Choosing The Right Type Of Packaging Tapes To Help Your Business Grow
If you’re looking for industrial packaging tapes, choosing the right tape for your applications is essential. Damaged packaging tape can result in damage to products, disappointed customers, and, therefore, losses to your business.
Does this mean you need to choose expensive heavy-duty tapes to secure your products? Usually not. You’ll increase your business’s profitability if you choose the tape which best suits your applications, rather than paying for more than you need.
What should you consider when choosing the right type of packaging tape?
Important factors to consider when choosing packaging tapes
A packaging tape’s strength depends on its backing materials, and its adhesive. Choosing the right combination of the two elements for your application means that your products will be protected during transport and storage. You may even save money, if you find that a general purpose packaging tape does the job, over a heavy duty tape.
Additional packaging tape factors to consider:
- Tape quality. A reputable supplier will stock quality packaging tape and known brands.
- Tape grade. Tapes’ grades are classified according to the thickness of a tape’s backing material and adhesive, plus the width of the tape. When you’re choosing a grade, consider the size of your packages, their weight, and shipping factors. Will your products be stored in the open, where they might be affected by heat, cold, or rain?
- Tape application: how will the tape be applied? In many situations, packaging is done manually, using a tape dispenser. However, high-volume operations use automatic carton sealers or taping machines. If you’re sealing via machine, use the recommended packaging tape for your brand of machine.
When choosing the right tape, the type of adhesive matters.
The adhesive used in a packaging tapes affects its performance
Polypropylene-backed tape with a hot melt adhesive of synthetic rubber is a popular industrial packaging tape because it’s strong and durable: it suits most common applications, and is low-cost.
Used in many industries, it adheres quickly to corrugated and smooth cardboard, and performs well, even in high temperature environments.
In recent years, acrylic packaging tape has also become popular, and is preferred over tapes with hot melt adhesives in some industries, such as the food industry. Primarily this is because the tape doesn’t yellow as it ages, so it presents a better appearance.
Acrylic tape is suitable for temperature extremes, such as the temperatures in refrigerated transport and storage. The tape’s adhesive won’t weaken over time; it becomes stronger, so it’s the right choice for products which will be stored for months or even years.
If you’re looking for a super-strong adhesive, which is durable and reliable, consider a packaging tape with a natural rubber adhesive. Although it’s expensive, this tape is the right choice for situations in which your packaging will be under stress: if you’re exporting goods across the world, for example.
A natural rubber adhesive ensures that the packaging tape adheres instantly and reliably, in all environments, and to all materials, no matter how bulky. It’s also the best choice if you’re using recycled packaging.
Unfortunately, the natural rubber packaging tapes develop a yellow tinge during long storage, so this may be a consideration for your applications.
Are you looking for ultra-heavy duty packaging tape? Consider filament tapes.
Consider super-strength filament packaging tapes for secure packaging
As the name suggests, “filament” tapes have backings which contain filaments, usually of fibreglass, combined with a synthetic rubber adhesive.
This combination gives filament tapes high tensile strength; they’re almost impossible to tear and are stronger than standard packaging tapes. Additionally, they’re moisture and solvent resistant.
Filament tapes are available in several grades. They’re trusted in many industries, including the food, electronics, automotive manufacturing, and oil and gas industries. They’re also used for for bulky packaging, as well as for pallet strapping.
If you’re looking for packaging tapes which can be customized for your operations, filament tapes will meet your needs. They can be clear or coloured, as well as printed.
Are you using a packaging machine? Special machine tapes are available.
Choosing a tape for your high-volume packaging machine
If you’re looking for machine packaging tapes, choose the type of backing and adhesive for your application. Then choose the width and the length of tape—machine packaging tapes are available in large rolls.
Machine taping has many advantages: productivity increases, because a machine is fast. Your costs go down, because a machine tapes efficiently, reducing waste.
Gateway Packaging meets all your packaging needs.
At Gateway Packaging, we make choosing the right packaging tapes easy
Gateway Packaging offers a broad range of packaging tapes to suit your applications. Review our range. If you have questions, we’re available to answer them.