Case Studies

Tapeworks and Polyimide Film Insulator that Kept Folding Over

The Problem:
An electronics circuit board manufacturer was using was experiencing a 25% yield loss during an operation as a result of using the wrong electrical insulation tape. The process required an operator to place, by hand, a thin insulator (polyimide tape) on the PCB to electrically isolate a component.

The polyimide tape lacked the stiffness required for easy placement, causing it to fold over on itself (adhesive to adhesive), rendering the expensive, custom cut, tape pieces useless. The additional rework steps needed to fix the problem escalated costs.

The Solution:
The customer sought out Tapeworks to develop a custom engineered fix. Tapeworks engineers studied the process used and determined that polyimide tape was the best product for the application, since it provided high dielectric strength with a total thickness of 2.5 mils.

To solve the folding over problem Tapeworks developed a custom flat back paper surface protection tape that could be laminated to the polyimide. This combination was then die cut, along with the polyimide, to provide a process that would allow a single piece of the polyimide tape to be put in place without folding over on itself. Once the polyimide was in place, the backing could be readily removed from the correctly and securely placed polyimide.

The Result:
Placement efficiency was improved. Yield loss as a result of this tape was reduced to 0%, and rework was eliminated.