Masking tape

Masking Tape

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Masking tape

Masking tape is a type of pressure sensitive tape

Pressure sensitive tape

Pressure sensitive tape, PSA tape, Adhesive tape, Self stick tape, Sticky tape consists of a pressure sensitive adhesive coated onto a backing material such as paper, plastic film, cloth, or metal foil....
made of a thin and easy-to-tear paper, and an easily released pressure sensitive adhesive

Pressure sensitive adhesive

Pressure sensitive adhesive is adhesive which forms a bond when pressure is applied to marry the adhesive with the adherend. No solvent, water, or heat is needed to activate the adhesive....
. It is available in a variety of widths. It is used mainly in painting

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting....
, to mask off

Masking

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Encyclopedia

Masking tape is a type of pressure sensitive tape

Pressure sensitive tape

Pressure sensitive adhesive

Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting....
, to mask off

Masking

In art, masking is using materials to protect areas from change, or to focus change on other areas.Masking can describe either the techniques and materials used to control the development of a work of art by protecting a desired area from change; or a phenomenon that causes a sensation to be concealed from conscious attention...
areas that should not be painted. The adhesive is the key element to its usefulness, as it allows the tape to be easily removed without leaving residue or damaging the surface to which it is applied. The tape is available in several strengths, rated on a 1–100 scale based on the strength of the adhesive. Most painting operations will require a tape in the 50 range. Household masking tape is made of an even weaker paper and lower grade adhesive.

History

Masking tape was invented in 1925 by 3M

3M Company , formerly Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company until 2002, is an United States multinational corporation Conglomerate corporation with a worldwide presence....
employee Richard Drew

Richard Drew (inventor)

Richard Gurley Drew was an United States inventor who worked for 3M in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he invented masking tape, cellophane tape, and Duct tape....
. Drew observed auto

Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
-body workers growing frustrated when they removed butcher paper

Butcher paper

Butcher paper is cheap but sturdy paper that is sold in large rolls. "Butcher paper" is white, made from kraft pulp and is generally considered to be between 30 lb/3000 sq ft and 50 lb/3000 sq ft basis weight of paper....
they had taped to cars they were painting. The strong adhesive on the tape peeled off some of the paint they had just applied. Touching up the damaged areas increased their costs. Drew realized the need for tape with a more gentle adhesive.

Usage

For its original use of marking off areas where auto body paint is not desired, a special grade of painter's masking tape is needed. With this special grade, very clean lines can be produced. Without it, the paint bleeds under the edges of the tape, producing a fuzzy or varied line.

Drafting

Technical drawing

File:Drafter at work.jpgFile:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F038800-0010, Wolfsburg, VW Autowerk.jpgTechnical drawing is the discipline of creating Standardization technology drawing by architects, CAD drafters, design engineers, and related professionals....
tape looks similar to ordinary household masking tape, but has a lower tack. It is intended to hold blueprints to a drawing board or light table

Light table

A light table is a viewing device that is used to review photographic film or artwork placed on top of it. It provides even illumination of the subject from below through a translucent cover and fluorescent lights that emit little heat....
, and to pull off easily without damaging the drawing.

House painter's tape is rated by how many days it can be left up without leaving residue on the surface being masked. It is available in 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, and 60-day ratings, with the 7 and 14-day tapes being the most common. The longer-rated tapes are typically less adhesive, and are sold for use on smooth, delicate surfaces such as vinyl wallpaper and recently painted walls. In any case, the tape should be removed immediately after painting regardless of how long it was left up beforehand. Painter's tape is often blue or purple in color as opposed to the tan household masking tape.

Other types

When constructed with polymer

Polymer

A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. While polymer in popular usage suggests plastic, the term actually refers to a large class of natural and synthetic materials with a variety of properties....
films instead of paper, masking tapes can be used for more rigorous applications. Polyester

Polyester

Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate ....
based tapes are used to mask off during etching

Etching

Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal ....
, plating

Plating

Plating describes surface-covering where a metal is deposited on a conductive surface. Plating has been done for hundreds of years, but it is also critical for modern technology....
, and in particular, powder coating

Powder coating

Powder coating is a type of dry coating, which is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form....
. Tapes based on polyimide

Polyimide

Polyimide is a polymer of imide monomers. The structure of imide is as shown.Thermosetting polyimides are commercially available as uncured resins, stock shapes, thin sheets, laminates and machines parts....
films can resist molten solder

Solder

A solder is a fusible alloy metal alloy with a melting point or melting range of 90 to 450 ?Celsius , used in a process called soldering where it is melted to join metallic surfaces....
in electronics

Electronics

Electronics refers to the flow of charge through nonmetal electrical conductor , whereas electrical refers to the flow of charge through metal electrical conductor....
applications. Glass cloth tapes are often used in powder coating and sandblasting

Sandblasting

Sandblasting or bead blasting is a generic term for the process of smoothing, shaping and cleaning a hard surface by forcing solid particles across that surface at high speeds; the effect is similar to that of using sandpaper, but provides a more even finish with no problems at corners or crannies....
operations. Foil

Foil

Foil may refer to:Materials:* Foil , a thin sheet of metal* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food...
or vinyl

Vinyl

A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group , −CarbonHydrogenCovalent bondCH2. These are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group....
tapes are often used in plating. Layered tapes made from multiple materials laminate

Laminate

A laminate is a material constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and sealing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an adhesive....
d together can be used for masking flame spray, thermal spray and HVOF.

The adhesive applied to a tape is often a critical determining factor for a given masking situation. There are three broad types of adhesives (with many chemical variations of each): rubber

Rubber

Natural rubber is an elastomer?an Elasticity_ hydrocarbon polymer?that was originally derived from a milky colloidal suspension, or latex , found in the sap of some plants....
-based, acrylic

Acryl group

In organic chemistry, the acryloyl group is the functional group with structure Hydrogen2Carbon=CH?C?; it is the acyl group derived from acrylic acid....
-based, and silicone

Silicone

Silicones are largely inert, man-made compounds with a wide variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant, nonstick, and rubberlike, they are commonly used in cookware, medicine, sealants, adhesives, lubricants, and insulation....
-based. Rubber based adhesives generally provide the greatest adhesion, but the lowest temperature resistance. Acrylic-based adhesives offer a wide temperature range, providing adhesion from sub-freezing temperatures up to 275–325° Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit , who proposed it in 1724. Today, the scale has largely been replaced by the Celsius scale; it is still in use for non-scientific purposes in the United States and a few other countries such as Belize....
(about 150° Celsius

Celsius

Celsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death....
). Silicone based adhesives provide the highest temperature resistance, with some tapes (such as some polyimide films and glass cloth tapes) allowing for intermittent use up to 500°F (260°C).

Masking tape

History

Usage

Other types

External links