Face shields are an important part of personal protection equipment (PPE), preventing airborne droplets from reaching the wearer’s face. Used by the NHS and in other clinical settings in the UK.
Double sided materials are replacing traditional fixing methods in a range of industries and applications. They also offer additional functionality such as sealing, damping and conducting.
Our range of medical grade materials offer unique characteristics for stick to skin applications and can be sterilised by EtO, gamma and steam. Other products include speciality films and foils for a range of medical applications.
We offer coated and non-coated foam and rubber materials for a variety of applications including gasketing, sealing, vibration and sound dampening and energy absorption.
We offer a selection of the most versatile and satisfactory RFI and EMI shielding solutions, for effective shielding of wirelessly transmitting devices.
As electronics become smaller and more powerful, the need for effective thermal materials increases. We offer a variety of products to suit most applications.
For the management of temperature, humidity, gases and pressure, and the prevention of liquid, dust and chemical contamination. We hold an expanding range of materials to suit your every application.
We offer our customers access to a superior range of medical grade materials for the varied applications found within the healthcare market. Our commitment to quality, demonstrated by our ISO 13485 registration, FDA registration and ISO Class 7 Clean Room capability means our customers are confident in the superior quality we can achieve for their medical products.
We fully understand the key needs of the automotive market; we offer quality management to ISO 9001, clean room manufacturing and TS16949 compliance. This, combined with our access to World leading materials, makes us the first choice partner in the manufacture of automotive components.
We supply adhesive components into a range of electronics applications, from bonding of dissimilar substrates, to sealing, cushioning, shielding and insulating of components. Whatever your needs, our access to a variety of products, and the ability to create bespoke constructions and components, will ensure we have a solution to your unique requirements.
Industrial grade materials offer strength and resilience, as well as resistance to UV, chemicals, oil and extreme temperatures. Whatever your needs, our experts can advise on the optimum product for your application. We can convert your material into bespoke components for enhanced manufacturing efficiencies and cost savings.
The safety critical applications of this market require trusted adhesive solutions to ensure high quality and reliability of products. We offer a range of materials for bonding, sealing, insulating, shielding and venting for a range of detection, monitoring and emergency devices. Whatever your needs, we have the experience, materials and converting expertise to offer the optimum solution to the unique requirements of your products and processes.
We offer a range of specialist products and manufacturing processes to satisfy the safety critical needs of the defence industry. With Quality Management accreditation to ISO 9001, Clean Room manufacturing and SC21 accreditation, we are confident in meeting the quality expectations of our military and defence customers.
Adhesive tapes offer a range of trusted solutions for aerospace applications and are commonly used for bonding and sealing, as well as vibration dampening, shielding, cooling, masking and venting. We have access to a vast range of materials, which we can convert into bespoke components for enhanced quality and manufacturing efficiencies.
We offer a range of bonding tapes and films for the assembly and protection of furniture, partition walls, flooring systems, HVAC products, doors and windows. Whether you require a permanent bonding solution or temporary protection, we can advise on the optimum product for your unique application.
Modern lighting utilises many adhesive components to enhance the aesthetics and the efficiency of lighting products. We provide bespoke adhesive components to efficiently bond, seal, vent, dissipate heat and reflect light in a range of lighting applications.
Solar and wind energy products are subject to the harshest external environments throughout their lifetime. This includes extreme temperatures, UV light, wind, rain and debris. We offer a range of performance materials to protect components and resist these environmental extremes, as well as efficiently bond, insulate and vent internal components.
We have over 50 years experience in converting tapes and flexible materials for a diverse range of industries and applications. During this time we have built long lasting relationships with suppliers and customers and have built on our experience, capabilities and our reach throughout Europe and beyond.
From design conception to final production and assembly, quality is paramount in providing our customers with products that consistently reach their desired quality standards. We do this through external accreditation and auditing, as well as internal practices and performance monitoring.
Parafix is proud to partner with world leading tape and material manufacturers. With access to a broad range of products we offer our customers extensive choice and the opportunity to combine complimentary materials from any manufacturer, unique to their requirements.
We are proud of our ‘can do’ attitude at Parafix, always striving to solve our customers’ challenges. We are also committed to quality and aim to treat our customers, employees and communities fairly and with care.
Our company values ensure we add value to and maintain the high levels of service throughout all of our activities. Read our company values on this page.
In 1969 we started our journey as a small distributor of adhesive tape. Today we’ve become a leading converter in Europe, creating complex adhesive components used globally.
One of our company values is to support the local communities in which we operate. This page shares some of the community activities we engage in and good causes we offer our support to.
There are many reasons why tapes are replacing traditional fixing methods. Among these is the strong and reliable bond that tapes provide and their additional functionality such as sealing, shielding, insulating and cushioning. In addition to these benefits, joining with tape offers greater design options, product quality and enhanced manufacturing efficiencies.
A customised adhesive component offers a number of benefits to designers and engineers. Product designs can be streamlined with invisible joins and product manufacture is made simple with a convenient and easy to handle component. Adhesive parts can be designed with application aids, or for use in automated assembly processes.
Tape is replacing traditional fixing methods across many applications. Here we compare the benefits of using a tape in place of traditional fixing methods.
When choosing an adhesive product, there are some key criteria to consider so that the desired performance is achieved. By understanding the end product and conditions it will be subject to, a material can be specified that will last the full life of your product.
The way you use your tape is an important factor in ensuring the desired performance is achieved. We’ve put together some tips on looking after your material and applying it correctly.
Bonding and LED cooling for PCB attachment to heat sink
Our customer, a manufacturer of lighting products required an LED cooling solution for bonding a PCB to a heat sink for a new product range they were developing. They required specification of a suitable bonding product that must be thermally conductive, thin (due to the size of the bulb) and long lasting, to ensure the long life of the LED.
There were a number of requirements for the construction of the adhesive component, such as ease of handling, automated application aids and supplied with zero defects.
Our R&D team worked closely with the customer’s engineering team to test materials and ensure complete compatibility with both the application process and the LED parts.
The result; all of the customer’s requirements were fulfilled: materials, technology, quality and process optimisation. 3M™ 8805, a thin thermally conductive transfer tape, was specified for its high performance characteristics and the component was designed with a manufacturing process and presentation which suited the customer’s exact application and quality needs.
Parafix has continued to work with the customer on new lighting products due to our experience in this market and the successful results delivered in this project.
Read about this project in more detail below.
Project requirements
Specify an adhesive that provides a long lasting and secure bond between the parts, with thermally conductive properties and a UL certification. It also had to maintain its bonding power at temperatures up to 90 degrees Celsius.
Design the die-cut pieces for semi-automated pick and place and further manual application at the customer’s manufacturing site to ensure best possible cycle and to fulfil extremely tight tolerances to minimise defective parts. If the adhesive is placed outside of the tolerance zone during manufacture, the PCB and the LED would be rejected.
Zero defective parts to avoid downtime of automated application process.
Large volumes required.
Our solution
After testing a number of products with the customer’s engineering team, we specified 3M™ 8805 thermally conductive transfer tape for its high performance characteristics. It also was a more cost-effective solution than competitor products.
Our R&D team also developed a production method in close cooperation with the customer’s engineering team, to ensure maximum compatibility with both the application process, and the electronic parts.
A die-cut was designed with location holes for the semi-automated pick and place application and a dry (non-adhesive) pull tab on each part was included for ease of handling in the manual attachment of the part to the LED body.
To meet the quality and zero defect requirements, the production process included high precision tooling, to ensure contour and shape consistency throughout the entire run of the project and adherence to above average strict tolerances.
A two stage rotary process was used to create the liner tab and to cut the shape. Internal waste was removed while the material was running, to minimise packaging time.
A reliable and fast machine run was designed to handle the large volumes, with as short a set-up time as possible, providing cost effective production for the customer.
Quality control processes included constant monitoring of the running material, to remove potential of defective parts and precise counting of the material length/parts on each roll, required for the semi-automated application process.
Key benefits
Reliable thermal component produced that manages heat and bonds.
Customer’s assembly processes were optimised.
Customer’s strict quality requirements were met.
Components produced using cost effective processes.
