This article was sponsored by H-O Products Corporation, a manufacturer of custom-engineered tapes, gaskets, and pads.
An international solar panel manufacturer needed a tape solution to adhere its panels to aluminum framing. H-O Products Corporation, a company specializing in pressure-sensitive tapes, pads, and gaskets since 1971, worked with the client’s R&D team and supply chain and quality managers to develop a high-density, double-coated polyethylene foam (XLPE) tape.
The client had several requirements that H-O Products needed to meet. The intended scale of the project was over 20 million linear feet annually of high-density and high-dielectric tape with a volume resistivity in excess of 4.8e + 120 ohms*cm. Also, the tape needed to be compatible with the client’s existing equipment for automatic application.
"H-O Products has long been a leader in innovation,” says Chris Olson, company president. "As part of an aggressive timeline that the client’s previous provider couldn’t accomplish, we delivered a finished product that met all their specifications for adhesion, resistivity, and compression.”
Within two months, the company produced the initial acrylic adhesive prototype. H-O Products made modifications to the design, running several test rounds before completing a final prototype combining LSE acrylic adhesive with the XLPE tape at six months. They completed the first production run in month 10, and global, full-scale production of 12# ClipFoam™ Frame Tape commenced at the one-year mark.
In addition to product design, development, and testing, H-O Products also provided logistical support and international order fulfillment. For three years now, the frame tape has contributed to the solar company reaching its goal of a yearly panel production increase of approximately 25%.
To read H-O Products Corporation’s solar case study, visit h-oproducts.com/case-studies/.
