Accelerated Aging
When the deterioration of a tape from natural aging is accelerated and simulated in the laboratory.
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Acrylic/Acrylate
synthetic polymer with excellent aging characteristics that can be used as a component adhesive.
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Adhesion
(Pressure Sensitive) A bond produced between a pressure sensitive adhesive and a surface.
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Adhesion Build-Up
An increase in the peel adhesion value of a pressure- sensitive tape after it has been allowed to adhere to the applied surface.
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Adhesion to Skin
A study to determine the degree of adhesion to skin of medical tapes or adhesives for up to 96 hours. Additionally, the amount of residue remaining on the skin after the material removal is assessed.
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Adhesive
Any material which will hold two or more objects together solely by intimate surface contact.
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Adhesive Residue.
dhesive which is pulled away from the tape and remains on the surface to which the tape was applied.
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Adhesive Transfer
he transfer of adhesive from its normal position on the tape to the surface to which the tape was attached, either during unwind or removal.
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Backing
A relatively thin flexible material to which the adhesive is applied. Theoretically any material, which is reasonably flat, relatively thin and flexible, can be used as a tape backing. Sometimes referred to as carrier.
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Backside
The uncoated side or side opposite the adhesive coating. For a double coated tape, the side in contact with the liner after unwinding.
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Backsize
A material applied to the backside of a tape to provide a release surface or heat seal property.
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Blocking
Tape roll failure wherein the adhesive seizes the backside of the backing and prevents normal unwind.
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#2 Bond
The bond between an adhesive and the tape backing.
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Caliper
Thickness of a tape, backing, or adhesive, usually measured in mils (1/1000 of an inch).
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Coating Weight
The amount of a solution applied to a sheet in the tape making process. The units are usually grains per 24 square inches.
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Cohesion
(Cohesive strength, internal bond) The ability of the adhesive to resist splitting. Good cohesion is necessary for clean removal.
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Cold Flow
The tendency of a pressure-sensitive adhesive to act like a heavy viscous liquid over periods of time. Such phenomena as oozing and increases in adhesion are the result of this characteristic.
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Conformability
he ability of tape to fit snugly or make essentially complete contact with the surface of an irregular object without creasing of folding.
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Converting
The actual operation of changing a jumbo into a finished product by slitting, short roll winding, die cutting, etc.
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Core
The plastic or cardboard ring used in the center of a roll for support.
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Corona Treatment
It is a process, which uses an electrical spark discharge to modify a surface in order to increase adhesion.
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Crushed Core
Damage to the core such that the tape will not fit a dispenser. Causes - high winding tension, poor handling, and shipping damage.
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Curling
The tendency of a tape to curl back on itself when unwound from the roll and allowed to hang from the roll.
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Delamination
A separation or splitting of the tape such as separation of the backing into two distinct layers.
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Double-Coated
The adhesive is applied on both sides of the backing, which serves principally as a carrier for the adhesive.
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Dwell .
e length of time a tape sample is allowed to remain in contact with any specific testing surface before the test begins.
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Edge Curl
The peeling back or lifting of the outer edge of a tape after application.
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Elastic Memory
A tendency of some tape backings to return to their original length after being elongated.
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Elongation
tretch) - The distance a tape will stretch lengthwise before breaking, expressed as a percentage of original length.
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Faceside
The side of the backing on which the adhesive is coated. For a double-coated tape, the side first exposed after unwinding.
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Film
Uniform, homogeneous, plastic webs.
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Flexibility
The ability of a tape to be freely bent or flexed.
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Foam
A soft, cushiony material formed by creating bubbles in base materials, such as natural or synthetic rubbers, or other elastomeric materials. Can be either closed cell or open cell (air passage).
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Foreign Matter
Any form of matte contained in the web, which is not part of the formulation of the tape.
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Gapping
An opening between layers within a roll.
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Handspread
A short sample of tape produced by manually pulling a backing through a small knife coater (handspreader).
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Hardband
A mound like swelling on the outer layers of a roll lengthwise to the tape. Usually caused by uneven backing caliper.
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Heat Activated Adhesive
The ability of a tape to withstand exposure to specified temperatures after application to a surface.
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High Liner Release
When the tape release from the liner is difficult, or above the expected result.
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Hot Melt
essure Sensitive Adhesive) - An adhesive applied to the backing in a hot molten from which cools to form a conventional pressure sensitive adhesive.
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Instron
A type of constant rate of extension (CRE) test equipment. (Also tensile tester)
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Jumbo
A large roll of tape or backing which is wound up as the material emerges from the coater or treatment. It is later converted.
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Kiss Cut
A type of die cutting where the cutter is adjusted to only cut the material and leave the liner or backing untouched.
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LAB
Low adhesion backsize.
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Lamination
A combination of two or more materials, which function as one backing on web.
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Lifting
A situation where a section of tape has pulled away from the surface to which it has been applied, even though no outside stress is applied.
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Liner
A paper or film with a release coating used to protect an adhesive from exposure before use.
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Loose Core
A roll of tape in which the core lap is not securely attached to the core resulting in the core being easily removed from the tape.
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Low Liner Release
The tape release from the liner is easy, or below the expected result.
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Memory
The ability of a fiber or tape to return to its original form after being stressed or elongated.
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Migration
The movement, over a long period of time, of an ingredient from one component to another, when the two are in surface contact. Plasticizers that are apt to migrate into the tape adhesive may cause the adhesive to soften.
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Monomer
Simple chemical compounds with functional groups capable of being linked to each other or other functional groups, to form more complex compounds (called polymers).
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MSI
One thousand square inches.
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Non-Woven Materials
Paper, tissues" or synthetic (e.g. polyester) non-woven fabrics.
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Occlusive
To prevent moisture from passing through.
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Off-Core
Layers of tape are in correct alignment, but tape is displaced sideways on core.
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Oozing
squeezing out" of the adhesive from the sides of a roll of tape resulting in sticky edges and often edge transfer during unwind. Usually caused by too high winding tension.
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Opaqueness
The ability of a tape to prevent the transmission of light.
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Peaking
Large singular upheavals in the outer layers of a roll of tape.
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Peel Adhesion
The force per unit width, expressed in oz/in width, required to break the bond between a tape and a surface when peeled back at a standard rate and condition.
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Permeable
To allow gasses or moisture to pass through.
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Picking -
position of small areas of adhesive on adjacent backing (see adhesive transfer); or the removal of small local areas of backsize (colored or LAB) during unwind.
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Pinhole
very small hole, which may permit the passage of light, moisture, or electrical current.
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Polycoated
Covered with a layer of polyethylene film, usually applied as a liquid on paper for adhesive liner use.
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Polyethylene (PE)
tough, stretchy film having very good low temperature characteristics.
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Polyester (PET)
A strong nonstretchable film having good resistance to moisture, solvents, oils, caustics, and many other chemicals.
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Polymer
A large molecule built up of repetitive smaller chemical units, commonly used in adhesive compounding.
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Polyolefin
A general term used to cover a family of resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene.
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Polypropylene.
cousin of polyethylene, with similar properties, but stronger and having a higher temperature resistance.
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Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
A usually thin transparent film with excellent resistance to acids, water, and organic solvents. Usually formulated with a migratable plasticizer to make flexible.
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Pop-Off
Tape pulls completely away from the surface to which applied and drops off.
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Porosity
Permeability of a surface (tape backing) to a liquid or gas or a measure of % void space within a material such as foam.
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Pressure-Sensitive
A term commonly used to designate a distinct category of adhesive tapes and adhesives, which are aggressively and permanently tacky at room temperature and firmly adhere to a variety of dissimilar surface upon mere contact without the need of more than finger or hand pressure.
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Pressure-Sensitive Tape
combination of pressure-sensitive adhesive with a backing.
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Primer
material interposed between a backing and an adhesive or other coating which anchors the two incompatible materials together.
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Printability
The ability of a tape to accept and hold a printed legend, and especially to resist offset of the printing when rewound into a roll after printing.
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Quick Stick
nitial Adhesion, Wet Grab) - The property of a pressure sensitive adhesive, which allows it to adhere to a surface under very light pressure. It is determined by the ability of the adhesive to quickly wet the surface contacted.
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Redry
A measure of the residual solvent in tape after it has been coated and passed through the coating oven.
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Release Coating
A coating applied to the backing on the side opposite the adhesive, which provides ease of unwind and prevents delamination or tearing, or to a film or paper to produce a release liner.
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Release Liner
A web or sheet of material covering the adhesive side of a tape. It is removed prior to application.
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Resistance
The ability of a tape to resist exposure to varying conditions after application and to perform satisfactorily.
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Shear Adhesion
The ability of a tape to resist the static forces applied in the same plane as the backing, usually on a vertical test panel.
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Single-Faced
The adhesive is applied to one side of the backing only.
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Stiffness
The measure of a tape"s flexibility and conformability.
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Streaks
Machine direction portion of a coated web which has a light coating weight or does not contain adhesive due to some obstruction at the aperture of the coating die or hopper.
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Tacky
The condition of the adhesive when it feels sticky or highly adhesive. Sometimes used to express pressure-sensitivity.
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Telescoping
A sideways sliding of the tape layers, one over the other, such that the roll looks like a funnel.
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Tensile Strength (TS)
The force required to break a piece of tape by pulling opposite ends of the piece.
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Machine Direction Tensile
TS measured parallel to the length of the tape. Cross Direction Tensile - TS measure at right angles to the length.
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Transfer
Normally refers to adhesive transfer, but sometimes said of any tape component which moves from its proper place to some other position during either unwind or removal.
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Transparency
The ability of a tape to allow transmission of light.
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Void
A bare uncoated area on either the adhesive or release coated side of the page.
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Washboard Effect
A condition when a surface has a definite corrugated or ridged surface.
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Water Dispersible
A tape where the adhesive will dissolve completely under the proper chemical environment and the backing will break up into extremely small pieces.
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Web
The long, continuous sheet of material, which is drawn through the processes of making tape.
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Wicking
A device similar to a wick that conveys liquid by capillary action.
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Wrinkles
Small ridges or furrows formed on the surface of a roll of tape and often resulting in jagged edges on the slit roll.
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