Mounting & Handling

Many manufacturing environments need bonding and gripping materials that not only enable parts movement, handling, and fixturing, but also are non-tacky, low-residue, and able to secure very delicate parts such as precision glass components and lenses. Established solutions are limited, especially for novel or fragile coatings, may leave residue, have time consuming process change over, and can cause a high scrap rate. Setex’s gecko-inspired microstructures provide adhesive and gripping solutions that overcome these issues and are tunable to your processes.

Glass

Vacuum systems that are typically used to attach or hold glass are vulnerable to imperfect seals, require an external power source to actuate, and are not always appropriate for applications where the glass surface may have a specialty or delicate coating, or for vacuum-deposition processes. Setex offers an alternative bonding and attachment system to glass with our dry adhesive. The material can securely hold onto the glass workpiece during processing and transportation, with easy removal that leaves no residue and does not damage the delicate component. Setex dry adhesive can then be reused for the next workpiece and, if it becomes dirty, it can be easily washed.

THE TECH

Low and high temperature performance with no degradation are a result of the mechanical nature of Setex’s dry microstructured tape. The properties of the gecko-inspired dry adhesive arise from the microstructure shape and do not rely on any glues or tacky materials that fail at low or high temperatures. Setex tapes have been shown to adhere at temperatures as low as -20C and as high as 300C.

The dry adhesive will bond to smooth, hard, clean surfaces with high shear strength, and can be easily repositioned, cleaned, and reused.

High Temperature Glass

High temperature tapes are critical in many processes in glass and semiconductor manufacturing and handling, but conventional pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) performance suffers at these elevated temperatures, especially after prolonged contact. Setex has developed a tape that is capable of withstanding these elevated temperatures.

THE TECH

Setex’s Technologies’ high temperature tapes consist of gecko-inspired adhesive microstructures molded out of high temperature resistant materials like silicones. The tape maintains prolonged adhesion to smooth surfaces at temperatures up to 300C, can withstand temperature cycling, can be removed cleanly without leaving behind residue, and can be reused. The strength of the tape can also be tuned down for delicate parts.

Fragile Components

Pick and place of fragile components can be challenging, the delicate parts can be subject to damage from excessive handling forces from an end effector. Setex materials can cleanly bond and release smooth fragile components with very little applied force, eliminating the potential for damage to the parts.

THE TECH

Setex’s gecko-inspired adhesive tape, inspired by the microscopic hairs, or setae, of a gecko’s foot, is tunable in strength, can be reused thousands of times, and is low residue. While the gecko has one evolutionarily-optimized type of toe hair, Setex can make an extensive variety of fiber shapes and dimensions. Small changes in the microgeometry, like the shape of the tip or the height of the fiber, result in different adhesive and frictional properties for Setex tapes and grips, enabling fine-tuning of adhesive properties, even the ability to independently tune shear and peel strength.

The tunability of the dry adhesive makes it ideal for handling fragile components. Setex tape can be finely tuned to the shear and peel strength that the part handling operation requires, enabling the movement of even the most fragile parts without leaving residue for thousands of cycles. The mechanical nature of the adhesive means it also works in a vacuum.

Vertical

Angled

Hierarchical

Eliptical

Nanostructures

Reusable Device Mounting

Mounting adhesives are typically single use and can leave residue that is difficult to remove. Setex dry adhesive technology can be applied to a wide range of applications to mount monitoring devices, sensors, and other technology to smooth, hard surfaces, maintaining the option to reuse or reapply in different locations without leaving behind any sticky residue. The dry adhesive technology can also be used in extreme high and low temperatures.

THE TECH

Setex’s adhesive and gripping material consist of gecko-inspired microstructures that are produced from different elastomers for different applications. When the flat microstructure tips come into contact with a surface, the material will provide high friction, or adhesion in the case of smooth, hard surfaces. Setex’s gecko-inspired materials can be reused thousands of times and will not leave residue. If the adhesive or gripping surface becomes dirty during use, the performance can be refreshed with simple cleaning procedures.

End Effectors

Manufacturing robots need gripping and friction materials that not only enable parts movement, handling, and fixturing, but also are dry, residue-free, and able to secure very smooth (and therefore tough-to-hold) parts. Solutions are limited, especially for new material coatings that designers want to use. Setex gripping materials and dry adhesives provide a non-tacky and residue-free bonding or friction solution that is tunable to your environment and processes.

THE TECH

Setex’s gecko-inspired dry adhesive can be reused thousands of times without leaving residue. This non-tacky material acts like an adhesive tape when applied to surfaces. When the microfiber flat tips come into contact with a smooth, flat surface, the material will adhere with a high shear strength. If the surface becomes contaminated during use, the performance can typically be refreshed with simple cleaning procedures.