Tips for applying adhesive tape in winter!

For those of us who live in this part of the world, the last months of the year are associated with the arrival of cold weather, which forces us to change our clothes and turn on the heating to create comfort and be able to give our best at work and in daily life.

Likewise, in applications involving adhesive tapes, it is necessary to take into account that temperature does influence their operation and therefore some measures must be taken to ensure that they are at their maximum performance. But there is no need to worry… simply by following these 3 easy-to-implement recommendations, we can obtain excellent performance, as well as prevent possible adhesion problems, unwinding, liner removal or breakages due to low temperatures.

Contents

1 How to get optimal performance from Adhesive Tapes?
2 ANY QUESTION?

How to get optimal performance from Adhesive Tapes?

For those of you who don’t know, single-sided or double-sided adhesive tapes, when stored and applied correctly, can withstand temperatures ranging from -40ºC and in some cases up to -55ºC, of course, this will also depend on their composition and structure, as well as proper management throughout the life cycle of the tapes. Therefore, the temperature at the 3 moments of the life cycle of an adhesive tape is essential (storage, application and operation). Below we will give you recommendations for proper management at each of them:

STORAGE TEMPERATURE:

As one of the key moments in the life of single-sided, double-sided, acrylic or other adhesive tapes, we recommend storage at temperatures between 16°C and 25°C and relative humidity between 40% and 65%.

If it is not possible to keep the tapes within these temperature and humidity ranges during storage, we recommend moving them to an environment with these temperature conditions during the 24 or 48 hours prior to use.

APPLICATION OR BONDING TEMPERATURE:

In this step, temperature is very important. The ideal application temperature range is from 18°C to 38°C. Most of the double-sided acrylic tapes that we use in the industrial or automotive markets have a pressure-sensitive adhesive that adheres to the substrate through its viscosity. If we apply it at a lower temperature, the initial strength of the bond may be reduced, which in turn affects the final performance of the product.

During this process we recommend that you take into account that the temperature range of the substrate or surface and the adhesive tape that we are going to apply must be the same, and try to keep the temperature above 15°C during its application and, above all, avoid application temperatures below 10°C.

You can see it clearly in the following video:

SELECTING THE RIGHT TAPE AND CORRECT APPLICATION:

It should be noted that low temperatures in themselves do not directly influence the performance of adhesive tapes, since once applied and the adhesive cured, they have different ranges of resistance and temperatures, which as we said before, can be very low; however, if the storage and application recommendations previously given have not been taken into account, we will not have the maximum thermal performance that they can offer.

Our main recommendation in this step is to correctly select the adhesive tape (thickness and appropriate amount of tape) and rigorously follow the application steps that will determine its performance, even if they are designed to withstand joints in extreme cold conditions.

Here you can download our TAPE APPLICATION MANUAL

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In conclusion, temperature is a key aspect in the operation and performance of adhesive tapes and can affect the quality of the application and the final product.

At Fustier, experts in adhesive solutions, Preferred Converter 3M and Platinum Converter TESA, we are aware of this and will give you the advice and recommendations necessary to achieve the best performance of our products in your applications.

We would also like to remind you that at Fustier we have a long history in such demanding sectors as Automotive, Rail, Electronics, Renewable Energy, Construction, Appliances and White Goods, etc., and that we carry out TRAINING in tapes and adhesives adapted to our clients’ applications and at no cost.