For purposes of this website, the Electronics Industry is described as anything containing a microprocessor chip, including but not limited to:

 
 

 

1. Things Powered by Electric Motors (note: you may find that other orientation sources categorize "electric motors" under Assembly (Non-Rigid) as the produce which the motor is powering is in and of itself a durable "assembled" rigid product, such as a kit chen appliance. For simplicity, we have grouped "electric motors" in with "electronics.")

Things Powered by Electric Motors...

A whole host of electrical devices, from kitchen appliances to CD-players and video cameras, contain electric motors. These mass-produced motors are likely to have precise synchronisation and a long lifetime. Adhesives are these days crucial in motor assembly, for instance for connecting the armature and shaft, for connecting the commutator and shaft, for attaching ball-bearings and for securing screws in position. The preferred type of adhesive for this is an anaerobically curing acrylate bonding agent, namely an acrylate adhesive that cures when oxygen is excluded.

 

  

From the very beginning, the speedy developments in the field of electronics have involved ever minor components and ever greater circuit complexity. The continuing miniaturisation has not only resulted in smaller components but also components that are more responsive to heat. For cost reasons, it was also essential to reconsider the methods used to assemble printed circuit boards (PCBs). The answer to these problems was advanced bonding technology. Adhesives have hence taken over many errands in the assembly of electronic circuits. Besides being used for mechanical attachment, they also function as for example electrical conductors and insulators. Today, many electronic components are fixed in their intended positions with adhesives, prior to soldering.

 

 Sole-component paste-like epoxy resin adhesives are used. These adhesives join in 3 minutes at 120°C. Acrylate adhesives are used to a lesser scope. The latter are pre-cured by UV light to permit rapid fixing. Their final strength is then developed by applying heat.

 

Electrically conducting adhesives are normally epoxy resin adhesives containing a very small quantity of ionic contaminants. To a lesser extent special polyimide adhesives are also used. In both cases these adhesives contain 70 to 80 weight percent of very refined silver powder. They are used when components cannot be soldered due to their sensitivity to heat, particularly when repairs are being carried out. In addition, adhesives with heat conducting properties (e.g. adhesives containing high amounts of aluminium oxide) are growing in importance due to the increasing requirements on the heat management of circuits.

 

 

 

 

In addition to smart chips, today’s passports hold so-called Die Attach Adhesives. With their help, the chips containing the essential biometric data, such as personal details and the digital visual image, are bonded directly casing and then the electronic connection is made with wires. By connecting wirelessly to an antenna, the chip transfers the appropriate data to a reader at passport control. 

 

The arrest, storage, and repossession of personal data stored on travel documents, tickets for big events like the Super Bowl or business register is becoming more and more important. A large amount of data can now be speedily recorded and processed. In particular the increasing need for security in global travel and in enterprise resource planning have improved this demand.

 

The on hand technology in the chip-on-board (COB) process produced smart cards; though, these proved too complicated and costly for extensive application in throwaway articles, such as tickets. But then the new "flip chip" Expertise paved the means for mass market applications.

 

The chips were smaller and can be placed diretly on so-called smart labels (thin, containing plastic film antennas) and electrically contacted. The production costs are significantly lesser than for plastic cards. Significantly, the chip stays on the plastic card and conducts electricity to permit the flow of data. This technology was realized with an adhesive that was specially developed for this purpose.

 

This utilizes two different types of contact: on one side a conducting, anisotropic adhesive and on the other side a non-conducting underfiller were developed. The high numbers achieved during the development of adhesives that harden in 4 to 10 seconds and the low manufacturing costs have opened new areas of usage.

 

 

Some inventions become indispensable within a very short time. And the cell phone is one of them. How did we ever get along without them? Scarcely anyone had one in the 1980s, but by the end of the 1990s they were all over the place. Now, one is forever within easy reach. But no one realizes that up to 21 dissimilar types of adhesive foil are used in cell phone production today.

 

The cell phone has been an vital tool of daily life since the late '90s. Business people on the go are accessible thanks to cell phones; if an calamity happens, help is just a phone call away; if you are running late, a fast text message keeps your friends and family informed. 

 

But why are cell phones getting cheaper, better and smaller?   The answer is uncomplicated: Adhesives.

 

What modern adhesive films, composed of epoxy resin, silicone or polyurethane, can achieve is amazing. You can manufacture electrical connections between two or more contact points or replace small screws and solder joints. The bond is flatter, less complex and cost-intensive. In comparison to solder joints, adhesive film is lead free and less susceptible to heat, thereby reducing the risk of thermal damage.

 

There are two types of electrically conductive glue film:

 

1. Isotropic conductive adhesive: In this sort of adhesive film, the current can flow in all directions. This is how it works: Electrically conductive adhesive particles are pressed into the contacts during the drying process, allowing an electrical connection. The minimum distance between two contacts is only 0.035 mm. By the way, isotropic conductive adhesive layer is used in EMI shielding (electromagnetic interference).

 

2. Anisotropic conducting adhesive: This kind of adhesive film allows power to run in only certain directions. Micro-particles are embedded in the adhesive, which are compressed between two contact points, simultaneously generating insulation between the individual points.

 

 

 Further adhesive film in cell phones protects against shock and prevents the permeation of moisture. And adhesive film protects the screen from unpleasant scratches, ensuring immaculate communication.

 

 

Smaller, Faster, More Powerful...

 

With no adhesives we would exist in a world of electronic chaos. Conductive adhesives merge different materials quickly, safely and permanently -- even in small areas.

 

Micro-assemblies, applications made possible in ever-smaller electronic modules and components, are only possible with adhesive. Adhesives have always played a function in the documentation and broadcasting of information. Their implication has been shown and confirmed through the millennia -- from papyrus of the ancient Egyptians to the navigation system, laptop and plasma screen TV of today.