TapeBlog:Talk Adhesive Tape

Training Tips for Transportation Masking

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:01:00 +0000

"With so many applications for masking and surface protection in the transportation industry, how can I find the right masking tape solution for my process?"

This is an important question because choosing the right masking tape is like choosing the right tool. It is important to know what you are trying to accomplish with the masking tape (your application), as well as knowing what the tape is going to be put through (environmental conditions).

Intertape Polymer Group (IPG) has published a very nice article and application-to-product chart just for this type of question. View their article, Training Tips for Transportation Masking.

2010 TapeInfo Flexible Material Usage Study

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:42:00 +0000

The results of the 2010 TapeInfo Flexible Material Usage Study are in. The study consisted of four questions regarding flexible material usage in the industrial arena, and included responses from myriad industries. The results were compiled and are shared here. Editors note: TapeBlog.com is operated by Tapeinfo.com personnel.

View the 2010 TapeInfo Flexible Material Usage Study now >>

Friggie Tape™ Saves Your Refrigerator Art

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Friggie Tape International's "Friggie Tape™" repositionable refrigerator art tape is the answer to your stainless steel woes

For those of you who do not know, magnets do not stick to stainless steel refrigerators. For many families, this has meant saying good bye to presenting their children's artwork or good grades upon the traditional refrigerator. Many people have been searching and asking the questions "Why don't my magnets stick to my stainless steel refrigerator? and What can I use instead of magnets on a stainless steel refrigerator?"

Friggie Tape International has created a repositionable tape that allows you to display your little ones favorite works of art without damaging the piece or your refrigerator's finish. Furthermore, this tape leaves no residue, which mean no clean up.

Friggie Tape™ is also ideal for greeting cards, photos, trading cards, crafting projects and business presentations.

To learn more about this innovative new product, visit FriggieTape.com

3M Improves Liner for the 200MP Family

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:42:00 +0000

3M improves its High Performance Acrylic Adhesive 200MP products by changing the liner

3M's 9667MP and 9668MP products will be moved to a "lay flat" 83 lb. poly-coated kraft liner. This liner will increase the tape's moisture stable properties.

To learn more about these products or any other 3M products, visit 3M.com

Surface Energy Follow-Up

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:50:00 +0000

"I read a post you had on here a while back. You talked about surface energy and what kinds of adhesives work the best with different substrates. I am looking for something that will need to adhere to polyester. Does polyester have high surface energy? Where can I find a list of different substrates and their surface energies?"

Polyester has a surface energy between 42 and 50 dynes per centimeter. This is in the between high surface energy and medium surface energy.

There are many places you can go to find simple charts that give you an idea of the surface energies of some basic substrates. 3M has a web page on their Corporate website that goes through surface energy and has various charts on different substrates.

To view this chart or read more about surface energy, visit 3M.com

Finding the Right Tape For Specific Applications

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:39:00 +0000

"I am having a hard time finding exactly the right product for my application. I've consulted multiple suppliers and distributors with no luck. Can you point me in the right direction?"

Many companies source products from distributors and other suppliers, thinking they can only choose from a list of products. Without knowing your specific application it is difficult to provide you with a specific company to contact. However, you may want to consider using a converter or suggesting your distribution partner or supplier contact one instead.

When sourcing a product for a specific application, many think that they must choose between a select list of options. However, an experienced converter can help create exactly the product you need in the optimal form.

The benefits of a converter go beyond sizes and shapes. A converter can also laminate your product to different liners, use specific adhesives, treat your material,print something customized on your liner and much more.

One of the largest tape databases in the world can be found at TapeInfo.com. This might be a good place to start. As mentioned before, if you don't see exactly what you need or need help finding it, try contacting a converter.

What is peel adhesion?

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:59:00 +0000

I noticed "peel adhesion" on the data sheets of two of the tapes I am considering purchasing. What does this testing method show?

Peel adhesion is the relative adhesion to a surface. Results of this test are surface dependant and are heavily influenced by the testing angle, usually 90 degrees or 180 degrees.

Most of the time you will see "peel adhesion to stainless steel-180 degrees" on a data sheet. This means the tape was adhered to stainless steel, a substrate with polar surface energy. The tape will then be pulled off at 180 degrees. The force required to remove the tape is the peel adhesion and usually stated in onces per inch.

You need to consider the surface energy of the substrate you plan on adhering your product to when looking at peel adhesion. The results will not be the same for something more or less polar.

Open Cell versus Closed Cell Foam Tapes

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:12:00 +0000

What is the difference between open cell foam tapes and closed cell foam tapes?

Gary Smith of Budnick Converting, Inc. took the time out to offer a basic breakdown of the two types of foams.

"Open cell foams have an open cell structure that allows particulate, air, water, etc. to pass through from one cell to another. Whereas, closed cell foams have encapsulated or closed cell structures that prevent passage from one cell to the next.

Open cell foams are typically used to separate component panels where material separation is needed to prevent vibration, provide a thermal barrier and protect against particulate contamination, but a degree of airflow is still needed. An example of this might be in electronic components where air flow is needed to keep components cool.

Closed cell foams are typically used as gasketing materials where the application requires that air, moisture and other particulate not pass through the gasket. Typically, compressing the gasket material 25-30% with constant pressure prevents particulate or moisture from flanking around the gasket.

Micro cellular products like some polyurethane materials now offer a hybrid between the open and closed cell structures."

Cockling

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:31:00 +0000

Cockling of paper release liners increases with the summer's high humidity.

Adchem Corporation recently sent out a newsletter describing a phenomenon that occurs most frequently during the summer months, cockling. Acording to Adchem Corporation, "cockling occurs when the paper of a tape swells, which for the absorptive medium occurs in three dimensions. This swelling creates a waviness which is termed cockling." This is a problem for the manufacturer because it can cause creasing and wrinkling, which results in more scrap.

You can download more information about cockling at Adchem's Knowledge Base.

To learn more about this problem and other, how they can affect your manufacturing process and what you can do to help avoid them, visit www.adchecm.com. To get the most information, take a moment to register. This will give you access to all the in-depth technical information and expertise Adchem has to offer.

Carl Dahlquist Award Winner Annouced

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:20:00 +0000

The 2009 Carl Dahlquist Award has been given to Christopher L. Lester, Ph.D, senior research associate at the Performance Adhesive Center at Avery Dennison.

Lester won the award for his paper entitled "Acrylic Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Having Controlled Placement of Functional Groups."

To view this Lester's paper in its entirety, visit www.pstc.org/technical.

To read the entire article about the prestigious Carl Dahlquist Award and its recipient, visit PSTC's news section.

PSA Tape Descriptions

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Interested in learning a little more about the different types of pressure sensitive tape categories...

The Pressure Sensitive Tape Council has many great resources on their website for those interested in learning about pressure sensitive adhesives. One that can be most valuable for general information is the section entitled Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) Tape Descriptions. This portion of their website offers a free booklet download with great beginner information about single coated, double coated, reinforced and unsupported PSA tapes.

The Pressure Sensitive Tape Council is a North American trade association for professionals in the tape industry. Visit www.pstc.org to learn more.

To link directly to the Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) Tape Descriptions, click PSTA.

Tape Shelf Life

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:30:00 +0000

How long can I store my adhesive tape product before the product has expired its self life?

This is a complicated question because there are many factors that will play into the life of your product. Depending on what your specifications are, what your application is, what adhesive system is used, what substrate is used, who the manufacturer is and a few other factors, will all shorten or lengthen time you will be able to use your product effectively. Furthermore, an intricate die-cut part will usually last a shorter amount of time than a regular rolled good would.

Typically, shelf life for a pressure sensitive adhesive is one year when stored out of direct sunlight, in ideal temperatures of 60 to 80 degrees farenheight and at 40 to 50 percent relative humidity. However, to be sure of how long your tape is certified or how long its shelf life is, make sure to consult your tape's manufacturer or your converter. Sometimes, this information can also be found on your product's data sheet. One thing to remember is not all tapes are created the same, therefore, they will not all last the same amount of time.

Enhancing Baggage Tracking

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:46:00 +0000

"Hong Kong International Airport Selects Avery Dennison, Motorola and Print-O-Tape, Inc. to Enhance Baggage Tracking"

According to an Avery Dennison press release, the Avery Dennison RFID Division, Motorola and Print-O-Tape, Inc. are working together to provide better baggage tracking for passengers at the Hong Kong International Airport. The team will be supplying 70 million radio frequency identification (RFID) baggage tags.

These tags will make tracking baggage much easier because an RFID tag does not need to be in sight to be read. These tags can actually be read from very long distance and will increase reliability, as well as accuracy. Currently, many airports rely on bar codes and readers to track packages.

To read more about this innovative solution, visit AveryDennison.com

Masking for Shot Peeners

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:35:00 +0000

I currently use a duct tape, as many metal treaters do, to mask off areas during the shot peening process. However, it is incredibly hard to remove the multiple layers of product after the process is complete. Is there a better product out there for this specific process?

There are a few products on the market that are going to have better performance than a duct tape during the shot peening process.

For those who do not know, shot peening is a cold working process in which small spherical media called "shot" are projected on the surface of a part. Each piece of shot acts as a tiny hammer creating a small indentation on the surface of the metal. Nearly all fatigue and stress corrosion failure originate at the surface of a part, but cracks will not initiate or propagate in a compressively stressed zone. The dimples created during the shot peening process create a uniform layer of compressive stress on the metal's, therefore, providing considerable increases in part life. Tape plays a role in protecting various areas of that metal part.

The products listed below are duct tape alternatives. They both offer clean, one-piece removal after the shot peening process. In addition, one layer of this product can often protect better than multiple layers of duct tape. In fact, dissimilar to duct tape, these products are designed specifically for blasting processes. Click on the product name below to view the respective data sheet.

Intertape Polymer Group's BT100-PMB "Blast Impact" Tape
Intertape Polymer Group's BT100R-PMB "Robotic" Blast Impact Tape

Another idea you may want to consider is custom die-cutting whichever product you choose. Die-cutting the product could increase your productivity through shorter application time. Furthermore, a die-cut part will ensure you are protecting the entire area you wish to protect EVERY TIME, which will decrease rework and limit waste.

Auto OEM Certifications

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:16:00 +0000

Avery Dennison's Specialty Tape Division makes finding the right tape for the auto industry much easier.

Avery Dennison's Specialty Tape Division recently added a helpful tool to their website. Now, customers can search Avery Dennison tapes by the type of auto OEM certifications they have or need to fulfill.

Users can select an OEM, enter a specific OEM spec number, select the substrate they are laminating or the type of panel they are applying to find the right products.

Visit Avery Dennison's Specialty Tape Division's website to learn more or try out this useful too.

Surface Energy and Dynes

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:41:00 +0000

What is surface energy and how does it affect adhesive products? How do dynes play a role in determining the type of adhesive to use

"Surface energy is also called surface tension. A good way to understand surface energy and how it relates to tape is to take a white board marker and a solvent marker and try to mark onto a plastic. Plastics tend to have low surface energy and water-based markers also have low surface energy. As a result, a water based whiteboard marker does not wet out as well as a solvent based marker so it doesn’t write very well. A solvent marker like a sharpie or other permanent marker makes a good line on more surfaces because the solvent has very high surface energy and wets out.

Adhesive tapes are the same way. If the adhesive does not wet out onto a surface, the surface needs to be modified to increase the surface energy. This can be done by using a tape particularly good at sticking to low surface energy materials such as a silicone or a very aggressive adhesive like acrylics or rubbers can overcome the low surface energy by chemically bonding to the surface. If a tape doesn’t stick to a surface, a prime coating can be used just like painting a house. Or corona etching or other processes can enhance the surface energy of the material.

Some materials have very low surface energy (Dyne is the unit of measure for surface energy.). PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) or Teflon has very low surface energy and is often used to make non-stick cooking surfaces. Food will not stick to the surface- nor will adhesive tapes. If you were to write on PTFE with a marker, you would not get a good line even with a permanent marker because the ink would bead up like water on a newly waxed car."

This information was provided by Richard J. Austin of Saint-Gobain.

Vibration Damping

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:34:00 +0000

My company manufacturers small commercial appliance dispensers. When the unit kicks on, it causes metal parts to vibrate together which creates unwanted noise. We are looking for some type of fix that wouldn’t cause us to re-design the existing model or significantly alter the production process. One thought was to adhere some type of gasket where the metal parts overlap and end up vibrating together. Do you have any suggestions for us?

There are products on the market (with and without adhesive) made to prevent vibration noise. They are commonly referred to as “squeak and rattle” prevention materials.

There are a few other things we would need to know about your situation such as:
•Do you want a product with adhesive and if so, what substrate/coating does it need to adhere to?
•How thick does the product need to be?
•Are there any extreme temperatures to consider?
•Does your product need to meet a UL specification?
•Does the product need to be highly conformable to contours?
•Does the product need to be specially converted so it won’t be visible?

Some commonly used products would be:
•Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene or Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) if exposed to heat
•Fleece or flock materials
•Foam or PVC gasketing material if there is a 1/32” gap or better or a moisture gasket is needed
•Polyester tapes can also be an inexpensive fix in some instances

Take a look at these 3M products to see if they fit. Otherwise, visit TapeInfo.com for a more extensive list of potential products. If you still aren't sure what will work best for you, contact a TapeInfo Representative for help.
•3M 5430 - Squeak Reduction Tape
•3M 9325 - Squeak Reduction Tape

All-Service Jacket Tape

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:39:00 +0000

I am looking for a tape to seal duct work susceptible to extreme temperatures. Can you help me find the right product?

A product you may be interested in is all-service jacket tape or ASJ tape. The all-purpose, or all-service jacket is a type of high performance insulation adhesive backed material. All service jackets create a vapor barrier with their lamination of polyethylene coated kraft paper, fiberglass cloth (skrim) and either aluminum foil or metalized film. This product works well in a wide range of temperatures.

Visit TapeInfo.com to learn more or get quotes on All-Service Jacket Tapes.

3 Sigma Innovation

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:39:00 +0000

Specialty pressure sensitive adhesive manufacturer 3 Sigma introduced a new water-dissolvable face-stock and adhesive.

The paper and adhesive will easily dissolve and wash away in room temperature water and are perfect for applications where removal is important for washed and reused products, such as toys and bottles.

Visit 3sigma.com to learn more about 3 Sigma and their products.

Tapes vs. Rivets

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Are there any tape products out there that can work as well as rivets?

There are many tapes that can offer the permanent bond strength you would find using rivets or spot welding. These tapes are often referred to as structural bonding tapes. A popular alternative is often one of 3M’s VHB tapes. VHB or similar tapes can also offer some benefits over mechanical fastening and glues, including increased productivity, improved product performance and enhanced aesthetics.

Increased Productivity
•Bonds on contact with no drying time or fixturing
•Saves processing steps and costs for drilling, screwing, clean-up and refinishing
•Easy to apply with minimal training and no investment in expensive application
equipment
•Clean and safe to use with no special equipment needs
•Reduces labor and material costs

Improved Product Performance
•Seals the gap between rounded and flat surfaces
•Acrylic foams dampen vibration & impact
•Resists solvents, liquids, U.V. and thermal expansion/contraction
•Produces long-lasting strength
•Absorbs shock
•Distributes stress
•Allows thinner, lighter materials
•Seals against the environment
•Resists UV light

Enhanced Aesthetics
•Creates an invisible bond
•Eliminates pull-through, dimpling, rivet heads and weld distortions

Looking for a Solution

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:02:00 +0000

I need a 1" thick by 2/3" wide foam tape with a beveled edge. Normally I would just extrude such a profile part, but with this specific blend of foam, it is not possible. Any suggestions?

One way this may be possible is with high pressure water. This type of cutting maximizes material yield by cutting along common edges with no waste. Irregular parts are computer formatted to maximize your material yield. Moreover, cuts are made to tolerances as tight as +/- .005". Other methods may also be possible including laser cutting and utilizing a high speed plotter.

For more information on ways this can all be accomplished, contact a converting specialist.

Why Adhesive Tape?

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Why would I choose adhesive tape over other methods of securing?

Adhesive tape gives you the ability to bond dissimilar materials to difficult surfaces, while filling in gaps to form a tight seal. Adhesive backed tape and foam can also bring about improvements in health, safety and disposal when you consider respiratory issues from sprays, burns from melt liquid adhesives and the trash generated from aerosol cans and tubes of used liquid adhesives.

Many manufacturing companies find that by using adhesive backed material in their production process, they save production time. First, many people say tape is a “clean” application. It does not require cleanup like many liquid adhesives. Second, it is hard to coat a substrate, especially by hand, with sprays and liquids and end up with a uniform thickness. Tape, foam and other flexible materials solve this problem by offering a uniform product thickness to the substrate on which they are being applied. Third, most adhesive backed material can be spooled into long lengths. This lowers operating costs by allowing longer runs with less machine downtime. Finally, there is no wasted time waiting for glues or epoxy to dry, set up or cure.

Adhesive backed material can help create improvements in productivity by giving engineers greater design flexibility, like using lighter, thinner materials or by converting the adhesive backed material to match their manufacturing requirements. Many engineers also like the “clean look” when two or more substrates are bonded together with adhesive backed material because it eliminates the visible mechanical fasteners, which can distort surfaces and create visual interruptions – taking away from the aesthetics of the original design. Mechanical fasteners can also create a lot of stress on parts that are bonded, which often can create noise. Tape does not create such stress. Plus, by designing-in adhesive tape and other adhesive backed material into their manufacturing process, many companies can eliminate the need to bond both substrates together at the same time and location. Furthermore, the workers applying tapes do not have to be as skilled or high wage earners, as welders and craftsmen. This saves time in money in logistics costs.

This information was provided by Lance Schneider, E-Business Manager at Budnick Converting, Inc.

Help Me Find A Tape

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:32:00 +0000

I am looking for a flexo plate mount tape that has a rubber adhesive and polyvinyl chloride backing for my high quality printing process. It needs to be 20 mils thick. Can you help me find that product?

This task can be quite simple if you have the right tools. There are many product finders available on the Internet, but TapeInfo.com is easily navigable and has the largest database of flexible materials you'll find online.

Once there, you can use their drop-down advanced product search engine to find exactly what you are looking for. You can Build-A-Tape, Solve-A-Tape, Compare-A-Tape, Spec-A-Tape, Search-By-Brand or Search-By-Type-Of-Tape.

In this case, we will use the Build-A-Tape function. Due to the fact there is no manufacturer preference, we will choose (All). We will choose FlexoPlateMount as the category, PVC as the backing and rubber as the adhesive. Click view and your results will come up shortly.

Click here for your results.

TapeInfo.com can help you find almost any product you need. However, if you can't find your product online, a representative would gladly assist you further.

Click to contact a TapeInfo Representative.

Acrylic versus Rubber

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:56:00 +0000

How quickly will full bond strength result with acrylic tapes versus rubber based tapes?

Acrylic tapes will typically take 24 – 72 hours to build to full strength while rubber based adhesive typically achieve their full bond strength within a matter of minutes.

This information was contributed by Gregory Wright, Technical Service Manager at Venture Tape Corporation. Visit Venture Tape Corporation's website for more information.

Application Temperature

noreply@blogger.com (TapeBlog Admin) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:44:00 +0000

What is the ideal tape application temperature?

The ideal adhesive tape application temperature is situation dependent. Environmental temperatures and the temperature of the tape and substrate you are applying the tape to can be different. The surface energy of the substrate, cleanliness, pressure used to apply the tape and dwell time before the tape is put into service can all have an effect on performance.

However, most tape manufacturers suggest applying tapes at temperatures above 40-50 degrees F. When the tape or substrate is cold the adhesive hardens and does not properly “wet out” or bond to the substrate. In severe applications, heat and pressure can be introduced to decrease dwell time and promote the bond strength.

Before applying tapes, always make sure that the surface is clean, dry and free of dust, oil or other contaminates. A mixture of 50/50 isopropyl alcohol and water is often suggested to clean surfaces.

This information was asertained from Gary Smith, Marketing Manager at Budnick Converting, Inc. To learn more about Budnick Converting visit www.BudnickConverting.com