Sheldahl

What Sheldahl does

Sheldahl Flexible Technologies, Inc. is a Northfield, Minnesota-based specialty manufacturer of flexible electronics, thin-film materials, and engineered substrates serving automotive, aerospace & defense, healthcare, industrial, and consumer end markets. The company's core technology stack centers on vacuum deposition (depositing gold, aluminum, ITO, SiOx, TiOx, and germanium onto substrates), proprietary adhesiveless laminate processes (Novaclad® leveraging vacuum deposition, mSAP, and photolithography for fine-line circuitry), thermal management adhesives (Q-Prime® variants with measured thermal impedance as low as 1.3°C-cm²/watt), and a library of more than 700 proprietary adhesive and curative formulations for unidirectional splicing tapes. Its product portfolio spans seven solution areas: flexible printed circuits, aerospace thermal control (multi-layer insulation blankets, radiator materials, vacuum-deposited coatings), printed electronics, electronic materials (BusBond® insulation tapes, fuel cell gasket materials, shielding materials), unidirectional splicing tapes, optical materials (patterned and flood-coated ITO and PEDOT), and industrial abrasive materials. The company holds SGS certifications to ISO 14001:2015 and IATF 16949:2016, underpinning its qualification with automotive OEMs and aerospace primes; its flight heritage includes NASA's Project Echo (1958), Apollo 11, Voyager, and the James Webb Space Telescope sunshield (2021).

The business operates a direct B2B enterprise sales model with an engineering-led consultative GTM motion: products are quote-based, custom-manufactured to customer specifications, and delivered through long-cycle engagements involving prototype development and high-volume production. Customer concentrations span virtually every major automotive OEM, NASA programs, fuel cell vehicle OEMs (over one million membrane electrode assemblies supplied), and medical device manufacturers across verticals. Sheldahl's 800+ employees staff a 350K+ sq ft primary manufacturing footprint in Northfield, MN and a partner site in Cavite, Philippines, producing more than 25,000 miles of product annually.

Following June 2026, Sheldahl is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chase Corporation (NYSE-listed), having been divested by Flex (NASDAQ: FLEX). The acquisition transition includes Sheldahl employees joining Chase's broad-based employee ownership program. The company continues to operate under its established brand identity and proprietary product platforms while operating as a business unit within the parent.

Name

Sheldahl

Legal name

Sheldahl Flexible Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://sheldahl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sheldahl manufactures flexible printed circuits, aerospace thermal control materials, and specialty thin-film/coating products (Novaclad®, Q-Prime®, BusBond®) for automotive, aerospace & defense, healthcare, and industrial OEMs from Northfield, MN, now operating as a Chase Corporation subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flexible electronics and thin-film materials manufacturing

NAICS

Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (334419), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413)

SIC

Electronic Components & Accessories (3670), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Electronics/Additive Electronics Printers (Printed Circuit & Functional Materials) (IMAAAAAH)

Keywords

• Flexible printed circuits
• Aerospace thermal control
• Thin film materials
• Vacuum deposition coatings
• Electronic materials manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Northfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Flexible Printed Circuits Manufacturing: Design and manufacture of flexible printed circuits for automotive, medical, industrial, aerospace, and defense industries. Revenue generated through direct B2B sales of custom-engineered circuit solutions.
2. Thermal Control Materials: Aerospace thermal control materials including MLI blankets, blanket closure tapes, radiator materials, and vacuum deposited coatings for space missions
3. Industrial Abrasive Materials: Unidirectional splicing tapes, adhesives, and curatives for industrial belt manufacturers
4. Optical Materials: ITO coatings, PEDOT solutions, and transparent conductive materials for touch sensors, displays, and solar cells
5. Electronic Materials: Copper laminates, coverlays, busbar insulation tapes, free-film adhesives, and shielding materials for electronics manufacturers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sheldahl designs and manufactures flexible printed circuits, vacuum-deposited thin-film coatings, and specialty electronic materials for aerospace, automotive, healthcare, industrial, and consumer markets. The company's offerings center on custom-engineered flex circuits, multi-layer insulation materials for spacecraft, printed electronics, and a broad portfolio of electronic materials (BusBond® insulation tapes, Novaclad® laminates, coverlays, fuel cell gaskets). Production is B2B custom manufacturing with engineering collaboration from prototype through high-volume production.

Product overview

Sheldahl is a technology company specializing in flexible materials and printed circuit solutions. The product portfolio centers on seven core solution areas: Flexible Printed Circuits (including adhesive-based circuits, Novaclad® HDI, transparent circuits, and Q-Prime® thermal management), Aerospace Thermal Control (MLI blanket materials, blanket closure tapes, radiator materials, laminated materials, and vacuum deposited materials), Printed Electronics, Electronic Materials (adhesive-based copper laminates, BusBond® insulation tapes, coverlays, free-film adhesives, FFC insulation, fuel cell gasket materials, Novaclad® laminates, and shielding materials), Industrial Abrasive Materials (unidirectional tapes and splicing solutions), Unidirectional Tapes (coated and uncoated abrasive belt splicing tapes with proprietary adhesives and curatives), and Optical Materials (patterned ITO, flood coated ITO, and PEDOT). These products serve aerospace, automotive, healthcare, industrial, and consumer markets with applications ranging from space exploration (Apollo 11, James Webb Space Telescope) to electric vehicles and medical devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BusBond: Busbar insulation tapes for aerospace, industrial, and alternative energy applications featuring high-temperature, abrasion, and weather resistance.
• Novaclad
• Q-Prime

Products and services

• Flexible Printed Circuits

Quantifiable outcome

• Custom materials found in more than one million membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), equating to thousands of fuel cell vehicles on the road today
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Flex (NASDAQ: FLEX)former parent companyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Sheldahl was previously owned by Flex Ltd. The acquisition by Chase Corporation closed upon signing in June 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 3M: Diversified industrial conglomerate with significant overlap in adhesive tapes (BusBond-equivalent), specialty films, flexible electronics, and aerospace materials. Operates as a broad incumbent across all of Sheldahl's key verticals.
• Toray Industries: Japanese advanced materials manufacturer with significant aerospace thermal control (MLI, radiator films), specialty films, and carbon fiber composites. Comparable as a broad incumbent in aerospace thermal and structural materials.
• DuPont: Diversified specialty materials giant with overlapping electronics materials (flexible circuits, photoresists, Kapton films) and aerospace thermal control portfolios. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same end-markets with broader product depth.
• Henkel: Global leader in industrial adhesives and electronic materials with comparable product offerings in BusBond-style insulation tapes, free-film adhesives, and automotive/aerospace electronic materials.

Direct peers

• Boyd Corporation: Thermal management and engineered materials specialist serving aerospace, automotive, and electronics customers. Directly comparable in thermal solutions, EMI shielding, and electronic materials overlapping with Sheldahl's portfolio.
• Rogers Corporation: Specialty materials manufacturer producing high-frequency circuit materials, thermal management solutions, and elastomeric materials. Closely comparable to Sheldahl in serving aerospace, automotive, and electronics customers with engineered substrate and thermal products.
• Nitto Denko: Japanese manufacturer of flexible printed circuits, adhesive films, and specialty industrial tapes. Directly competes with Sheldahl in FPC and electronic materials markets, with similar automotive, electronics, and industrial customer bases.
• Multek: Former sister subsidiary under Flex (like Sheldahl until 2026), producing flexible printed circuits and interconnect solutions. Most direct functional peer in FPC manufacturing with similar technology, customer mix, and scale.
• TTM Technologies: Major North American PCB and flexible circuit manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, automotive, and medical customers. Direct competitor in flexible and rigid-flex printed circuits with broader production scale.

Emerging players

• Park Aerospace (now part of Loar Holdings): Specialty aerospace composite materials and parts manufacturer serving aircraft and spacecraft OEMs. Comparable as an emerging aerospace materials specialist with similar mission-critical qualification dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9qLatfIMozVDBl4d3JSPrg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sheldahl-a-flex-company
• Xx.com/sheldahlt

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sheldahl