LINQTAPE PIT1S has a backing thickness of 1mil (25 micron) and the adhesive layer adds another 1.5 mil (36micron) for an overall thickness of 2.5mil (60 micron). The new PIT0.5S has a backing thickness of 0.5mil (13 micron) + 1mil (25 micron) adhesive layer for an overall thickness of 1.5 mil (38 micron).

This product is only available to registered users (customers can be added manually after registration) but the price is the same as LINQTAPE PIT1S.

To prepare a tape with an overall thickness of 25 micron could be possible, but the minimum order quantity would be one master roll of 20″ (510mm) width or the equivalent of about 20 rolls of 1 inch (25.4mm) tape.

For more information about polyimide tapes or any other of our products, visit us or contact us for more details.

Q1. What’s the minimum polyimide film thickness?
A1. Our thinnest standard material is 1mil (0.025mm).  We can produce thinner, but there would be minimum order quantities associated.

Q2. Could we provide free samples of PIT1A?
A2. As you can imagine, CAPLINQ receives many, many requests for “free samples”.  The manual entries, paperwork and ultimately costs that resulted from working outside our current workflow system (ensuring correct ship-to addresses, price quotes, samples lists, follow-up, etc.) was not in line with the low-cost model that we try to bring to our customers.  As such, we have done away with minimum order quantities and implemented a way to order single units instead of shipping free samples.

Q3. What is the heat resistance? We require it above 200C for 1-2 hours.
A3. The temperature resistance depends on the application.  The polyimide film itself can withstand temperatures of 450 °F (~230 °C) and for short periods, can withstand temperatures as high as 900 °F (~480 °C).  The weak point is the adhesive system.  The silicone adhesive (PIT1S-Series) can maintain adhesion above 200C, as well as short (2-3 minutes) periods at 260C.  Above this temperature, adhesion drops off quickly.  Acrylic-adhesives (PIT1A-Series) have a lower temperature resistance, but at lower temperatures (Room temperature) have a higher adhesion than silicones.  Depending on the application (namely masking), it is quite reasonable that the PIT1S could withstand 200C for 2 hours.

Q4. Under a certain degree of temperature an pressure, would the glue be coming out from the edge?
A4.  It is imaginable that under pressure at high temperature that the adhesive layer is compressed.  Whether and how far it would come out from under the polyimide backing, we have no data for.

Q5. What is the lowest thickness that can be produced, and will the thickness influence its heat resistance ability?
A5. I need to check with production what the minimum thickness is, but no, heat resistance is independent of the film thickness.

In the production of lead acid gel batteries for automobile and transportation sectors, gases such as H2 and O2 can be emitted. The emission of these gases by such batteries when charging or discharging can be controlled by sealing the top battery with an electrical resistant foil or film. For example, PIT5N (Polyimide) exhibits a high breakdown voltage, depending upon the film thickness. This material can be used to seal the valves, which would not protect the emission but would lower the rate of battery detonation, due to delocalized electrostatic discharge by the Polyimide film.

For each battery, a thin strip of film or tape is required to reduce these charges. These films are required for specific battery applications, where vicinity charges are higher.

For more information about polyimide tapes or any other of our products, visit us or contact us for more details.

Each layer has a thickness and the sum of these thicknesses makes up the total tape thickness.

What is often misunderstood by customers is what exactly “1-mil thick” polyimide tape implies. Customers are not sure whether “1-mil” (25µm) thick polyimide tape refers to the polyimide film thickness or the total thickness, since ultimately polyimide tape is made up of both the polyimide film layer plus the silicone adhesive layer (read more about why we believe in silicone-based tapes here).

As can be seen in the photo (click to enlarge), polyimide tape is madeup of two distinct layers:

1. The polyimide (kapton) film layer
2. The adhesive (silicone) layer

Each layer has a thickness and the sum of these thicknesses makes up the total tape thickness.

The Polyimide (Kapton) Film Layer

This is the layer that is specified in the product description. For example, 1-mil tape (referred to as LINQTAPE PIT1 by CAPLINQ) has a polyimide film layer of 1 mil (25µm). Similarly, 2-mil tape has a polyimide film layer of 2 mil (50µm), 3-mil tape has a polyimide film layer of 3 mil (75µm) and so on. This is in fact the layer that determines the thickness used in the description.

The Adhesive (Silicone) Layer

This is the layer of silicone adhesive applied to the backside of the polyimide (kapton) film. Though this layer thickness can vary, the standard average thickness is 1.6 mil (40um). Of course, there is some variation in this adhesive thickness and the thickness can actually range between 35µm – 45µm (1.4 – 1.8 mil) though historical data suggests that the actual range is betweeen 40µm – 45µm (1.6 – 1.8 mil). For all intents and purposes, 1.6 mil (40µm) can be used as the silicone adhesive layer thickness.

Of course, this assumes single sided polyimide (Kapton) tape. Since CAPLINQ also supplies double-sided Polyimide (Kapton) Tape (referred to as LINQTAPE PITD2 by CAPLINQ) this tape would have adhesive layers on both sides of the polyimide film layer in fact doubling the adhesive thickness of the double-side polyimide tape from 1.6 mil (40µm) to 3.2 mil (80µm).

The total thickness is then the sum of these two layers. For example, as can be inferred by the name, LINQTAPE PITD1 is 1-mil double-sided polyimide (kapton) tape that has a polyimide film layer of 1 mil (25µm) and two adhesive layers of 1.6 mil (40µm) each for a total thickness of 4.1 mil (25µm + 40µm + 40µm = 105µm) . Likewise, 1-mil (LINQTAPE PIT1) tape has a total thickness of 2.6 mil (65µm), 2-mil (LINQTAPE PIT2) tape has a total thickness of 3.5 mil (90µm), and so on.

Contact us or visit us at www.caplinq.com today for more information on these or other products.

Companies large and small spend both time and cash resources to develop innovative products that the market wants to buy. Intellectual property is gained and patents are filed in a rush to protect the best ideas and innovations. This is all good, and companies that develop these materials should be able to benefit from first mover advantage and a continued slightly higher market price.

Generic Products are good enough only when customers say they are.

The problem as CAPLINQ sees it however is that many of the companies that develop these technologies don’t build in marketing and pricing strategies to account for today’s fast pace of innovation. Products that were once unique become commodities and the companies that market them stick to higher prices despite the market realities that lower-cost options become available. Smart companies like Apple develop incredibly innovative products and build in marketing strategies to cannibilize their own business by reducing prices and introducing newer products and obsoleting older ones. In the case of iPods and iPhones, “old” is a relative term that recently is measured in months if not weeks.

So getting back to the question, generic brands of products are good enough when suppliers say they are to their customers and customers trust their suppliers enough to believe them. CAPLINQ works hard with its manufacturing partners to develop products that meet or exceed the expectations of its customers while keeping the prices of these products far below those of its competitors.

So when CAPLINQ offers its customers Polyimide Tape instead of Kapton® Film or Volume-Conductive Linqstat™ Film vs. Velostat™, its customers can be sure that the quality of the product is high, while the price offers significant incentive to switch from the better-known brand names.