This is particularly important when sending your goods in transit, or storing for long periods, as turbulence and changes to the environment can compromise the adhesive properties of your tape. Investing in the correct tape can often be all that stands between safe arrival of your products and broken goods. Regardless of your taping requirements, here are some guidelines to help to understand the best fit for your company needs.
What to consider before purchase
Not all tapes are created equal. They come in many materials, shapes and sizes with plenty to consider before purchase. There are countless taping materials available worldwide with this number is ever growing as technology continues to evolve allowing the industry to grow further. This can make the choice difficult. Pinpointing your companies specific needs will narrow your search greatly.
Before purchasing your tape consider what you are packaging, as every package is unique, you may find your company will need to invest in more than one type of packing tape. It’s vital to understand your product and the tape attributes before assigning a type of tape.
Spending money incorrectly in the correct tape may cause harm to your products, there have been avoidable cases where deliveries of goods have been damaged, even completely destroyed due to the incorrect taping when packaging. Why experience these costly damages when you can invest wisely in the correct type of tape for your needs?
Ask yourself, “What am I taping?” and “How long will this be taped for"? When packaging heavy boxes, it’s wise to invest in a durable tape, as lightweight materials can snap easily leading to damaged goods. You must also consider how long your items are going to be taped for. Different tape materials should be used for different time scales. As the tape you choose must be able to adapt to any changes over certain lengths of time, such as the weather. For this type of need, companies should invest in a tape that has an excellent UV resistance. Storing packaged products in cold environments can alter the adhesive of certain tapes. Products like meat, poultry and frozen goods will need a specific tape that can withstand extreme conditions.
Types of tape
Polypropylene tape is available in three main categories: hot melt tape is an economical adhesive providing great adhesion for corrugated surfaces and general packaging. Solvent tape offers excellent adhesion to polythene products offers adhesion in cold environments and is ideal for long-term use. Polypropylene acrylic tape is an environmentally friendly alternative to hot melt and solvent tapes as it’s a water-based adhesive and offers excellent UV resistance.
Smart tape is a polypropylene tape with an acrylic adhesive. It uses less space than any other packaging tape and reduces the amount of packaging waste by more than 65%.
Coloured and printed packing tapes are ideal for colour coding for easy identification in warehouses, and printed tapes give clear instructions and information as to what is being stored or transported. Small changes like these to your packaging system can improve productivity by avoiding wasted time searching for goods.
Vinyl tape is made from PVC material and provides extra strength adhesion. It’s ideal for packaging products for products with a long shelf life. Vinyl tape is resistant to humidity and temperature change, moisture and chemicals.
Duct tape is a multipurpose waterproof cloth tape for interior and exterior use. Duct tape can be used as a solution for heavy duty sticking tasks and is great for securing a range of large items including rolled up carpets. Certain types of duct tape are designed to be removed cleanly without leaving a residue.
Masking tape has many purposes and can be used for marking and identifying components or for temporary surface protection. Masking tape offers good adhesion to most surfaces and will remove easily without leaving a residue. It should only be used for small scale packaging and storing needs as it is an extremely lightweight material. Masking tape can be easily torn by hand and the water resistant surface can be written on.
Cross-weaved and mono-weaved reinforced tape are extremely strong. Cross-weave tape is reinforced with a two directional filaments providing it with its strength. Mono-weave reinforced tape has a single filament running down the length of it. These types of high tensile tapes are ideal for heavy duty and high-security sealing.
Tape equipment is also something to consider when thinking of your packaging solutions. Parcel tape dispensers are economical and increased productivity. They come in two categories; handheld which come with a pistol grip, adjustable brake and safety blade or bench clamped; which allows the tape to be easy to reach when the operator is in a difficult or awkward position.
Transporting and storing any company’s products comes with many challenges, but these can be reduced with careful considering to your specific packaging needs. Whether taping and storing on a small scale or running a large corporation, companies can gain massively by investing in the right taping materials.
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