Preline

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.