tesa® ACXplus: Structural Bonding for Demanding Assemblies
tesa® ACXplus is a viscoelastic acrylic foam tape engineered for permanent structural bonding where mechanical fasteners create corrosion risk, add weight, or compromise finish quality. Its foam core absorbs dynamic stress, compensates for differential thermal expansion between dissimilar materials, and maintains bond integrity from -40°C to +200°C depending on grade. As a tesa Platinum Partner, Austen Direct provides authorised ACXplus supply with the application engineering support to match the correct sub-series to your substrate, coating, and service environment. See how ACXplus fits into the broader category of high-performance bonding, or explore the case for replacing traditional fasteners across your assembly.
Browse the tesa ACXplus grades we stock (listed under double-sided and bonding) →
Where ACXplus Solves Bonding Problems
The ACXplus range is wide — selecting the wrong sub-series is one of the most common reasons trials fail. Our substrate bonding guides cover surface preparation and the substrate-to-chemistry mapping that determines which family to trial first.
Wrong sub-series trialled without substrate mapping
Transparency requirements, outdoor exposure class, and powder-coat adhesion needs all point to different ACXplus families. Trialling the wrong sub-series — because the selection was made on thickness or price rather than surface energy and environment — produces failures that create doubt about the whole range rather than identifying the right grade.
Tape failure on powder-coated and painted metals
Modern powder coatings present a low surface energy (LSE) surface that standard foam tapes cannot wet out effectively. Bond failure at the coating interface — rather than within the substrate — is the usual result, and it is typically misdiagnosed as a tape quality issue rather than a surface energy mismatch.
Visible fixings compromising finish quality
Rivet heads, screw bosses, and weld scars on external-facing assemblies force costly secondary finishing and limit design options. In signage, transport, and architectural applications, visible mechanical fixings directly affect the perceived quality and market value of the finished product.
Delamination in multi-material assemblies
Bonding dissimilar substrates — GRP to steel, aluminium to plastic — creates differential thermal expansion under service conditions. Rigid adhesives cannot accommodate the resulting movement and shear at the interface; the bond fails progressively rather than immediately, making root cause diagnosis difficult.
Production bottlenecks from liquid adhesive cure times
Overnight holds and extended cure cycles for liquid structural adhesives stop the production line and require dedicated storage fixtures. Every hold is time not shipping. ACXplus provides immediate handling strength — assembly moves to the next stage without a curing wait.
Adhesion failure on PP and EPDM automotive plastics
Low surface energy thermoplastics used in automotive exterior attachments require either aggressive solvent-based primers or a primerless tape chemistry specifically formulated for LSE plastics. Standard foam tapes fail on these substrates. Specifying from the wrong range creates rework and warranty risk.
Where ACXplus Is Specified
ACXplus is used across sectors wherever structural integrity, clean aesthetics, and durability must be achieved without mechanical fasteners. See sector-specific guidance for signage manufacturing and commercial automotive vehicles.
Signage and display panel bonding
Letter and panel attachment for internal and external signage where a fastener-free finish is a specification requirement. ACXplus transparent and opaque grades bond aluminium, acrylic, Dibond, and foam PVC substrates with clean edges and no visible fixings. UV-resistant grades maintain bond integrity and appearance outdoors.
Commercial vehicle and transport assembly
Body panel attachment, trim bonding, and composite-to-metal joining on commercial vehicles, trailers, and specialist conversions. The viscoelastic core absorbs road vibration and thermal cycling that would progressively loosen mechanical fixings over a vehicle’s service life.
Architectural façades and cladding
Structural bonding for aluminium composite panel (ACP) and façade cladding systems where the tape carries long-term dead and wind load. ACXplus replaces mechanical fixing clips in several certified façade systems, reducing thermal bridging and eliminating the corrosion risk associated with exposed fixings.
Marine and outdoor structures
Bonding of GRP, aluminium, and plastics in marine environments where corrosion from drilled fixings is an accelerated failure risk. ACXplus grades with UV and moisture resistance maintain structural integrity in continuous outdoor exposure and salt spray conditions.
General industrial fabrication
Fastener replacement across metal fabrication, equipment manufacture, and assembly operations where drilling, welding, or riveting is being replaced to improve throughput, reduce skilled labour dependency, or enable thinner gauge material. ACXplus eliminates secondary finishing associated with mechanical joints.
Automotive exterior component attachment
Primerless bonding of PP and EPDM exterior trim, side mouldings, and body-coloured attachments. The ACXplus 77811 line is formulated for direct adhesion to LSE automotive plastics without solvent primers — reducing process steps, eliminating VOC exposure, and delivering the primer-free first-time bond quality demanded by automotive assembly.
ACXplus Product Families
The ACXplus range is structured into sub-series by substrate type and service environment — not simply by thickness. We supply the full range as an authorised tesa Platinum Partner with full technical data, batch traceability, and application engineering support behind every grade.
ACXplus 706x / 707x — Standard, LSE, and Outdoor Grades
The core ACXplus families for the majority of industrial and signage bonding applications. The 706x series is optimised for powder-coated metals, painted surfaces, and low surface energy plastics where standard foam tapes fail to wet out. The 707x series — including ACXplus 7074 — is engineered for outdoor and weather-exposed applications, maintaining full structural performance from -40°C to high summer temperatures. Transparent variants are available across both families for aesthetically critical bonds where tape visibility would be a defect.
706x / 707x grades we stock: 7062 · 7063 · 7065 · 7066 · 7072 · 7074 · 7076 · 7078
ACXplus 731x / 778xx / 77811 — High-Temperature and Primerless
Specialist sub-series for demanding thermal and automotive environments. The 731x series extends service temperature capability for bonds adjacent to heat sources or exposed to industrial process temperatures. The 778xx series provides high-tack LSE bonding for challenging powder coatings and engineering plastics. ACXplus 77811 is the primerless automotive grade — formulated for direct adhesion to PP and EPDM without solvent pre-treatment, meeting automotive exterior attachment requirements without the VOC exposure and process steps of a primer-based system.
Technical Support for ACXplus Specification
ACXplus trials succeed when substrate, surface energy, and service environment are established before a grade is selected. Our specification process follows the Austen Approach — substrate-first, then chemistry, then process — rather than trialling the most familiar grade and adjusting.
Sub-series selection and substrate mapping
We establish surface energy, coating type, gap tolerance, temperature range, and UV exposure before recommending an ACXplus family. Outdoor class, transparency requirement, and powder-coat adhesion need all separate which sub-series is appropriate — getting this right before cutting samples avoids the most common trial failures.
Sample and bonding trial programme
We supply ACXplus samples in the correct format — rolls, pre-cut strips, or die-cut geometries — for bonding trials on your actual substrates under your process conditions. Surface preparation guidance, application technique, and dwell time parameters are provided alongside samples so the trial reflects real production rather than a lab ideal.
Technical data and FEA support
As an authorised tesa Platinum Partner, we provide verified material data cards — tensile, shear, peel, creep, and fatigue data — suitable for joint design calculations and ISO 21368 compliance documentation. We also support computational joint modelling for load-critical applications through our simulation and FEA service.
Related Pages
High-Performance Bonding
Structural tape technology overview — where ACXplus fits within the broader high-performance bonding category.
3M VHB Tape
3M’s Very High Bond acrylic foam tape — the alternative structural platform for cross-brand comparative specification.
Replacing Traditional Fasteners
Guidance on the structural, aesthetic, and commercial case for moving from mechanical fixings to tape-based bonding.
Substrate Bonding Guides
Surface-specific guidance on preparation, primer selection, and adhesive chemistry for the most common industrial substrates.
Specify the Right ACXplus Grade
Tell us your substrate pair, surface coating, service temperature range, and whether outdoor UV resistance is required. We’ll identify the correct ACXplus sub-series, provide technical data, and supply samples in the right format for your bonding trial.