Tape Shelf Life

How long can I store my adhesive tape product before the product has expired its self life?

This is a complicated question because there are many factors that will play into the life of your product. Depending on what your specifications are, what your application is, what adhesive system is used, what substrate is used, who the manufacturer is and a few other factors, will all shorten or lengthen time you will be able to use your product effectively. Furthermore, an intricate die-cut part will usually last a shorter amount of time than a regular rolled good would.

Typically, shelf life for a pressure sensitive adhesive is one year when stored out of direct sunlight, in ideal temperatures of 60 to 80 degrees farenheight and at 40 to 50 percent relative humidity. However, to be sure of how long your tape is certified or how long its shelf life is, make sure to consult your tape's manufacturer or your converter. Sometimes, this information can also be found on your product's data sheet. One thing to remember is not all tapes are created the same, therefore, they will not all last the same amount of time.

Enhancing Baggage Tracking

"Hong Kong International Airport Selects Avery Dennison, Motorola and Print-O-Tape, Inc. to Enhance Baggage Tracking"

According to an Avery Dennison press release, the Avery Dennison RFID Division, Motorola and Print-O-Tape, Inc. are working together to provide better baggage tracking for passengers at the Hong Kong International Airport. The team will be supplying 70 million radio frequency identification (RFID) baggage tags.

These tags will make tracking baggage much easier because an RFID tag does not need to be in sight to be read. These tags can actually be read from very long distance and will increase reliability, as well as accuracy. Currently, many airports rely on bar codes and readers to track packages.

To read more about this innovative solution, visit AveryDennison.com

Masking for Shot Peeners

I currently use a duct tape, as many metal treaters do, to mask off areas during the shot peening process. However, it is incredibly hard to remove the multiple layers of product after the process is complete. Is there a better product out there for this specific process?

There are a few products on the market that are going to have better performance than a duct tape during the shot peening process.

For those who do not know, shot peening is a cold working process in which small spherical media called "shot" are projected on the surface of a part. Each piece of shot acts as a tiny hammer creating a small indentation on the surface of the metal. Nearly all fatigue and stress corrosion failure originate at the surface of a part, but cracks will not initiate or propagate in a compressively stressed zone. The dimples created during the shot peening process create a uniform layer of compressive stress on the metal's, therefore, providing considerable increases in part life. Tape plays a role in protecting various areas of that metal part.

The products listed below are duct tape alternatives. They both offer clean, one-piece removal after the shot peening process. In addition, one layer of this product can often protect better than multiple layers of duct tape. In fact, dissimilar to duct tape, these products are designed specifically for blasting processes. Click on the product name below to view the respective data sheet.

Intertape Polymer Group's BT100-PMB "Blast Impact" Tape
Intertape Polymer Group's BT100R-PMB "Robotic" Blast Impact Tape

Another idea you may want to consider is custom die-cutting whichever product you choose. Die-cutting the product could increase your productivity through shorter application time. Furthermore, a die-cut part will ensure you are protecting the entire area you wish to protect EVERY TIME, which will decrease rework and limit waste.