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Electronic adhesives for smart device design and assembly
We’re witnessing a rapid expansion of IoT-connected smart devices. From smart speakers and cameras to smartwatches, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) devices, and beyond, smart devices are revolutionizing how we live, work and play. And the innovation has begun. Studies predict double-digit growth in the segment over the next five years.
Designing and assembling smart devices poses unique bonding challenges. Home devices must reflect the style of the homeowner, adding beauty as well as function. Wearables must withstand impact, repel liquids and weather harsh environments. There is no template for such a wide range of devices; the only limit is your imagination.
Tackle tough electronics device assembly challenges with a broad continuum of electronics bonding solutions from 3M. You change people’s lives; we’re here to help.
True immersion takes true bonding
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Extended reality (XR) devices make the impossible possible. With the press of a button, VR/mixed reality (MR) headsets let us walk with dinosaurs or watch stars explode on the edge of the galaxy. Immersion is key — and nothing breaks that immersion like a poor view or uncomfortable fit.
Design for visual appeal and wearability. Whether it’s a VR/MR headset, AR glasses or handheld controllers, our portfolio of trusted, easy-to-use ultra-thin tapes and liquid adhesives help you solve for design needs across XR applications.
Bond with confidence. From inspiration to assembly, our global technical experts and laboratory capabilities can help align a thoroughly tested product to your specific design needs.
Download AR/VR solutions flyer (PDF, 397.52 KB)
More extended reality solutions:
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(DESCRIPTION) Text, 3M. Science. Applied to Life. (SPEECH) [UPBEAT MUSIC] (DESCRIPTION) Virtual reality headset. Text, make extended reality every day reality. The headset and text spin. Text, streamlined headsets. Improved device performance. Next level optics. Electronics bonding. Design for impact resistance, chemical resistance and more, even with curved and hard-to-bond surfaces. for maximum design freedom. A model of the headset expands to show the parts. The lenses are highlighted. Text, lens bonding. The cover plate comes off the front of the set. Text, cover plate bonding. The rubber section that presses against the forehead. Text, foam bonding. The batteries. Text, battery bonding. Circles above the batteries. Text, silicone bonding. The cover on the battery section. Text, plastic cover bonding. The computerized section near the lenses. Text, FPC bonding. The camera. Text, FPC camera bonding. The headband. Text, headband bonding. The speakers. Acoustic parts bonding. 3M. Science. Applied to Life. 3M dot com slash a r v r. The information contained in this video is intended for industrial or occupational use by persons with the knowledge and technical skills to use such information. It is supplemental only and is not intended to replace the detailed information found in written 3M product instruction and installation manuals. For additional information, including important safety and warranty information regarding 3M products, see the product literature available upon request and on our website.
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Lightweight. Durable. Done.
Today’s XR devices need to be robust to integrate with our day-to-day lives. Impact events are inevitable — users toss headsets onto furniture or drop handheld controllers on the floor, putting precision and delicate components at risk.
3M offers bonding solutions that help defend against the drops and shocks of daily use, and for a variety of materials like metal or glass. High-strength adhesives can provide long-term durability, while tapes bring high bond strength, excellent anti-lifting properties, and good conformability and flexibility.
Contact us for complete product testing data, including Instron™ drop tower and guided free fall drop results, or to consult on specific design needs.
Potential applications:
- Battery bonding
- Controller/wand assembly
- Display and lens bonding
- General assembly bonding
- Microphone mesh bonding
- Motherboard FPC bonding
Instron® is a registered trademark of Illinois Tool Works Inc.
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Force vs. displacement test3M™ VHB™ Tapes bring high elongation for maximum energy dissipation and low peak force to minimize stress on delicate components.
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Combat common chemicals
Everyday use means XR devices will frequently encounter chemicals. Head-mounted devices like VR/MR headsets and AR glasses will require routine cleaning and disinfecting, especially if they’re shared. Working with handheld controllers? They’ll need to endure prolonged skin-to-surface contact.
3M brings tapes and adhesives resistant to many different chemical exposure types and profiles. Liquids provide exceptional chemical resistance for cleaning agents, alcohols and skin oil, while tapes bring increased material design flexibility.
Contact us for complete product testing data, including peel/sheer results following exposure, or to consult on specific design needs.
Potential applications:
- Controller/wand assembly
- Display and lens bonding
- General assembly bonding
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Peel retention test3M™ Chemical Resistant Adhesive Transfer Tape 96105CR retains better peel strength (%) after chemical immersion (60 °C / 16 hours) compared with a select competitive tape.
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3M™ Chemical Resistant Adhesive Transfer Tape 96105CR
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Hard to bond. Easy to solve.
No matter where your XR device vision takes you, it's likely you will need to bond different types of surfaces, including curved displays and small surfaces. It’s bringing them together that’s the challenge. Devices also need to adapt to the unique, irregular shapes of our bodies, which requires soft and low-surface-energy substrates.
Tapes from 3M conform to a variety of dissimilar substrates, including plastics, and offer flexibility for irregular surfaces and high bond strength for low-surface-energy substrates. You’ll also find solutions for narrow bond lines and that can be easily die cut.
Contact us for complete product testing data, including 180° peel results, or to consult on specific design needs.
Potential applications:
- Battery bonding
- Foam bonding
- Microphone mesh bonding
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180° peel strength test3M™ Double Coated Tape 93010LE retains better 180° peel strength (N/cm) at room temperature (72-hour dwell at 70 °C) compared with a similar 3M general purpose adhesive.
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Hold secure through heat
From assembly to regular use, XR devices will encounter considerable amounts of heat. Adhesives and liners may be put at risk if manufacturers use flexible printed circuits, which require a heat-generating reflow soldering process. Batteries may also retain heat during daily use, causing them to swell, which could deform the adhesive.
3M tapes help you maintain material integrity through increased heat. They conform to help keep crucial parts in place throughout heat events, including charging, and resist degradation during rigorous assembly processes.
Contact us for complete product testing data, including results for shear adhesion failure, tensile elongation and more, or to consult on specific design needs.
Potential applications:
- Battery bonding
- FPC bonding
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Temperature resistance testShort-term and long-term temperature tolerance for 3M™ VHB™ Adhesive Transfer Tape F9460PC.
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Temperature ratings by substrateTemperature tolerance with select substrates for 3M™ VHB™ Adhesive Transfer Tape F9460PC.
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Deliver efficient, cost-effective repairs
XR devices need to be designed for quick and easy repair. Components can be damaged during the assembly process, affecting yield. Users also may drop devices and need to have them fixed. Either way, you’ll want workers to be able to extract delicate, expensive components with ease.
3M offers tapes with key properties for working with components, including solutions with no chemical intervention or physical scraping needed on most surface types.
Contact us for complete product testing data, including clean removal and disassembly results, or to consult on specific design needs.
Potential applications:
- Battery bonding
- Display/lens bonding
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Reworkability test3M™ VHB™ Tape 5981 shows cleaner removal compared with a select competitive tape.
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Browse bonding solutions across more devices
The heart of the smart home
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Smart speakers and smart displays are the beating heart of the modern, connected home. They manage multiple devices and keep us connected as we work, cook and do just about everything else. These devices include curved surfaces with complex form factors and low-surface-energy substrates. They need flexible, versatile bonding solutions to help strike a balance of functionality and aesthetics.
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Electronic adhesive tapes from 3M can bond a range of difficult surfaces and substrates in speakers and displays such as glass, metal, fabric, plastic and foam. They create a sturdy, permanent seal while delivering high impact resistance that meets industry drop test requirements.
Download smart speaker device solutions flyer (PDF, 223.77 KB)
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Featured products:
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3M™ Electronic Double Sided Tape 9119
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Smart speaker and smart display bonding applications
Bond complex form factors in speaker mesh, display screens and more.
- Lens bonding solutions that provide good impact resistance and protection from water and chemicals
- Display bonding solutions that provide high-strength bonding of plastics to glass
- Speaker foam bonding solutions that deliver good bonding strength to a variety of foam substrates
- Ensure excellent bonding strength for silicon foot bonding
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Focus on what matters most
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A smart home begins with smart security. Smart (baby) monitors, video doorbells, wireless security camera systems inside and out — these devices help us stay alert. Cameras and electronic locks require design flexibility to seamlessly blend into the background while delivering consistent, reliable performance. Anything less won’t do.
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Secure indoor and outdoor security devices with electronics bonding solutions from 3M. They provide reliable shock absorption and protection from water and UV rays. Robust adhesion to rubber and TPU, high shear strength and a pull force of over 50 N help provide a sense of security for homeowners.
Download smart doorbell device solutions flyer (PDF, 331.75 KB)
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High-tech help for modern life
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Robots help free us from the household grind and enable our fast-paced modern lifestyles. From vacuuming to washing windows and cleaning pools, today’s robots can do it all — and must be built tough.
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3M offers advanced electronics bonding materials that can join difficult substrates while helping guard against impact, water, chemicals and more. Our double-coated tapes supply high adhesion and shock resistance to silicone components like anti-collision strips, while double-coated tissue tapes are ideal for low-surface-energy surfaces and textured surfaces. We’ll help you protect your robots from many hazards of the home.
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The sky’s the limit
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Drones go where other devices cannot. They take breathtaking aerial photographs and survey hard-to-reach landscapes. Strong, durable and lightweight electronics assembly adhesives that hold firm during a crash are the backbone of drone design.
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Bonding materials from 3M provide impact resistance, vibration damping and anti-lifting properties at a fraction of the weight of mechanical fasteners. Their excellent UV stability and high-temperature strength helps drones withstand direct sunlight. We also offer tapes for thin bond lines to provide shock absorption and sealing for remote control display screens. Fly high with 3M.
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Live life untethered
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Smartwatches are our constant companions. They manage our media, track our vitals and keep us connected all day long. Walking, running, even swimming — smartwatches go wherever we go. They must balance functionality, durability and comfort, from the battery to the wristband and everything in between.
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3M offers high-strength tapes to stabilize smartwatch components during physical activity. Chemically resistant adhesives help bond metal to glass while sealing out water, sweat, sunscreen and skin oils. Liquid adhesives combine optimal viscosity, bonding strength and low-temperature curing to facilitate electronic assembly.
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Featured products:
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3M™ Chemical Resistant Adhesive Transfer Tape 96105CR
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Smartwatch bonding applications
Guard sensitive components against impact, water, chemicals and more.
- Bonding solutions for smartwatch dials combine optimal viscosity, high bonding strength and low-temperature curing
- Lens bonding solutions provide excellent chemical resistance
- FPC bonding tapes join hard-to-bond surfaces while offering good heat resistance
- Battery bonding solutions help absorb shock and vibration
- Excellent bonding strength for fabrics and other wristband materials
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Versatile bonding for sound performance
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Everyone's life has a soundtrack. Hearables and true wireless stereo (TWS) devices — earbuds, over-the-ear headphones and more — let us enjoy the music of life anytime. They require versatile, flexible bonding materials to join complex components and help protect devices against drops and falls, skin oils, sweat and cosmetics.
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Electronic adhesives from 3M are designed to provide shock absorption and chemical resistance to even the smallest components. Strong adhesion to plastics, silicone and other substrates expands material selection for enhanced design freedom. Good jetting performance, fast curing and long stability facilitate processing and manufacturing.
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TWS device bonding applications
Attach small and intricate components with flexible and versatile bonding solutions.
- Strong bonding for earbud shell components that delivers good jetting performance, fast curing at low temperature and long pot life at room temperature
- High bonding strength and good reworkability to join metal, plastic and other hard-to-bond substrates in the earbud charging case
- Battery bonding solutions deliver good impact resistance and excellent reworkability
- Bond speaker mesh components while providing impact, water and chemical resistance
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Compare 3M bonding solutions based on your design parameters. From tapes to liquids to virtually everything in between. Find the right 3M bonding solution for you.
Resources
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IoT applications profilesDownload (PDF, 1.8 MB)VideoChemical resistant bonding solutions for wearable devicesLink to videoFlyer3M™ Scotch-Weld™ One-Part Epoxy Adhesive 6101 Off White flyerClose
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From global resources to individualized support, 3M is with you every step of the way. Our experts will work with you to identify an adhesive solution for your precise design requirements.
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DisclaimerThis information is intended for use by persons with the knowledge and technical skills to analyze, handle and use such information. The testing is based on tests performed at a 3M lab and may be based on a limited sample size. Your results may vary.
