PVC Tapes 101. Everything you need to know.
Updated: Sep 20, 2022
They insulate, mask, seal, glue – and much more. Industrial tapes are one of the best example proving that necessity is the mother of invention. They are used in a variety of sectors, starting from electronics, through automotive, to agriculture. They offer diverse functions depending on the tape type and quality. PVC tape is our favorite and it is going to be the subject of our today’s article.
One of the major applications of insulating tapes is to cover, secure and seal the ends of electrical wires. The purpose of such tapes is to protect the cable from damage, e.g. as a result of contact with chemical substances or adverse weather conditions.
Thus automotive plants, for example, will use this type of tape to protect motor cables in cars, while household appliances manufacturers will use them for the construction of washing machines or refrigerators. The commonly used material used for making insulating tapes is PVC, specifically its soft variety (PVC-P).
Tapes made of PVC are characterized by a high level of protection and insulation. They are adhesive, self-extinguishing and due to their elasticity they are successfully used on uneven surfaces. Their resistance to abrasion, corrosion and adverse weather conditions, such as moisture, are also extremely important. An additional advantage of PVC is its susceptibility to properties modification and shaping. From the point of view of a converting company, i.e. a company like ours; i-STIX, this means the possibility to customize the material depending on the customer’s needs. The freedom of PVC processing and dyeing matters as well. Our tapes’ wide color range facilitates identification of elements protected with the tapes (e.g. electric wires). It is simply a matter of functionality and convenience of use which is excellent in the case of PVC tapes.
THE KINDS OF PVC TAPES
In fact, PVC film is not friendly for environment, but we still need use it at somewhere. Popularly, PVC tape means PVC electric insulation tape, however, PVC tape can be used for masking and securing, bonding, fixing and repairing, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, waterproof sealing, cable bundles' creation, wires' color marking.
PVC tapes are one of the best example proving that necessity is the mother of invention. They are used in a variety of sectors, starting from electronics, through automotive and agriculture industries. They offer diverse functions depending on the tape type and quality.
Check out the kinds of PVC tapes and follow the link to know product details;
Electrical Insulation Tape
Used for insulating cable lugs in meter panels, Insulating cable joints in submersible pumps, Insulation of electrical wire joints, Color coding (3 phase wiring)
Floor Marking Tape
Used to mark hazards, divide spaces, create aisles, or provide directions. They are commonly used in industrial and manufacturing facilities for floor marking.
Wire Harness Tape
Used for withstanding extreme temperatures and environmental conditions, Securely bundling wires, Highly resistant to abrasion, Used to reduce noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in interiors.
Pipe Wrapping Tape
Used under and above ground pipe installations to protect metal and plastic piping for all weather moisture-proof fortification.
Mask PVC Tape
Used for vehicle/industrial heat resistant masking, etc., Masking polyurethane or polypropylene vehicle bumpers, or curved and uneven surfaces.
Double Side PVC Tape
Used for high weight objects fixing and orientation in furniture industry, decoration and digital industry, Bonding profiles and rubber joints, Manufacturing and fixing of moldings and electrical cord covers.
Non Adhesive Tape
Used to conforms to curves, corners, and hard to reach areas, by forming a leak proof bond. Use this vinyl when you want to mask off areas for plating, painting, or abrasive blasting. It will not create a residue on most surfaces and it is hand-tearable.
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
CODE | NAME | THICKNESS (mic) | WIDTH (mm) | LENGHT (mtr) | APPLICATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IS 5301 | NFR Electrical Insulation Tape | 115 | 18 | 6 | Color Coding, Insulating cable joints in submersible pumps, etc |
IS 5302 | FR Electrical Insulation Tape | 115 | 18 | 6 | Fire Retardant, Insulating cable lugs in meter panels, etc |
IS 5304 | Floor Marking Tape | 150 | 48 | 18 | Mark hazards, Divide spaces, Provide directions |
IS 5305 | Pipe Wrapping Tape | 115 | 48 | 18 | Protects metal and plastic piping |
IS 5306 | Wire Harness Tape | 110 | 18 | 25 | Bundling wires, reduce noise, vibration and harshness |
IS 5307 | Non-Adhesive Tape | 100 | 48 | 15 | Ducting and HVAC industry |
MANUFACTURING OF PVC TAPE
Preparation stage
Simply, PVC film with Solvent-based rubber adhesive, after coating, drying, rewinding etc. process, then you will get the PVC tape. Actually, it is not so simple like that. In the next, I will tell what we should prepare before manufacturing it.
Confirm the tape type that is to be manufactured, normally different types have different technique process, such as pvc film and adhesive formula.
The production steps. PVC electrical tape coating machine -> pvc tape cutting machine -> packing machine etc.
Substrate of PVC film. Choosing the right film is very important. For instance, film thickness, quality grade (Calcium powder content, virgin PVC granule), tensile strength, voltage insulating grade (normally should pass 3kv voltage testing). Anyway, find out the suitable and good pvc film, it’s not easy.
Solvent-based rubber adhesives. Adhesive formula is deemed to a secret for pvc tape manufacturing factory. Maybe different factories have a little difference on the formula. It largely determines the tape quality.
Solvent recycling equipment. Generally natural rubber or synthetic rubber as solute, toluene as solvent is used. But toluene is expensive, it also can be recycled. We can establish solvent recycling equipment, then collect the vaporized solvent during drying, therefore, we can save more cost.
Paper core. Usually 38mm,32mm size as electrical tape, 76mm size as floor marking tape is used.
Cutting machine. After the coating, and making log rolls, the cutter is used to slice the log roll into the width required. The machine can be set to a standard size for automatic slitting or customize it as per requirement.
Packing machine. After the slitting of log roll, the packing machine is used to automatically pack the cut pieces.
Production stage
Put the pvc film on the lift-type auto unwinder, and then transfer to gravure coater. In addition, there have one accumulator in the middle, which is used for nonstop running during exchange rolls.
First gravure coater is used for bottom adhesive coating. Normally, the film surface is smooth and hard to connect tightly with adhesive. So, it must have bottom adhesive as pre-coating. In addition, the bottom adhesive viscosity is lower than second stage adhesives.
Effectuate the film through the first drying oven, heating the bottom adhesive. Then after heating, prepare second comma blade coater for second adhesive coating. The second adhesive coating, we also call it surface adhesive. Moreover, the coating thickness can be adjusted.
Dry the surface adhesive, then effectuate to cooling device. Cooling process is also very important, it highly affect tape forming molecular structure. Normally, 1-10℃ of water can be put into the cooling cylinder, so that it can provide faster cooling.
Auto Rewinding. This is the last process of pvc tape coating machine. Further more, it is the core technology for making auto rewinding. The line can run 25m+/s or not, mostly depends on your rewinder running situation. GS coater can do 30m+/min rewinder.
After getting the pvc rolls, avoid cutting it immediately, it should be kept in the curing room, for a period of 2-3 days. for exceptional quality.
Do you need reliable PVC? We offer a wide range of tapes. We will advise you on the best solution and adapt technical parameters to meet your requirements. Contact us !