Micro Interview: Cai Min, Business Development Manager of Industrial Tapes and Adhesives Product Group, 3M China.
#BM Tape News or Information ·2025-11-05 16:52:50
MEMS Consulting:Thank you very much, 3M, for accepting this interview with MEMS Consulting. First, could you introduce yourself to our readers? What are your main responsibilities at 3M?
Brian Cai: Hello everyone, I am Brian Cai, Business Development Manager for the 3M China Industrial Tapes and Adhesives Product Group. My main responsibility in 3M's Industrial Tapes and Adhesives Division is business development for new applications and new directions in the industrial market, such as breakthrough application research "from 0 to 1" in emerging fields including 5G and vehicle-to-everything (V2X), IoT, smart sensing, and smart hardware.
MEMS Consulting: Next, could you introduce 3M's Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division?
Brian Cai: 3M's Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division is one of the oldest departments within 3M, with over 6,000 employees globally, 27 technology platforms, and more than 30,000 products. R&D centers span 10 countries, with over 20 customer technical centers, and manufacturing bases across 26 countries.
3M's Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division has the following characteristics:
MEMS Consulting:For the sensor field, what adhesive and tape products does 3M primarily offer?
Brian Cai: Sensors are classified into many categories.
MEMS Consulting: How do 3M adhesives protect sensor internal components? Could you elaborate with actual application cases?
Brian Cai: How can sensors improve performance and quality while also increasing their brand premium to win in fierce competition?
MEMS Consulting:In terms of sensor housing sealing and bonding, what suitable products and actual application cases does 3M have?
Brian Cai: Taking precision sensor packaging as an example, 3M's low-temperature curing one-component epoxy adhesive has many successful application cases in optical sensor packaging. We have helped customers effectively bond transparent nylon housings while ensuring sealing integrity. We have also helped customers avoid the damage that high-temperature curing previously caused to nylon materials. Additionally, 3M offers a range of structural adhesives for precision component potting, including both two-component and one-component formulations, used in applications as small as bonding internal structural components of LiDAR systems that have recently become a hot topic.
MEMS Consulting: For precision sensors, especially those sensitive to temperature during production, high-temperature curing bonding can often "damage" components, thereby affecting the overall sensor performance. How does 3M address this issue?
Brian Cai: For components that are particularly sensitive to temperature, we offer a range of low-temperature rapid-curing structural adhesive solutions. Our standard low-temperature curing one-component epoxy structural adhesive can achieve reliable structural bonding for very fine twisted wires through low-temperature curing at 60-80°C for 30 minutes. However, our new product 5520 doesn't require 60°C or 30 minutes. The "55" means it only needs to be heated to 55°C, and the "20" means 20 minutes. Let's look at the adhesive strip produced by 5520 (see image below) — it's very flexible and can absorb stress from impact. Whether in fast-moving or high-speed driving scenarios, it provides reliable structural strength for smart sensors.
In addition, some sensors require water resistance. The 5520's water resistance can pass underwater testing equivalent to a depth of 35 meters for 30 minutes. Furthermore, the black version of 5520 has excellent light-blocking properties, providing strong structural bonding for smart sensor small screens without light leakage.
MEMS Consulting: Could you also introduce some sensor adhesive backing application cases?
Brian Cai: Smart sensors, such as smoke alarm sensors and Bluetooth beacons, use 3M VHB (Very High Bond) tape for their adhesive backing. No screwdriver or drill is needed — simply peel off the backing for quick installation. The strength of 3M VHB tape allows devices to be easily mounted on walls, and the closed-cell acrylic foam body ensures structural integrity while also providing waterproof sealing. The soft adhesive body also conforms to the stress of different substrates, bonding dissimilar materials tightly together.
MEMS Consulting:Regarding automotive sensor applications, could you explain how 3M bonding and sealing materials enable design flexibility, helping sensors integrate into the overall vehicle design without compromising design aesthetics?
Brian Cai: Automotive sensors are highly diverse. Let's take the battery temperature sensor as an example. Drilling holes in the module housing to mount sensors would significantly impact the battery module's sealing integrity. Our OEM customers use 3M VHB tape as sensor backing adhesive, which both ensures battery module sealing and improves assembly line efficiency. 3M VHB offers multiple solutions for different substrate materials, including specialized solutions for PP (polypropylene) materials.
MEMS Consulting: Automotive vision sensors with higher signal-to-noise ratios enable more accurate object detection and classification. How do 3M conductive tapes and anti-reflection tapes optimize vision sensor performance?
Brian Cai: As hybrid and pure electric vehicles enter the era of autonomous driving, vehicle electronic equipment is becoming highly integrated. The number of sensors, electronic components, and other electronic units has increased several-fold compared to traditional vehicles, making electronic interference issues particularly prominent — such as GPS signal drift and screen flickering. Vehicle low-frequency and high-frequency interference issues are more severe than ever, and EMC/EMI (electromagnetic compatibility and electromagnetic interference) solutions are increasingly moving toward consumer-grade approaches, where flexible and versatile solution combinations combined with automotive-grade aging performance requirements are gaining attention. 3M has specifically developed conductive materials compliant with automotive specifications, tailored to automotive testing conditions.
MEMS Consulting: Next, let's focus on 3D cameras. Could you share some successful cases of 3M in this field?
Brian Cai: 3M entered the automotive camera field very early on. In the initial applications, it was mainly tape bonding. As cameras became miniaturized, the space available for tape bonding became increasingly limited. To meet customers' application needs, we developed targeted adhesive solutions. The previously mentioned 5520 low-temperature curing one-component epoxy structural adhesive has a version specifically designed to meet the automotive industry's double-85 aging requirements (Editor's note: the double-85 test refers to aging products at 85°C/85% RH conditions and comparing performance before and after aging), and it was officially applied in a mass-production model from a domestic OEM in the first half of this year.
MEMS Consulting: Our readers may be more familiar with the core components of 3D cameras and less familiar with adhesives. So, could you provide an educational overview? For example, what tapes and adhesive products are needed for 3D cameras and their specific applications and value.
Brian Cai: Certainly. There are quite a few adhesive application points in 3D cameras. Let's start with the lens module. During module assembly, for lens focusing needs, the industry typically uses UV (ultraviolet) curing and thermosetting adhesives, also known as AA (Active Alignment) adhesives. In the AA process, lens focusing is performed first, followed by UV exposure to give the adhesive its initial curing strength. It is then transferred to a high-temperature environment for baking to achieve final strength. We are monitoring this application and considering how to provide customers with stronger initial curing strength, lower thermosetting requirements, and a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion.
In addition to AA adhesives, for the assembly of the lens barrel and bottom PCB board, there are also one-component thermosetting adhesive applications. Similarly, due to the limitations of heat-sensitive components, the industry is placing increasingly stringent requirements on curing temperatures. For example, our previously mentioned 5520 series perfectly meets this market demand.
Furthermore, for chip sealing protection on PCB boards, there is also a need for stackable sealants and potting compounds. 3M has targeted mass-production products and mass-production application cases for these needs.
MEMS Consulting: Compared with 3D cameras used in industrial, security, and mobile phone applications, do automotive 3D cameras have different requirements for tapes and adhesive products? If so, could you elaborate on the differences?
Brian Cai: Yes, there are definitely differences. For automotive applications, the first consideration is more stringent aging resistance requirements, such as double-85 and similar testing requirements. Consumer electronics products focus more on drop test performance, while automotive products emphasize comprehensive testing performance (Editor's note: primarily referring to temperature, humidity, and vibration). Therefore, automotive applications have higher requirements for tapes and adhesives.
In addition, automotive interior applications also need to consider low odor and low VOC (volatile organic compound) requirements. This is a requirement that major OEMs have been placing on automotive materials in recent years.
3M has corresponding solutions and application cases for all of the above requirements.
MEMS Consulting: LiDAR is the 3D vision "weapon" on the road to autonomous driving. Have 3M adhesives already been applied in LiDAR? Additionally, how do 3M film products protect LiDAR from weather, oil, and other factors that obstruct the field of view?
Brian Cai: 3M possesses advanced "hydrophobic" materials and extensive engineering application experience, helping LiDAR and related products reduce the impact of natural factors such as rain, fog, and dust. Additionally, 3M's film materials can integrate heating functions, enabling barrier-free use of LiDAR and related products in snow, ice, and cold regions.
MEMS Consulting:On September 2, 2021, 3M will participate in the "31st Micro-Insight Seminar: 3D Vision Technology and Applications". For your first appearance at the "Micro-Insight" seminar, what topics will you be sharing with the audience?
Brian Cai: We are delighted to participate in this "Micro-Insight" seminar. We will provide more introductions focused on industry needs such as low-temperature curing and precision dispensing for LiDAR, optical lenses, sensors, and more. We welcome everyone's attention. Thank you!