First Question, What is an Adhesive Release Liner?
The first question to ask is “What is a Release Liner?” A Release Liner helps protect the the product during transit, and as you will see below, can even help in situations where the parts need to be kiss-cut onto a liner. The main function is to help transport the product through different stages of the manufacturing process without damaging the product.
Different Types of Adhesive Release Liners:
-Diamond Plastic Liners (for hard to release materials)
-Plastic Film Liners (usually coated with silicone, or fluoropolymer on one side for easy release)
-Paper Liners (nearly always silicone coated on one side for easy release)
-PTFE/Fiberglass Release Liner, These liners are coated with PTFE to make it non-stick to have an easy time removing the release liner from the product.
Examples of Different Liners, Same Adhesive Tape:
3M 467MP, and 9667MP are the same tape, except there is one major difference. 9667MP has a much thicker release liner.
Why does 3M make two products with different release liners?
There are a few reasons for this: Keep in mind that a liner is only there to protect the adhesive during transit to its end goal – which is usually help during an assembly process. Since NEDC is an authorized 3M converter we have access to a number of different types:
- The thicker the liner, the easier it is to remove the liner from parts during assembly for the adhesive backing. The easy-peel liner can aid in making the parts
- The thicker the liner, the easier it is to kiss-cut. Yes, it is possible that NEDC will swap a liner to make die-cutting easier if the adhesive tapes natural liner cannot be provided thicker. This can definitely be the case if the die-cutter is attempting to die-cut the parts.
- A thinner liner makes the product easier to wind up. For example, a thick liner can force the paper to make a memory, and forget its original shape. Tightly wound materials should have a thinner liner.
- Some customers prefer that their product is supplied on a tray like material. Thick liner can be better for this, when customers ask for a tray like liner, we usually give them a .011” liner. With a die-cutting process, cutting parts is essentially bursting through the material instead of cutting through it.
Adding a Second Liner/Secondary Liner Considerations
When adding a secondary liner, you should be aware that not all materials release as easy as others. For example, a silicone rubber material is not compatible with a silicone based liner. As another example, thick liners may not unroll off the roll as easily. Further, liners have sides just like most materials. Some liners have a high release side, and a low release side. All these are considerations when liners are being selected, especially for die cutting operations.
More Information on Secondary Liners for Adhesive Tapes
NEDC die-cuts, waterjet-cuts, and laser-cuts all sorts of parts for customers. This is usually done through die-cutting after laminating a part. For more information on 3M adhesive tape, or 3M release liners, please contact sales@nedc.com.