be ascertained from the details above, pressure sensitive adhesive component assembly is a wide ranging and far reaching application environnment.  At NSI we have the expertise to assist you with selecting materials, prototyping, developing specifications for die-cut components, developing assembly processes, and implementing equipment using our standardized solutions to provide the most accurate, precise, and reliable assembly process avaialable.  At NSI one of the services we provide is DFMA (Design for Manufacturability and Assembly).  Drawing on a long history in this specialized field allows us to provide resources instantly for this evaluation purpose that many of our customers do not have or do not have the time to develop.

Please call NSI to discuss your application so that we can bring our core competencies to bear in assisting you on the road to success.

A recent customer purchased a PL100EPi Applicator to meet their very demanding application requirements. Though we received only our normal price, solving their problem actually cost our customer three times the price of our unit. How and why? Simply because before they tried our system, they were sold a ‘competitive’ system that really couldn’t meet their needs.

Our customer purchased a unit from a competitor based on claims of speed, accuracy, and reliability. This competitor used a very simple formula to make this sale. A focus on the number of machines they had previously sold and an impression that they were the only viable option for this type of application.

The system was delivered by our competitor to a third party provider of integrated custom automation solutions. To make a long story short, the competitive system never attained the performance that had been promised. Even with multiple visits by the competitor, over the course of SEVERAL MONTHS, to address the issues. Eventually this equipment caused a delay in shipment of a highly integrated and expensive custom automated assembly system. It also jeopardized the ability of our customer to meet their production schedules.

Finally, our customer searched for an alternative and discovered NSI solutions. In their first inquiries the customer had some very pointed questions regarding our systems in comparison to the issues experienced with the competitor. Nautilus Systems (NSI) was quick to point out the technical superiority of our applicator products and the engineered solutions that come standard with each of our machines. These solutions solve long-standing issues experienced by users of competitive systems.

This customer invested additional time and cost in requesting a demo and a personal visit to our facilities. Eventually this customer elected to purchase a PL100EPi system.

Four weeks later the PL100EPi Applicator, featuring our patented technology, and incorporating our closed-loop Encoder Package for extreme precision, was installed on their production line. The result was a machine solution running at MORE THAN TWICE the speed, with GREATER PLACEMENT ACCURACY, and operating in a HIGHLY RELIABLE manner. All of this at a LOWER PRICE!

The competitive system? It was placed on a pallet and wrapped in plastic with a future likely to be spent in the dark corner of a warehouse.

The lesson? Though some may claim greatness by virtue of past accomplishments, NSI is focused on ever improving and expanding our products. Not only does this strategy allow us to be the technology leader in our field, it will also lead us to be the sales leader. Successful installations throughout the U.S. and in more than a dozen countries around the globe are only the beginning.

If you’d like to know more, please take a look at our products, or better yet, give us a call!