Preline

Heres a little tip for anyone who needs to show operatives why rolling on tape is a good idea. Many people simply apply tapes to a surface then rub their hands across it to make the bond, unfortunately that isnt good enough to get the best from the bond and a roller is the tool you need.

To illustrate that try this simple test: -

Get a strip of sellotape and lay it on any smooth surface, best to use a strip of about 2 feet and make sure the surface isnt going to be damaged by the tape being peeled off later.

It should look a bit like this

Note the fact that it looks the same colour across the length of the strip.

Now smooth down one half with your hand and the other half with a roller, it will look a little like this

Now you can see the difference but if anyone is in any doubt peel the tape off the surface slowly from the hand applied side to the roller applied side.

You should feel the tape peel easy right up until you hit the half way point and the rollered side should be at least twice as hard to remove.

Simple demo but it illustrates the point.

Throughout the years working as a salesman for an adhesive tapes supplier it has amazed me just how often any reported ‘fault’ with a tape sticking has been simply a matter of badly prepared surfaces. So we decided that a simple guide may help our customers get the best from any tape they wish to bond.

Before we start lets get a few basics out of the way, if you know these already just skip to the important bits later on.

What a tape bonds to

First principles here, even though the tape that you have stuck to a surface looks like its stuck onto the surface well there may be contamination between your tape and the substrate. Imagine a tape trying to form a bond onto a dusty piece of metal, its not stuck to the metal most of its stuck to the dust particles and they arent stuck to the metal very well so the result is a very poor bond. The same applies for things like finger prints, you may think that your fingers are clean but we all have oil on the skin surface that will transfer when you pick up something, oil again gets between the tape and the substrate we are sticking to impeding the bond.

So how can we make sure that our tape is bonded to the surface and is working at its peak?

Surface preparation

1. Solvent Wipe / Degrease
2. Abrade
3. Roller the tape on

Stage 1 - Solvent wipe

3M sell some handy sachets or supply isopropyl alcohol that can be wiped over a surface to remove grease etc prior to bonding, simply rub the wipe in one direction over the surface to clean away any grease. As the product used is alcohol it will simply ‘flash’ off or evaporate away.

Stage 2 - Abrade

If you can do this stage you will help the bond but if its not possible or desirable to scratch the surface then you may have to leave this stage out.

By abrading or scratching the surface you are simply creating many more small surfaces for the tape to stick to, increasing the surface area of the bond.

One of the most simple ways to abrade a surface for this is to use a 3M Scotchbrite handpad. These are similar to the scouring pads you use in the sink at home but for industrial use. A quick scrub of the handpad onto the surface you need to bond to and you will have increased the surface area greatly - make sure you clean this surface to so as to make sure any loose material or dust has been wiped off

A 3M Scotchbrite Handpad

Stage 3 - Roller the tape on

Making sure you havent just put your fingers onto the newly clean surface (Or onto the tapes surface for that matter) lay the tape onto the substrate and apply even pressure to effect a bond. It isnt good enough to rub the tape on with your hand, a roller is really a must. If you doubt what effect this has have a look at our article on tape rollers for a simple test you can do that will prove it to you.

Thats the basics of making sure your substrates are clean and prepared for bonding with tape and will make products like 3m VHB perform to the ultimate in what tape can do.

Hope that helps.

Preline supply many products to help the stainless steel fabricator solve problems throughout their operation. As we supply many fabricators already we have a huge amount of experience in the processes and products needed, here are a selection of some of the applications that we have helped to improve: -

Cleaning and grinding of the weld

By using a ceramic fibre disc the weld can be dressed quickly and easily but if you just want to minimise the amount of damage that the surface of the steel undergoes it may be more prudent to choose either a dynafile style abrasive belt or perhaps a small diameter 3M Roloc disc. These discs come in sizes as small as 25mm diameter and have an innovative button system on the back that allows quick change from a fibre disc to a non-woven scotchbrite to help finish and refine the scratch.

Putting the grain back into stainless

By using products like the 3M scotchbrite range in either handpad, belt or drum form you can quickly and simply put back in the grain scratched during forming or welding, back to its original mill finish. 3M even have an automated match and finish kit that makes the task far quicker and easier.

Sticking stainless steel

Many people choose not to weld their stainless or have opted for small spot welds, which still leave an unsightly mark on the surface. One option that can avoid any need for welding is to stick the fabrication together using glue and / or tape.

3M VHB Tape

VHB tape is a product from 3M that is far more than your average sticky tape. By using 3M 4950 VHB you can stick two pieces of stainless together and not have any need for welding and all the associated clean up etc afterwards. In combination with an epoxy product like 3M DP-490 EPX you can achieve structural bonds on metal that will out perform most welds in strength.

Another advantage of using a tape or glue product is that it opens up new possibilities to design your product to incorporate alternative surfaces like perspex, wood or glass and there will be a tape or a glue that will provide the bond for you.

Cleaning and protecting stainless steel

Preline supply a number of products to clean and protect the finished stainless, 3M stainless steel cleaner or 3M industrial cleaner will help remove any finger or grease marks from the steel and then you can wrap the steel ready for shipment in either bubble wrap or jiffy foam to keep it looking great.

Health and safety

We also do a full range of face masks, overalls, gloves, ear protection, goggles etc so you can work safely.