Ten Questions to Screen a Double Sided Tape Manufacturer

Technical guidesPublished 07 November 2026Updated 07 November 2026

We answer ten questions before quoting any project, because they decide whether a double sided tape construction can be slit, laminated and die-cut under one roof or has to be split across three suppliers. Ask the same ten of whoever else you are talking to. Each one below is written as: what to ask, why it matters, and what our answer looks like.

1. Which machines do you own?

Ask for the equipment list, not the capability list. Why: a plant that buys narrow rolls from a slitter and sends die-cutting outsource loses control of the two variables that matter on a line, edge quality and tension history. Our answer: slitting, lamination and flat-bed, rotary, laser and CNC die-cutting run in our 3,000 m² Shenzhen plant, so the same lot number can carry a roll and a part. The factory page names the routes.

2. Where does the raw stock come from?

Ask whether branded films are bought direct and what the authorization covers. Why: material provenance decides both aging behaviour and your customs paperwork. Our answer: we supply tesa, 3M and Sekisui materials and convert them in-house; authorization scope is confirmed per enquiry, brand, market and product family. In-house laminated constructions carry our own coat weights, 10–60 µm per side.

3. Can a lot number be traced?

Ask what a lot number resolves to. Why: when a bond fails at 4 a.m., "batch" that points only at a purchase order is not traceability. Our answer: lot records reach the incoming batch, the adhesive batch, the slitting date and the inspection record. The quality page describes the system around them; ISO 9001 certificate and audit scope are provided on request.

4. What would you change about my construction?

Ask an engineer, not a salesperson, to name the carrier and coat weight they would move first. Why: this exposes whether they understand the layer stack or only the price of it. Our answer depends on the joint: peel-dominated work usually wants a thicker, softer layer and more wet-out; shear-dominated work usually wants a thinner, stiffer layer and more area. Details are on the product page.

5. How do you handle low-energy plastic and cured coatings?

Ask what happens on PP, PE and powder-coated steel. Why: most early-life edge lift we investigate is a surface problem, not an adhesive problem. Our answer: on PP and PE we shortlist acrylic constructions with a wetting layer, or specify corona or plasma treatment first; on powder coat we test after a dwell period on a real panel rather than immediately after assembly.

6. What tests do you run, and on whose substrate?

Ask for the method and the surface, together. Why: a peel number without a substrate is marketing. Our answer: peel is measured to ASTM D3330 and reported with the surface named, static shear at the application temperature, and damp-heat conditioning when the destination climate is humid. We will also accept your test protocol in place of ours.

7. How is a die-cut tolerance written?

Ask for the exact sentence they will put in the quotation. Why: tolerance language is where commercial commitments are made or avoided. Our answer: the tolerance we can hold on your geometry is stated against your drawing before tooling is cut, after review of material, thickness, part size and cutting route. We do not quote a single number for every part, and you should distrust anyone who does.

8. Is the sample the same construction you will ship?

Ask whether the sample is the same construction as the production lot. Why: samples made from a different coat weight prove nothing. Our answer: single rolls are available for evaluation; prototype quantities available and production quantities agreed per part; sample and production timing confirmed at quotation. Shipments leave Shenzhen by express, air or sea, with LCL consolidation available.

9. Which documents arrive with the goods?

Ask for the document list per ordered grade, not per catalogue. Why: compliance files are part of the part, and a missing MSDS stops a line. Our answer: TDS, MSDS, RoHS and REACH statements and a first-article report, issued against the grade actually ordered and the drawing it was cut from. See our general FAQ for the shipping and documentation terms we quote on.

10. What do you do when a test fails?

Ask about the last failure and what changed afterwards. Why: a converter with no failure history has no process records. Our answer: the review goes back through the layer stack, the surface prep and the cutting route, and the next sample states which variable moved. Honest answers to this question tell you more about working with a double sided tape manufacturer than any capability claim.

The document list to request

• Technical data sheet for the exact grade, revision dated
• Safety data sheet in the language your plant needs
• RoHS and REACH statements covering the ordered material
• First-article inspection report against your drawing
• Lot trace record linking shipment to incoming batch
• Authorization or distribution scope, per brand, market and product family

Two of those six will decide your second supplier meeting: the trace record and the tolerance sentence. Everything else can be recovered from a document; those two cannot be retrofitted after a launch.

Commercial and process terms on this page are the questions a converter has to answer, not a standing offer. Order quantities, lead times, tooling charges, sample terms, freight and payment structures are confirmed at quotation against your drawing, your material and your destination, and only figures already published elsewhere on this site are stated as commitments.