Budnick Converting ^®

Choosing the right adhesive tape for your application involves asking a number of questions. We've outlined some of these questions and pointers below to help you fulfill the needs of your application below.

What materials are being bonded?

Lean toward rubber adhesives for lower surface energy substrates

Is the bond permanent or temporary?

Some adhesives are made to remove cleanly after use on many different substrates.

Is the surface rough or smooth?

Rougher surfaces typically require thicker tapes with heavier adhesive coat weights or transfer films

Are there thickness gaps to fill?

If gaps need to be filled, we typically lean toward foam tapes or high bond foamed acrylics

Will the application be indoors or outdoors?

Acrylic or Silicone adhesives are typically better suited for outdoor use than rubber adhesives that react poorly to UV

What are the application and service temperature?

You should always try to apply tape at or above 50°F. As service temperatures in bonding applications exceed 150˚F or 350˚F, choose acrylic or silicone adhesives respectively

Will there be exposure to moisture, UV, chemicals, solvents, outgassing, etc.?

If so, choose acrylic adhesives - or silicone under extreme conditions

What load or stress will the tape need to support or resist?

As load & stress increase, move toward solvent acrylic adhesives and use more tape per square inch of bonding surface area. If dynamic forces are involved, select a viscoelastic foamed acrylic tape

What is the annual usage and budget for the project?

There are millions of tapes, so if you can narrow the scope of alternatives to meet the customer’s specific budget, you will have better luck identifying potential products

What exactly does the user want the tape to accomplish?

This is the most important question to ask about the application as it will dictate almost everything about the adhesive tape you and your customer choose for the application

Once these questions have been answered, you can use the knowledge you've gained by contacting a tape specialist here at Budnick or using our Find-A-Tape search tool in the Products section