A Technical Guide to using Adhesive Tapes

TECHSiL have been specialists in the tape market since 2012; offering Customers technical advice, guidance and support. Below we have put together a few of the most frequently asked questions to offer some online help. If you have a question which isn't answered below, please feel free to pick up the phone to speak with one of our technical advisors directly.

Why is the bond failing between my substrate and the adhesive tape?

If a previously successful bond between a substrate and tape is now failing there could be one of three factors, or a mixture of all, to consider.

 Pressure

The amount of pressure necessary to form a satisfactory bond is dependent on the smoothness of the substrate surface, the softness of the adhesive and the amount present on the tape. For example, much less pressure would be required when adhering a double sided cloth tape to a smooth surface than would be required to bond a thin, pure acrylic filmic tape to a textured surface.

Temperature/Environmental Conditions

Like all pressure sensitive adhesives, pressure sensitive tapes are susceptible to temperature. As the temperature rises the adhesive will soften, allowing them to flow more easily on a surface. Likewise as the temperature decreases adhesive will become ‘deader’ to touch. For these reasons, there can be more issues encountered with tapes during winter months and it is recommended for the application temperature for pressure sensitive tapes is above 15°C. High humidity and moisture can also have an effect on the quality of the bond, with metal surfaces being the most susceptible to moisture condensation and therefore compromising the bond strength between the tape and the substrate.

Cleanliness and Surface Preparation

For a successful bond it is imperative that the substrate surface is clean, dry and free from contaminants such as dust, dirt, grease or rust. Any surface contamination could have a degrading effect on the bond in terms of ‘deadening’ the adhesive on the tape. There are many industrial surface cleaners available on the market depending on the substrates involved in the application, for more technical assistance with that please contact our technical team directly.
If you are trying a bond between a particular substrate and a particular tape and it is failing during the testing phase and all of the above factor have been addressed, it would be safe to assume the tape is not suited to the substrate.

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How do I determine the required roll width and length of tape to use?

TECHSiL have on-site facilities to slit any tape rolls in width to the nearest mm and the chosen width is generally at the end users discretion based on the application in hand.

The width of roll could be a consideration when comparing the relative price and performance of different tapes. One may opt for a narrowed width of a high performance, more expensive product or choose a wider width of a cheaper tape to obtain the desired result. Each option comes with its own positives and negatives and should be considered with rigorous testing.

When deciding on roll length, the main question is whether the application is by hand or via an automated production line. If the application is by hand you would ideally want a roll length which is hand manageable, 25m or 50m are standard lengths. However for an automated or semi-automated process, rolls up to 250m could be a consideration to improve production efficiency.

For more information or to speak to one of our technical team contact us on technical@techsil.co.uk.