A Guide to Packaging Tape

28 Oct.,2024

 

A Guide to Packaging Tape

Packaging tape is vital to shipping your products or items safely, but how do you know which tape is best for your needs? We&#;ve put together a packaging tape guide so you can explore your options and determine which type of industrial shipping tape is right for you.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website.

What Are the Different Types of Packing Tape?

Many types of packaging tape are available. Let&#;s dive into the most popular options.

Masking Tape

Masking tape, also known as painter&#;s tape, is one of the most versatile, pressure-sensitive packing tapes available. It&#;s a paper tape commonly used in painting, crafting, labeling and lightweight packaging. It&#;s a great choice to avoid leaving marks or residue on your packaging materials.

Masking tape comes in various colors, widths and thicknesses for many different purposes. It&#;s also available in specialization varieties, such as heat-resistant masking tape safe for baking or color-coded masking tape to help you organize.

Filament Tape

Filament tape is a heavy-duty, secure packing tape. Also known as strapping tape, filament tape contains thousands of fibers intertwined and ingrained into an adhesive backing. This construction makes filament tape a durable option with a high tensile strength that avoids tearing, splitting and abrasion.

In addition to versatility, fiberglass-reinforced strength and durability, filament tape is popular for its clean removal. Industries such as automotive, electronics, food and beverage, and general manufacturing use it to:

  • Seal containers.
  • Bundle and secure items.
  • Reinforce protective packaging.

You can choose filament tape in various colors, strengths, widths and thicknesses to suit your needs.

PVC Tape

PVC tape consists of a flexible polyvinyl chloride film coated with a natural rubber adhesive. It can stretch without breaking due to its elastic properties.

PVC tape is ideal for heavy-duty applications, such as shipping large parts or bulky supplies. Workers enjoy using it because it releases from the roll quietly, doesn&#;t stick to itself and readjusts easily if needed.

Additional features of PVC tape include:

  • High strength and durability.
  • Water resistance.
  • The ability to adhere to multiple sources, including cardboard.

You can purchase PVC tape in various thicknesses, widths, lengths and colors.

Copper Foil Tape

Copper foil tape consists of a strip of copper backed with a layer of adhesive. It&#;s a must-have if you&#;re shipping products sensitive to static electricity. This type of tape is often used in electronic design and production since electronic components are susceptible to static.

Copper foil tape is flexible, allowing you to bend and shape it to meet your needs. Its versatility makes it appropriate for a wide array of tasks. A few common applications for copper foil tape include:

  • Electromagnetic shielding
  • Telecommunications
  • Static charge draining
  • Paper circuit creation
  • Cable and wire wrapping
  • Crafts and domestic use

You can choose conductive or non-conductive copper foil tape to suit your needs. Conductive copper foil tape can conduct electricity on both sides, whereas non-conductive copper foil tape can only conduct electricity on one side.

Military Specification Tape

Military specifications, or mil-specs, were developed to help standardize and unify the selection process for materials used by the military. Mil-specs make it easy for engineers to find and select products suitable for military applications.

The military uses mil-spec tape to ship and store packages, among other things. However, it&#;s also available for your business&#;s packaging needs. Mil-spec tape must meet rigorous standards, so if you choose to use it to seal your packages, you&#;ll receive consistent quality from each roll.

How Do You Choose the Right Packaging Tape?

With so many options, it can be difficult to know what is the best packing tape. Consider the following factors to help you make your decision.

Grade

Grade refers to the tape&#;s thickness, indicating its holding power and tensile strength. Packaging tape is available in various grades. When deciding which grade of tape to purchase, consider factors like package size, weight and the manufacturing and shipping environment where the tape will be used. You&#;ll want to use higher-grade tape for larger, heavier packages in more extreme environments.

Lower grades are best for holding lightweight packages together, while heavier grades are best for sealing boxes and containers.

Masking tape, for example, has a low-grade and is useful for lightweight or less intensive shipping. Filament and mil-spec tapes are higher grades and recommended for intensive handling.

Adhesive

You can choose packaging tape formulated with different adhesives. Here are three adhesive options:

  • Acrylic: While a bit more expensive, tapes with acrylic adhesive can hold up in extreme hot and cold temperatures, so you can safely ship products regardless of the climate or weather. It&#;s a top choice for plastic materials, but it&#;s useful for other materials, too. Acrylic tape is suitable for packages that stay at warehouses or a single location for an extended period.
  • Hot melt: Hot melt adhesive tape is made of thermoplastic polymers. While it cannot perform at the same extreme temperatures as acrylic tape, hot melt tape is stronger. It&#;s appropriate for shipping products in relatively steady temperatures.
  • Solvent: Solvent adhesive packing tape is ideal for heavy-duty packages and can perform well in high temperatures and humidity levels.

Temperature

Temperature can play a significant role in the effectiveness of your tape. For example, in colder environments, tape can lose its adhesion and break the seal you created.

You can avoid this problem by using specialized tape. As discussed, many tape varieties can accommodate hot or cold weather.

Delivery Method

Your products&#; delivery method should also inform the type of packaging tape you use. Packages can experience many adverse conditions or events during shipment, so it&#;s essential to use protective tape and packaging materials.

Your packages will be subject to more pressure if they are shipped individually, so heavy-grade packing tape is best. However, bulk or other group shipping options may only need lower-grade tape.

Length and Width of the Package

Above all else, you want to choose a quality packing tape that creates an effective seal on the openings of your packages. Long and wide boxes require more and stronger tape than smaller boxes.

Let Edco Supply Corporation Handle Your Packaging Needs

Edco Supply Corporation is a leading supplier of stock and custom packaging that meets military specifications. We also supply products for other industries that need specialized packaging.

Our offerings include folding cartons, industrial packing tapes, commercial poly bags, static shielding packaging and moisture-barrier packaging. You can rest assured that products from Edco will provide reliable protection from the stresses of shipping.

If you or your company works on military projects, consider Edco your top source for premier protective packaging solutions that meet your contract requirements. Request a quote today!

Dewangtai supply professional and honest service.

Hot Melt or Tape? Knowing When to Use the Right ...

At Hotmelt.com, it&#;s our mission to make sure our customers are using the best adhesives for each and every project. So, today, we want to join in a popular debate: hot melt or tape for packaging?

Personally, we believe that while tape is a perfectly fine adhesive for specific applications, there are several distinct advantages that hot melt provides when it comes to packaging&#;but you don&#;t have to take our word for it. With applicators in hand and safety glasses donned, we held our own little competition!

Hot Melt or Tape: The Ultimate Showdown

In one corner, we had industrial tape and a dispenser. In the other, hot melt and an applicator. What&#;s the hot melt versus tape challenge? To close three,14-inch cardboard boxes in the fastest time with the best results. The winner? For most cases, hot melt!

In our test, the packager using the tape used about $1.50 worth of product while the packager with hot melt only used about $0.12 of product. The savings go even further when you realize how much less product and time were used due to the ease of application.

Shaving a few seconds off of constructing three boxes might not seem like a lot but&#;for those companies that need to assemble thousands of packages every single day&#;it adds up! The hot melt user was also able to close all three of his boxes well before the tape user was finished securing her last box.

Don&#;t believe us? Watch our YouTube video to see it for yourself!

The Benefits of Using Hot Melt

Aside from the proven speed and cost benefits, hot melt is able to create a strong, continuous bond along every packaging seam to which it&#;s applied. That means packages sealed with hot melt will hold more weight and withstand more pressure than taped boxes. Plus, it just looks a lot more professional than all that messily applied, wrinkly packing tape!

Not only does hot melt create a stronger and more attractive bond on packaging, it leaves a trace if someone tampers with a package. In typical fast-paced assembly lines, hot melt makes more sense, as it can run continuously. The line will have to be stopped to refill empty tape rolls. If you&#;re able to shift your business to use hot melt for case sealing and constructing packaging, we believe you&#;ll be able to save time and money, all while producing more professional-looking packaging.

When Tape Is the Right Adhesive

However, that doesn&#;t mean there aren&#;t specific situations in which tape might be more appropriate. Hot melt must be heated to temps of several hundred degrees or more in order to be applied properly. Improper use could seriously injure an operator. If you&#;re in a situation where you must be extra conscious of safety, tape machines are simpler to use and pose less threat to operators. Hot melt systems also require regular maintenance if you wish to keep them in tip-top and safe shape.

Tape seals packaging flaps from the outside and tends to be made of a tough plastic or plastic-like material, so it offers a strong protection for packaging that might experience extreme environments including wet, cold, and heat.

Great Hot Melt Options

If, like us, you&#;re impressed by the distinct advantages hot melt has over tape in case-sealing and constructing packaging, we&#;ve got some great packaging hot melt products for you to try out.

InfinityPack

InfinityPack Premium Packaging Hot Melt Glue Sticks

InfinityPack is a low-odor, high-quality, and high-performance packaging glue stick. The fast-setting hot melt offers an instant tack and can be used in adjustable temperature guns. It&#;s great for applications on standard cardboard, corrugated packaging, most coated stocks, end of line repacking, and cardboard to wood.

Infinity InfinityPack Premium EVA Packaging Bulk Hot Melt

InfinityPack is a premium EVA bulk packaging hot melt with excellent heat stability and a low viscosity. It offers a strong, fast set and will bond both standard and coated corrugated and cardboard stock. InfinityPACK has great pot stability, doesn&#;t string, and emits a very low odor.

EconoPack

Infinity Melt EconoPack Packaging Glue Sticks

Our most cost economical glue stick, EconoPack is perfect for light-duty packaging applications. It offers a fast grab and good hold when applied to standard cardboard and corrugated surfaces.

Infinity EconoPack Low-Cost Packaging Bulk Hot Melt

Low on cost but not on quality, EconoPACK It is a made-in-the-USA hot melt adhesive that is perfect for standard case and carton closing applications.

FreezerPack

Infinity FreezerPack Freezer Grade Hot Melt Sticks

Infinity FreezerPack is the only glue stick on the market formulated for case and carton closing for boxes that will be refrigerated or frozen. It&#;s an aggressive, fast-setting packaging hot melt that&#;s perfect for food applications.

Infinity FreezerPack Freezer Grade Packaging Bulk Hot Melt

Infinity FreezerPack freezer grade packaging bulk hot melt stands up to even the most frigid environments. It&#;s great for food packaging applications that require a fast set and the ability to withstand cold environments for extended periods of time.

CleanPack

Infinity Melt CleanPack Low Odor Premium Hot Melt Sticks

Infinity Melt CleanPack hot melt glue sticks are a metallocene-based hot melt. This differs from traditional EVA in that it melts extremely clean and with almost no odor. It offers a fast set time, strong initial tack, and works great with cardboard, corrugated, coated stocks, and difficult-to-bond packaging substrates.

Infinity CleanPack Metallocene Packaging Bulk Hot Melt

Infinity CleanPack bulk hot melt has little to no odor, is extremely clean burning, has minimal char, and offers exceptional pot stability. It&#;s recommended for applications where hot melt will be sitting in pots for extended periods of time or where char and stringing have been a problem. Infinity CleanPack also allows for less downtime and increases equipment longevity because it does not need to be cleaned or purged as often.

At Hotmelt.com, we can help you choose the adhesive that makes the most sense for your bottom line. If you need help upgrading from tape or just want to learn more about our awesome hot melts and equipment, contact our expert team of glue nerds today online or by calling (877) 933-.

For more Adhesive Tape Bulkinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.