Picture Hanging
Compared to good, old fashioned Scotch Tape® (3M Trade Name), Double Sided Adhesive Tape gives you twice the stick for your buck. For example, you can use Scotch Tape® to stick a poster to the wall but the tape half on the poster and half on the wall will be visible (no matter how clear and transparent the tape). With Double Sided Adhesive Tape, you can apply the tape to the back of the poster which will leave its other sticky side exposed so that when you press the poster up against the wall, it will “hang” in place from the stickiness of the Double Sided Adhesive Tape. Thus, there will be no unsightly tape visible.
And Removal
If the above example was a poster on the wall of your exhibition booth at a trade show, you might find another benefit from using Double Sided Adhesive Tape. Traditional one sided adhesive tapes are notorious for the permanency of their stick and can be difficult to remove without damaging what they are stuck to. Most of the brands of Double Sided Adhesive Tape are more forgiving and it is easier to remove your poster from the wall and the tape from the back of the poster with little or no damage. No complaints from the show organizer that you have “damaged” his wall and you can store the poster for future use.
Many double sided adhesive tapes have the adhesive applied to a polymeric film (such as 0.0005 inch thick polyester) in the center of the composite tape and are, consequently, quite thin. An alternative to Double Sided Adhesive Tape could be the Bostik product known as “Blu-Tack®” which is a putty like rubber material that can be kneaded into shape and remains permanently “tacky”. Materials of this nature can be used for some applications instead of double sided adhesive tapes.
Other Materials
Industrial tapes are made in many materials in a wide number of forms. An everyday example would be the rolls of adhesive tape known as duct or gaffer tape which has a strong woven textile coated with a sealant such as rubber and adhesive applied to one side. Then there are the numerous types of electrical self adhesive insulation tapes where the base material is usually a colored plastic film. Special adhesive backed sealant tapes are available in modified forms of ptfe (e.g. Gortex® or Teflon® from W. L. Gore and Associates and DuPont respectively). In addition, there are hosts of solid and foam (sponge) rubber tapes that are widely used for weather protection around doors and lids. Any one of all of these and more can be modified for application where Double Sided Adhesive Tape would be advantageous.
Engineered Materials Inc. (established in 1994) can meet your supply needs for many types of double sided adhesive tape. Give them a toll free call on 800-910-4009 to discuss your specific needs.
