What is Pressure Sensitive Tape?

Pressure-sensitive tape is a major category when it comes to tape in general. It is usually a thin, yet flexible material that it doesn’t require water, solvent or heat in order for it bond.

The bond is simply created by the amount of pressure which is used to apply the tape itself. This kind of tape can be used in a huge range of applications, with new and practical uses being found by the day. Making it a great choice for many industries.

It is readily available with a single-sided or double-sided coating. Pressure-sensitive tape will usually adhere to a range of substrates but works well when applied to a clean and dry surface with pressure.

Advantages of Using Pressure-Sensitive Tape

There are many distinct advantages to using pressure-sensitive tape. To start with, it is very suited to thin or light materials. It also bonds to any material without any concerns regarding compatibility. If you want some tape that will reduce vibrations or sound, then this is also a very good option. The assembly time is greatly reduced, and you will not need to refinish the surface either.

Main Characteristics when Using Pressure-Sensitive Tape

It’s always wise to know before buying a tape that is classed as being pressure-sensitive, to be aware of 3 key terms that pressure-sensitive tapes rely on the balance of.

Adhesion

In simple terms, this refers to how strong the tape is and how sticky the tape is when it has been applied.

Cohesion

Cohesion refers to the general strength of the tape and the bond of the adhesive. Or how strong it is when it is sticky. High Cohesion also means high temperature resistance and holding power.

Tack

In a nutshell, a Tack is measured by how long it takes for the tape to effectively stick to the surface its applied, too in conjunction with the amount of effort used upon application.

In simple terms, a very tacky tape would obviously stick to a surface, even without much application of pressure. The opposite of this is a tape with less tack, and this requires far more pressure to stick to the surface. A high tack is needed when wanting to support adhesion to rough or irregular surfaces.

If a tape is to qualify as being pressure-sensitive, then it has to have some level of pressure to bond. If it requires anything else, such as heat or a solvent then it cannot qualify as being pressure-sensitive.

Why would you Use Pressure-Sensitive Tape?

The great thing about pressure-sensitive tape is that it is quick, and it is also efficient. It is becoming a very effective option for a huge number of reasons. First of all, pressure-sensitive tapes are usually made out of materials which are both thin and light. This happens to make them very easy to work with. How thin they are makes them suitable for any application.

Aesthetic

Pressure-sensitive tape looks great. The tape eliminates the need for you to refinish any surface. It eliminates the need for visible fasteners, so you don’t have to have screws sticking out, but instead, a nice flat surface.

Fast Bond

Pressure-sensitive tape requires no other elements in order to bond. It bonds incredibly fast and on top of this, it can bond to items that are dissimilar. You do not have to worry if the two materials you are trying to bond are compatible or not and this is great to say the least. When you use this kind of tape, you can easily put any project together very fast and you do not need to wait for the heat to activate the adhesion, nor the solvent to work. The only thing that you have to do is press on the tape and then watch as it sticks.

Reduction of Noise

When you use this kind of tape, it is very easy for you to reduce the noise caused by different vibrations. The great thing about the tape is that it won’t rattle in the same way as a traditional fastener. In fact, it helps to absorb noise.

Where to Buy and Convert Pressure Sensitive Tape?

Advanced Technology Supply, Inc are industry leaders in the conversion, fabrication and distributing of pressure sensitive tape. We have many types of high-performance tapes in stock that can be converted to precision tolerances. We sell pressure sensitive tapes to the aviation industry, US military and the department of defence.