Pressure-sensitive tape

Pressure-sensitive tape, accepted aswell in assorted countries as PSA tape, adhering tape, self-stick tape, adhering tape, or just tape, is an adhering band that will stick with appliance pressure, after the charge for solvent, heat, or baptize for activation. It can be acclimated in the home, office, industry, and institutions for a advanced array of purposes.

The band consists of a burden acute adhering coated assimilate a abetment actual such as paper, artificial film, cloth, or metal foil. Some accept a disposable absolution liner which protects the adhering until the liner is removed. Some accept layers of adhesives, primers, simple absolution materials, filaments, printing, etc. fabricated for specific functions.

It will stick after the charge for solvent, heat, or baptize for activation. By adverse a "gummed" or "water activated" adhering band requires balmy baptize for activation. Likewise, some "heat activated" tapes crave heat.

Single-sided tapes acquiesce bonding to a apparent or abutting of two adjoining or overlapping materials. Double-sided band (adhesive on both sides) allows abutting of two items back-to-back.

Pressure acute adhering was aboriginal developed in 1845 by Dr. Horace Day, a surgeon.1 Commercial tapes were alien in the aboriginal twentieth century. Hundreds of patents accept back been appear on a advanced array of formulations and constructions.

Varieties of PSA tape

Cellophane appointment band has a cellophane blur abetment and an acrylic or constructed elastic based adhesive. It is acclimated for sealing envelopes, acclimation broken cardboard products, accepted holding, etc.

Archival band is agnate to cellophane appointment tape, with low-acid adhesives that will not abase surfaces they are activated to, attention abstracts from accident during abiding storage.

'Gaffer tape' (or artlessly "Gaff tape") is frequently based on a abundant bolt or artificial tape. The name derives from its use by gaffers in the ball industry a part of others, to authority down cables decidedly to anticipate a benumbed hazard and to anticipate accident to cables and equipment. The adhering leaves little or no residue, and the band removes abundantly from cables, fabric, and abounding added surfaces. Its matte apparent aswell minimizes reflections from lights.

Duct band usually has a plastic-coated bolt abetment and a able adhesive. Originally advised for sealing armament boxes from damp and re-purposed for noncombatant use, it is frequently acclimated by humans defective a strong, able account band that is simple to breach by hand.

Box sealing band (also "Packing Tape"; "Parcel tape", UK) is a blazon of packaging band which is bright or opaque, and acclimated for closing bales for shipment. It is usually two inch (48 mm) or three inch (72 mm) advanced and is fabricated of a polypropylene or polyester backing.

Masking band is acclimated to awning areas that shouldn't be painted. It usually has a cardboard abetment and an adhering advised to abolish from surfaces (within a bound time).

Electrical band stretches to accommodate to aberrant objects, and is fabricated of abstracts like vinyl that do not conduct electricity. The assorted colors accessible are acclimated to analyze affairs in a circuit.

Surgical band is an adhering cast acclimated to authority a bathrobe on a wound.

Double-sided band has adhering on both abandon of a abetment material, for adhering two surfaces together.

"Adhesive alteration tape" does not accept a abetment material. Instead, it is sandwiched amid two disposable layers of a double-sided coated Release liner.

Filament band or "Strapping tape" has filaments (usually fiberglass) anchored into the adhering for added strength.

Spike band is a thinner adaptation of ancestor band that is usually blithely colored. It is acclimated to mark places of appliance or actors on a stage.

Hockey band or "Friction tape" is a somewhat asperous bolt band acclimated for anchor on hockey and lacrosse sticks.

Tape glossary

Backing. The primary basic of band aloft which an adhering is applied. Examples are cloth, paper, metal foil, blur etc.

Conformability. Ability of a band to accomplish absolute acquaintance with a asperous or asperous surface.

Creped. Cardboard that has baby "folds" to accommodate stretchability and conformability.

Double-coated, or alternate tape. Pressure-sensitive band with adhering on both abandon of the carrier material.

Gapping. Openings amid layers of band aural a roll.

Release coating. A actual attenuate blanket activated to the impervious band abetment so as to acquiesce the band to be unwound at a controlled level.

Substrate. The actual which the PSA band have to attach to

Tack. The adhesive feel of the tape. It is the antecedent adherence after rub-down.

Telescoping. A alongside sliding of the band layers, one over the other, so that the cycle looks like a carry or telescope.

Unwind. The force to abolish or disentangle the band from a roll.

PSA tape standards

The PSA industry is in the action of accumulation the several standards anon in use. The a lot of alive organizations are:

ISO All-embracing Organization for Standardization - A European AFNOR board is currently alive in the analogue of all-embracing standards; some of the a lot of accepted analysis methods, such as Peel Adhesion, Static Shear Adhesion, Break Strength and Elongation are anon ISO standard

ASTM : ASTM All-embracing has several Technical Committees which address standards accompanying to burden acute tape.

PSTC : Burden Acute Band Council (tapes, North America)

TLMI : Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute (labels, North America)

AFERA : European Association for the Self Adhesive Band Industry (tapes, Europe)

FINAT : Féderation INternationale des fabricants et transformateurs d' Adhésifs et Thermocollants (labels, Europe)

JATMA : Japanese Adhesive Tapes Manufacturers Association

ASTM All-embracing has dozens of standards accompanying to burden acute tape. Some of them are for accepted types of PSA tape: Others are for specific types. For archetype ASTM D1000 has analysis methods for electrical tapes. There are ASTM blueprint for abounding tapes including: D2301 for vinyl electrical tape, D5486 for box sealing tape, etc. Several of the ASTM analysis methods are accommodating with PSTC, added barter associations, and added all-embracing organizations.

Following are a few examples of some ASTM standards and counterparts:

ASTM Designation ISO Designation PSTC adjustment AFERA method

D3121 Standard analysis adjustment for tack of pressure-sensitive adhesives by rolling brawl PSTC-6

D3330 Standard Analysis Adjustment for Peel Adhesion of Pressure-Sensitive Band EN 1939 PSTC-101 AFERA 5001

D3654 Standard Analysis Methods for Shear Adhesion of Pressure-Sensitive Tapes EN 1943 PSTC-107 AFERA 5012

D3759 Standard Analysis Adjustment for Breaking Strength and Elongation of Pressure-Sensitive Tapes EN 14410 PSTC-131 AFERA 5004

D3811 Standard analysis adjustment for disentangle force of pressure-sensitive tapes PSTC-8

D5750 Standard Guide for Width and Length of Pressure-Sensitive Band PSTC-71

Environmental considerations

Based on the solid decay hierarchy, the abundance and admeasurement of a band should be minimized after abbreviation all-important functionality. Material agreeable of a band should accede with applicative regulations. Life aeon assessments of the band and the account getting taped are advantageous to analyze and advance accessible ecology effects. For example, there may be instances area the use of a PSA tape, compared to an another solution, improves the all-embracing ecology impact: or vice-versa.2

Reuse or recycling are sometimes aided by a band getting disposable from a surface. If a band charcoal on an account during recycling, a band should be called which does not arrest the recyclability of the item. For example, if taped corrugated boxes are recycled, blur backed box sealing tapes do not arrest box recycling: the PSA adhering stays with the abetment and is calmly removed.34