What are the common substrates for industrial tapes?

What are the properties of different substrates?

Tape Knowledge Class

Adhesive materials include tapes and adhesives. Tapes are composed of two parts: a substrate and an adhesive. With paper, cloth, film, etc. as the substrate, the adhesive (mainly pressure-sensitive adhesive) is evenly coated on various substrates to form a tape and a reel-supplied product. Generally speaking, tapes are composed of three parts: a substrate, an adhesive, and a release paper (film). Adhesive tapes are mainly divided into paper-based adhesive tapes, cloth-based adhesive tapes, film adhesive tapes, foam adhesive tapes, metal foil adhesive tapes, substrate-free adhesive tapes, fiber tapes, etc. according to the substrate.

Tapes have the characteristics of long-lasting high viscosity, reliable adhesion, sufficient cohesion and elasticity, and are widely used as industrial materials. Common tapes are divided into civil tapes and industrial tapes.

Tape base material classification

Generally speaking, tape is composed of two parts: base material and adhesive. It is a multi-layer composition that serves to bond two or more unconnected objects together. According to the definition of tape, we can simply assume that all kinds of materials that can appear in the form of rolls can be used as the base material of tape. At present, the common tape base materials are mainly of the following types:

1. Organic film base material

Organic film refers to a film made of organic polymer. Except for thermosetting materials with high rigidity such as epoxy, phenolic, BT resin, etc., which are not suitable for use as base materials, ordinary thermoplastic materials can basically be used as base materials for tape. Common organic film base materials include PET, PE, PVC, OPP, MOPP, PI, PC, etc., and some less common ones such as PO, UPE, FEP, PTFE, PEVA.

PET: good initial adhesion and lasting adhesion, good high humidity resistance, excellent aging resistance, high shear resistance, and strong tensile strength.

PE: better softness, good adhesion, good stickiness, environmentally friendly and non-toxic

PVC: good softness, good ductility, suitable for uneven surface pasting, heat resistance, moisture resistance, high bonding strength for rough surfaces and non-tough surfaces.

CPP: It has good adhesion, good viscosity stability, high temperature resistance, no residual glue and other characteristics.

OPP: non-toxic and environmentally friendly, good moisture-proof, waterproof, anti-oxidation performance, and high and low temperature resistance. In addition, it also has the characteristics of light weight, high transparency, good toughness, etc.

MOPP: high adhesion, high tensile strength, low elongation, easy to tear horizontally, and no residual glue after removal.

PI: excellent insulation, breakdown voltage resistance, 260 degrees high temperature resistance and other characteristics. The appearance has no scratches, wire drawing and other phenomena, good shearing performance, easy punching die-cutting processing, excellent high temperature resistance and solvent resistance.

PC: PC film has excellent physical and mechanical properties, excellent impact resistance, high tensile strength, bending strength, and compression strength, and has good heat resistance and low temperature resistance.

PO: It has good light transmittance, soft texture, waterproof surface, no small molecule precipitates, and ensures wafer-level cleanliness.

UPE: Ultra-high molecular weight polyvinyl chloride “new UPE” rubber-type material, with easy processing and molding process stability, improves the wear resistance of the product, and highlights the anti-aging, impact resistance, pressure resistance, acid resistance, and corrosion resistance.

FEP: High transparency allows ultraviolet rays to pass through completely, suitable for 3D light-curing printer product release. Low friction coefficient, excellent non-stickiness, high temperature resistance, electrical insulation, and mechanical properties.

PTFE: Teflon, which has high lubricity, excellent insulation, light resistance, antioxidant effect, good surface anti-sticking, wear resistance, chemical resistance, pressure resistance, corrosion resistance, microwave resistance, high temperature resistance, friction resistance, firm adhesion without debonding, uniform texture and other characteristics.

PEVA: It has good tensile and ductility, and its temperature resistance is below 200°C.

PET High Temperature Tape

2. Cloth substrate

Cloth substrates can be regarded as secondary processing of organic films. The essence of the material has not changed, but there are changes in form, playing some roles that film substrates do not have. Therefore, it has the characteristics of strong air permeability, strong thermal insulation, good elasticity, lightness and softness. The basis of cloth includes: glass cloth, Teflon fiberglass cloth, non-woven fabric, cotton cloth, acetate cloth, nylon cloth, conductive cloth, etc.

Glass cloth: It has the characteristics of high temperature resistance, high breakdown voltage resistance, strong adhesion, high tensile strength, and good insulation.

Glass fiber cloth: It has high thermal conductivity, high temperature resistance, good adhesion, and good insulation performance.

Cloth base/gauze: It has the characteristics of good tearability, high bonding strength, waterproof and leakproof, good initial adhesion, and high tensile strength.

Teflon fiberglass cloth: It has high lubricity, excellent insulation, light resistance, anti-oxidation effect, good surface anti-sticking, wear resistance, chemical resistance, pressure resistance, corrosion resistance, microwave resistance, high temperature resistance, friction resistance, firm adhesion without degumming, uniform texture, etc.

Non-woven fabric: It has high insulation, high breakdown voltage resistance, good temperature resistance and other characteristics.

Acetate fabric: It has high temperature resistance, solvent resistance, good aging resistance, good insulation, high peeling force, flame retardant and other characteristics.

Conductive fabric: It has good conductivity, excellent shielding effect, good anti-friction performance, good metal bonding, better Z-direction conductivity, good processability, soft texture, no burrs when cut, anti-fingerprint and dirt, anti-oxidation treatment and other characteristics.

Kapton Tape

03 Foam substrate

Foam substrates can also be regarded as secondary processing of organic film/elastomer materials. They have the characteristics of shock-resistant buffering, lasting elasticity, strong thermal insulation, good sealing, and lightweight. They are mainly used for buffering and shock absorption. Common foam materials are:

Acrylic foam: high strength, high viscosity, used in construction and automotive industries.

PE foam: polyethylene foam, lightweight, water-resistant, often used for packaging and protection.

EPDM foam: EPDM rubber foam, good weather resistance, often used for sealing strips.

Silicone foam: high temperature resistant, soft, often used in electronics and home appliance industries.

PU foam: polyurethane foam, soft, good elasticity, used for shock absorption and protection

Acrylic Foam Tape

04 Paper substrate

Paper substrates include: cotton paper, Nomex paper, kraft paper, masking paper, Washi paper, and insulating paper. Paper substrate cotton paper is made of tough fibers provided by bark or hemp, and has the characteristics of good toughness, easy tearing, and good manual operability. It is mainly divided into the following three categories:

Ultra-thin cotton paper adhesive: such as TESA 4982 tape with cotton paper, the surface of both sides is the same, usually slightly brown;

Paint masking adhesive: Commonly used in protective tape for paint segmentation/color separation construction, one side is flatly coated with glue, and the other side is uneven (wrinkled). This tape is also called masking tape, which is usually slightly brown;

Decorative label adhesive: item identification, generally white in color. But now there are many printing styles that print various colored labels with pictures and texts.

Cotton paper: It has anti-rebound (better than other double-sided tapes, especially suitable for arc surface pasting), anti-warping, high temperature resistance, strong adhesion, and strong adhesion to various material surfaces.

Nomex paper: It has the characteristics of fireproof, flame retardant, high temperature resistance, high tensile strength, good insulation, etc.

Kraft paper: It has the characteristics of high adhesion, excellent wear resistance, high tensile strength, etc.

Masking paper: It has the advantages of high temperature resistance, no residual glue after removal, good adhesion, good low surface energy adhesion, high paper elongation, and reliable arc surface adhesion.

Insulation paper: It has good thermal stability, electrical properties, mechanical strength, chemical compatibility and adaptability.

Masking tape

05 Metal substrate

Metal substrates are usually coils obtained by calendering or electrolysis of various metal ingots through different processes, and the calendering process is generally used. Therefore, the biggest advantage of metal substrates is that metals have conductive properties, and they are also mainly used to produce conductive tapes. There are two main types of metal substrates: aluminum substrates and copper substrates, which are commonly used in shielding tapes. Other metal substrates include lead foil, Mylar aluminum foil, Mylar copper foil, nanocarbon aluminum foil, nanocarbon copper foil, etc. Other metal substrates can also be used, but they are relatively rare because copper and aluminum are more cost-effective and more stable.

Aluminum foil: It has good conductivity, shielding, heat resistance and high adhesion.

Copper foil: According to the different conductive properties of the glue, it can be divided into single-conducting copper foil single-sided adhesive, double-conducting copper foil single-sided adhesive, double-conducting copper foil double-sided adhesive, and single-conducting copper foil double-sided adhesive. It has good conductivity, light shielding, temperature resistance and shielding.

Lead foil: good conductivity, good acid resistance, good ductility, high density, can block X-rays, and helps protect parts from X-ray damage

Mylar aluminum foil: It has high tensile strength, is not easy to wrinkle, has high peel strength, good conductivity, temperature resistance, light shielding, shielding, and dimensional stability.

Mylar copper foil: excellent temperature resistance, adhesion, and retention, good conductivity and die-cutting performance, shielding, and good resistance to bending.

Nanocarbon aluminum foil: It has good thermal conductivity, light shielding, temperature resistance, and shielding performance.

Nanocarbon copper foil: It has high thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, shielding, flexibility, processability, and high temperature resistance.

06 Other composite substrates

The above-mentioned various types of substrates can be combined in different ways according to application requirements. The composite substrates thus formed can exert different advantages. For example, the composite of copper substrate and PET substrate can provide conductivity on the copper surface and insulation on the PET surface.