Pressure adhesive tapes are some of the most common tape types widely used in engineering and design due to their ease of use and versatility in applications. The strengths of these tapes can be attributed to the kind of adhesives used in their manufacture, and it is important to observe that there are many types of adhesives used in the making these tapes.
Here is a brief look at some of the adhesive types preferred and why they give good results as far as bonding is concerned:
Rubber
Adhesives which use synthetic or natural rubbers are designed with tackifying resins anti-oxidants and oils. Rubber happens to be one of the most cost-effective PSA tape types and it is reputed to offer quick stick capabilities. Rubber adhesives, however, are never recommended for use in surfaces subjected to high heat applications.
Silicone
Silicone is another common adhesive used for making pressure sensitive tapes. For these types of pressure sensitive tapes, they are highly recommended to be used on silicon substrates. Pressure sensitive tapes using silicone as the adhesive are relatively expensive and they feature low initial tack, but they come with the ability to withstand higher temperatures than acrylic and rubber based adhesives.
Acrylic
Pressure sensitive adhesives made from acrylic polymers are known to show better aging in the long term and they also show very good resistance to environmental factors and a wide variety of solvents. Acrylic based adhesives also have a reputation of developing strong bonds compared to the traditional rubber based adhesives and they also have the versatility to withstand higher temperatures without getting breached or compromised.
Irrespective of the type of adhesive used, it is important to consider a certain factors when choosing the tapes if you want to get better results. Some of these factors include the substrate the adhesive will be sticking to, the conditions the tape will be exposed to, the method of application and whether or not it will be applied on a permanent basis.
