Truly Innovative: tesa´s technology makes smartphone batteries replacable

Truly innovative: tesa's technology makes smartphone batteries replaceable

Trends

Since 2014, 1.5 billion smartphones have been equipped with an innovative adhesive technology developed by tesa: It allows the replacement of the battery. For this revolutionary development, in 2020, tesa Bond & Detach was declared the public favorite and awarded the title of 'Innovator of the Year' in Germany.

Behind the patented technology hides a matrix made from a special class of elastomers and resins. The special effect: In the 'original state', the strips stick along their entire length thanks to their soft and elastic components. Under tensile load, however, an 'incompatibility' is created between the elastomers and resins. The property of the strip changes – it hardens and loses its adhesive strength. If you pull on a strip of tesa Bond & Detach, the components that were once firmly bonded separate from one another. This way, batteries can be repositioned and replaced quickly, easily and without leaving any residue. Separating the different components or materials makes recycling easier. For years, batteries in smartphones could neither be replaced nor recycled. They were firmly glued to the device. Quite an annoyance for phone owners who had to buy a new device just because the battery ran out – and a burden on the environment.

Thanks to the tesa adhesive technology, plenty of electronic waste can be avoided, which was an important step in terms of sustainable management. 

tesa employs 500 product and technology developers around the world

Already about ten years ago, tesa engaged a large team of 500 product and technology developers to 'revolutionize' the battery change in smartphones. The breakthrough came in 2014 – and an ingenious adhesive tape emerged from a fixed idea: tesa Bond & Detach. Currently, 75 colleagues from the field of product and technology development work for the BU Electronics, which supplies the smartphone and computer industry with a variety of adhesive components. Most of the researchers work in Suzhou, China, where one of the Group's three development centers is located. More than 1,000 tests with new 'cell phone connections' are carried out here every year.

1,5 billion

smartphones

have had the patented tesa Bond & Detach strips installed by manufacturers since product launch in 2014. This is more devices than were sold globally last year (cell phone sales in 2019: 1.37 billion).
tesa woman using smartphone with city background
Innovator des Jahres
The "Innovator of the Year" Awards

tesa recently passed the 1.5 billion cell phone mark that had been equipped with Bond & Detach since 2014. The adhesive tape, which since its development has been constantly adapted to the new requirements of the fast-moving smartphone industry, now occupies a dominant market position. With tesa Bond & Detach, tesa currently holds a market share of 21%. If you include the use of other adhesive tapes from the tesa assortment for mounting batteries, the company has a market share of more than 60%. 

Award-winning innovation

The success story written by tesa Bond & Detach has now been given the largest audience award in the German economy – the product is now 'Innovator of the Year'. 

CarstenMeyerRackwitz
"We’re very happy about this award. For the large team that has worked on the adhesive tape over the past ten years and has optimized it over and again, this is a well-deserved reward."
Carsten Meyer-Rackwitz

Corporate Vice President tesa Business Unit Electronics

"Die Deutsche Wirtschaft" (DDW) – The German Economy

The award 'Innovator of the Year' was launched by a multimedia debate & information network for top executives from the 100,000 largest German companies. DDW reaches a broad public with its TV formats. Furthermore, the association participates in high-level events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Find out more about tesa Bond & Detach here:

 

 

battery mounting