Which tape adhesive do you need?

Understanding Adhesion and Tape

Adhesion is when two particles or surfaces cling to one another. Different types of forces cause adhesion, but those responsible for most sticky or tact adhesion fall into the chemical, dispersive, or diffusive adhesion categories.

There are five factors of adhesion to consider when selecting the correct type for any given job:

• Time: The amount of time the adhesive can be on the surface before effective forces are applied.
• Adhesive: The material used to hold two or more objects together.
• Pressure: The amount of force needed to adhere to the tape.
• Environment: The conditions and surrounding factors that will impact the adhesive bond.
• Substrate: The surface that the adhesive will make direct contact with.

Now that you understand adhesion, let's dive deeper into adhesive tapes. Adhesive tapes bond two materials together instead of using nails, screws, or other material fastening tools.

The tape itself is made up of three components: adhesive, carrier or backing, and release liner. There are three common types of tape:

• Adhesive transfer tape: These tapes have a release liner that carries an unsupported adhesive. The liner is usually paper coated with a release agent. Adhesive transfer tapes are commonly found in envelopes and the seals on bags.
• Single-coated tape: These tapes have an adhesive applied to only one side of the carrier or backing. The carrier may be any flexible material like paper, foil, or cloth. Electrical tape and masking tape are examples of single-coated tapes.
• Double-coated or double-sided tape: These tapes have adhesive on both sides of the carrier material. Bonding and mounting tapes are considered double-coated tapes.

There are also three common types of adhesion materials.

Acrylic Adhesive

Also available in single-sided and double-sided varieties, solvent acrylic adhesives are often used in applications that need resistance to solvents, chemicals, UV light, and moisture. Acrylic adhesives provide a high-performing balance of tack and shear strength and are less costly than silicone. Tapes with acrylic adhesive can be used indoors or outdoors and are good for long-term bonding. Their tack level and strength can be adjusted during manufacturing, making them highly customizable. Acrylic adhesive is often used in craft tape, such as for scrapbooking.

Rubber Adhesive

Rubber adhesive systems perform well in low temperatures, indoors, and in applications with low-stress requirements. They are most commonly used in situations requiring a high initial bond and only mild chemical or solvent resistance. Electrical tape and trade show tape are common rubber adhesive tapes.

There are two types of rubber adhesives:

• Natural rubber adhesive: These adhesives usually have high molecular weight with long polymer chains. They offer clean removability and good shear but aren't very temperature-resistant.
• Synthetic rubber adhesives: This adhesive is also known as a hot melt adhesive (more information below). Synthetic rubber adhesives have thermoplastics with low molecular weight and short polymer chains. Synthetic rubber is more customizable than natural rubber adhesives.

Silicone Adhesive

Silicones are used in single-coated and double-coated tapes like splicing tapes, Teflon tapes (plumbing tape), and printed circuit board file masking tapes. They are most commonly used in environments with high temperatures and are known for their clean removability. Compared to rubber and acrylic, silicone is the most expensive.

Silicone adhesives are often accused of having low sticking power, but when used in the correct applications, silicone adhesives have great bonding strength.

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