Adhesive Tape Complete Guide: Manufacturing Process & Classification

What is tape adhesives?

Adhesive tape is the most commonly used packaging and sealing tool and office stationery. It is packaged for shipment or office paper sticking, paper tape decorating notebooks, etc. Through adhesive tape, the purpose of close adhesion and decoration is achieved.
 

Benefits of Adhesive Tapes

Offering several benefits and are widely used for various applications due to their versatility, convenience, and performance characteristics. Here are some key benefits of adhesive tapes:

1. Versatility:

   Adhesive tapes are available in a wide range of materials, sizes, and adhesive formulations, making them suitable for diverse applications.

2. Temporary or Permanent Bonding:

   Adhesive tapes offer the flexibility of both temporary and permanent bonding options.

3. Convenience and Cost-Effectiveness:

   Adhesive tapes provide a convenient and cost-effective solution for bonding and joining.
    

What Materials / Components are Used in Adhesive Tapes

The earliest adhesives were extracted from animals or plants. In the nineteenth century, rubber was the main component of adhesives. In modern times, various polymers are widely used to make glue. Talking about the adhesive within tapes, it is the key component of the tape responsible for bonding. Different adhesive formulations are used depending on the application requirements. Common adhesive types include:

1. Acrylic Adhesive:

   Offering good adhesion to a variety of surfaces, excellent temperature resistance, and durability. They are versatile and widely used in many applications. Acrylic adhesives are available as water-based or solvent-based adhesives:

   • Water-based Acrylic Adhesives:

     This type is also called emulsion acrylic adhesives. They have polymeric compounds dispersed in water and surrounded by a surfactant. Surfactant lowers the surface energy of the acrylic polymer, increasing the wettability of the surface to be bonded. Water-based acrylics are inexpensive compared to their solvent-based counterpart. However, being water-based, these adhesives are less resistant to moisture and heat.

   • Solvent-Based Acrylic Adhesive:

     Using a solvent carrier to deliver the adhesive properties. They offer high initial tack, good bonding strength, and can be used for various applications.

2. Rubber-Based Adhesive:

   Providing excellent initial tack and flexibility. They are often used in applications that require instant adhesion and conformability.

3. Silicone Adhesive:

   Being known for their high-temperature resistance, low tackiness, and ability to adhere to difficult surfaces, such as silicone substrates.

4. Hot Melt Adhesive:

   Being solid at room temperature but melt and flow when heated. They provide fast-setting properties and are commonly used in packaging and assembly applications.
    

Tape Manufacturing Process

After the film is blown, the film is applied to the coating machine to add hot melt glue, water glue or other adhesives. In this process, the adhesive is selected according to the required viscosity and purpose of the tape. After the application is completed, the tape is ready!

Film blowing → Gluing → Rewinding

Tape manufacturing process

 

The Structure of the Tape

The general structure of the tape mainly includes adhesive, backing, bottom paper (or called release paper, release liner), as well as the invisible surface treatment agent of the substrate, which is the most basic and common.
 
The common types of substrates for pressure-sensitive adhesives include plastic film (including synthetic paper), paper, cloth, metal, etc., or a composite substrate that combines any two or more of the aforementioned materials; common The types of tapes include single-sided tape, double-sided tape, foam tape, OPP tape, aluminum foil tape, automotive cloth baseline tape, etc.
 

Popular Types of Adhesive Tapes

1. Destructive Tape/Adhesive for Sealing Tape

   Provide all kinds of adhesives for express bag sealing and packaging sealing, which can quickly produce adhesive force. It can be applied to express bags of various printing materials and has good heat and cold resistance.

2. Temporary fixing glue with weak adhesion

   With indoor hooks, product auxiliary instruction labels, etc., it provides weak adhesion, good cohesion, no oil leakage, no glue residue, and good retention.

3. Adhesive for paper tape

   Coating 10um can reach a peel strength of 300-600g/in. There is no residual glue during peeling, and it will not cause damage to paper and books. It is widely used for pasting paper, beautifying, and decorating.

4. Adhesives for anti-counterfeiting tapes

   The colloid has low odor, does not contain any solvents, does not require drying time, so the process efficiency is high, and it is friendly to the production environment and employees. In terms of coating process, each coating weight can reach 40-50g/m2 at a time.

Tex Year is committed to the development of adhesives used in the tape industry, and develops a series of environmentally friendly pressure-sensitive adhesive products for the tape industry, providing adhesives required for various characteristics, including hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesives and water-based emulsion pressure-sensitive adhesives, UV pressure sensitive adhesive series, etc.