Technical Service | Material Evaluation | Machine
Parts List | Machine Manuals List
The following information is provided as a benefit to
those who visit our web site. From A to Z, all Tape &
Label Industry related terms and definitions are
listed below.
ACETATE (cellulose
acetate)
A transparent film that is used for various reasons in
tape backings; the primary characteristic is that of
being more moisture resistant than cellophane.
ACRYLIC
A synthetic polymer with excellent aging
characteristics that can be used as either a single
component adhesive or a coating or saturant' depending
upon composition.
ADHESION
A bond produced between a pressure sensitive adhesive
and a surface.
ADHESION BUILD-UP
An increase in the peel adhesion value of a pressure
sensitive tape after it has been allowed to dwell to
the applied surface.
ADHESION TO BACKING
The bond produced by contact between a pressure
sensitive adhesive and the tape backing when one piece
is applied to the back of another piece of the same
tape.
ADHESIVE
Any material that will usefully hold two or more
objects together solely by intimate surface contact.
ADHESIVE DEPOSIT
Adhesive that is pulled away from the tape and remains
on the surface to which the tape was applied.
ADHESIVE RESIDUE
See Adhesive Deposit.
ADHESIVE TRANSFER
The transfer of adhesive from its normal position on
the tape to the surface to which the tape was
attached' either during unwind or removal.
ADHESIVE TRANSFER TAPE
Adhesive
that is designed to be pulled off its backing and can
transferred to a product.
ADVANCEMENT ROLLER
A mechanism
in tape dispensers that pulls tape through the machine
and then pushes it out and through the cutting head to
be cut.
BACKING
A relatively thin flexible material to which the
adhesive is applied. Theoretically' any material that
is reasonably flat' relatively thin' and flexible
could be used as a tape backing.
BI-DIRECTIONAL
Related to strapping tapes' in which the reinforcing
material consists of filaments in both the length and
cross directions' usually a woven cloth.
BLEEDING
Penetration through the tape of a coloring liquid
(paint' etc.) onto the surface to which the tape is
applied.
CARRIER
Sometimes used to refer to the backing material'
particularly in double-faced tapes.
CELLOPHANE
(regenerated cellulose)
A thin transparent film manufactured from wood pulp.
COATED CLOTH
Fabric with a rubber or plastic back coating to give
increased moisture resistance and longer wear.
COHESION (cohesive
strength' internal bond)
The ability of the adhesive to resist splitting. Good
cohesion is necessary for clean removal.
CONFORMABILITY
The ability of tape to fit snugly or make essentially
complete contact with the surface of an irregular
object without creasing or folding.
CORE
The
cylindrical, inner support piece that a roll of tape
or labels is wrapped around. Often made of cardboard
or plastic and bearing the insignia of the
manufacturer.
CORE HOLDER
A round,
plastic device mounted inside of a roll of tape or
labels; allows the roll to be secured on a machine for
dispensing.
CREASER
An addition
to a tape dispenser that puts a crease in thin film or
flimsy tapes to reinforce them as they are dispensed
and prevent them from curling.
CUPPING
A slight U-shaped deformation of the tape (at right
angles to the length) which usually appears after
unwind tension is relaxed.
CURLING
The tendency of a tape to curl back on itself when
unwound from the roll and allowed to hang from the
roll.
CUTTING HEAD
The area of
a tape dispenser that includes the photosensor and
cutting blade. Working together, they form the cutting
head and perform the action of cutting each piece of
tape.
DAISY CHAIN
The process
of connecting multiple label dispensers together. When
daisy-chained, the dispensers function as one and
dispense in sync with each other.
DEAD STRETCH
The net increase in length after tape has been
elongated without breaking and allowed to recover.
DELAMINATION
A separation of splitting of the tape such as
separation of the backing into two distinct layers'
separation between laminations of a tape consisting of
more than one backing' or the separation between
filaments and backing of a filament-reinforced tape.
DIELECTRIC STRENGTH
The voltage that a tape will withstand without
allowing passage of the current through it.
DISCOLORATION
See Stain.
DISHING
See Telescoping.
DOUBLE COATED
The adhesive is applied on both sides of the backing'
which serves principally as a carrier for the
adhesive.
EDGE CURL
The peeling back or lifting of the outer edge of a
tape after application. See Cupping.
ELASTIC MEMORY
A tendency of some tape backings to attempt to return
to their original length after being elongated.
ELONGATION (stretch'
ultimate elongation)
The distance a tape will stretch lengthwise before
backing' expressed as a percentage of original length.
Elongation is not necessarily an indication of
conformability.
FALL-OFF
Tape pulls completely away from the surface to which
applied and drops off.
FEED SPEED
The
velocity at which a tape or label is dispensed through
a machine. Often represented in inches or millimeters
per second.
FILAMENTS
Thin longitudinal "threads" of glass' polyester'
nylon' or other high-strength materials.
FILAMENT TAPE
High
performance, high strength tape constructed to close,
reinforce, bundle, unitize, and seal products and
packages.
FILM
Uniform' homogeneous' nonfibrous synthetic webs.
FLAKING
A condition sometimes occurring during removal of
masking tape' in which flakes or particles of paint
break off the tape backing.
FLATBACK
Smooth paper backing.
FLEXIBILITY
The ability of a tape to be bent or flexed freely.
FLUOROCARBON FILMS
A film with very high and low temperature limits'
excellent electrical characteristics' and a very
slippery' non-sticking surface. One example is Du
Pont's Teflon' (polytetrafluorethylene).
FLUTING
Distortion of a roll of tape such that layers no
longer form a circle.
FOAM
A soft' cushiony material formed by creating bubbles
in base material' such as natural or synthetic
rubbers' or other elastomeric materials.
FOOT PRINT
The size of
the flat plane that a machine takes up on a workspace.
GAPPING
Openings between layers of tape within a roll.
GHOSTING
See Offsetting.
GLOSS
An appearance characteristic of tape backings' usually
expressed by such terms as glossy' low gloss' matte'
etc.
GUMMED TAPE
See Water Activated Tape.
HEAT RESISTANCE
The ability of a tape to withstand exposure to
specified temperatures after application to a surface.
Clean removal after exposure may or may not be
important depending on the intended function of the
tape and the type of adhesive.
HIGH-SPEED UNWIND
Unwinding or dispensing of tapes at a relatively high
rate of speed' usually more than 50' feet per minute.
HIGH TACK TAPE
Tapes that
are extremely tacky or sticky, and tend to be very
difficult to dispense (ex: foam tape, adhesive
transfer tape, etc). These are best dispensed with a
feed roller that is modified to be non-stick (example
TDA080-NS).
HOLDING POWER (shear
adhesion)
The ability of a tape to resist the static forces
applied in the same plane as the backing. Usually
expressed in a time required for a given weight to
cause a given amount of tape to come loose from a
vertical panel.
HOLIDAY
A small defect' particularly in an electrical or pipe
wrapping tape' that lowers the dielectric strength at
the point of the defect below a certain desired
minimum.
HOT MELT (pressure
sensitive adhesive)
A pressure sensitive adhesive' applied to the backing
in a hot molten form' that cools to form a
conventional pressure sensitive adhesive.
IMPACT RESISTANCE
(shock resistance)
The ability of a tape to resist sudden pulls or shocks
as may sometimes be encountered by packages in
transit.
INSULATION RESISTANCE
The ability of a tape to prevent the flow of current
across its surface' usually measured on the backing.
INSULATING TAPE
Normally refers to tape used for electrical
insulation.
KAPTON®
A thin high
temperature tape often used in electronic masking
applications
KRAFT
A sulfate wood pulp paper. See Saturation.
LABEL REWINDER
A machine that winds and unwinds spools of labels
onto a core. Often used for dispersing labels from an
in-house printer to workers among a warehouse.
LABEL STOCK
Pressure sensitive materials that are usually printed'
frequently die-cut' furnished in roll or sheet from
with a liner' and intended for use as labels.
LAMINATING DISPENSER
A tape
dispenser that bonds together, then dispenses and cuts
two or more rolls of tape together. This type of
dispenser is often used in applications for motor
manufacturing and coil winding that require layering
of tapes (example: TDA080-LAM)
LAMINATION
A combination of two or more similar or dissimilar
materials that function as one backing' for example'
acetate and tissue in acetate fiber tapes.
LINER
Also
referred to as “backing”. Protects the adhesive side
of a tape or label and is often made of thin, coated
paper.
LIFTING
A situation where a section of tape has pulled away
from the surface to which it has been applied.
MASKING TAPE
Most
commonly thought to be paper tape, yet there are many
masking type tapes for different industrial
applications (powder coating, electronic assembly,
painting, etc.)
MASS
Sometimes used as another name for the adhesive.
METAL FOIL
Thin' flexible sheets of metal' such as aluminum and
lead' used as tape backings because of inherent
properties such as weather resistance' reflectivity'
etc.
NON-WOVEN
A manufactured sheet' web or batt of directionally or
randomly oriented fibers' bonded by friction and/or
cohesion and/or adhesion' excluding paper and products
that are woven' knitted' tufted' stitch bonded
incorporating binding yarns or filaments' or felted by
wet milling.
NYLON
A strong plastic that can be used as a film with high
oil and gas resistance or used as filament in
strapping tapes' with high impact resistance.
OFFSETTING
Occurs when a printed tape is unwound and some of the
printing ink is picked off by the adhesive or migrates
into the adhesive. It is' in effect' a delaminating of
the ink.
OOZING
A "squeezing out" of the adhesive from under the
backing. If it occurs when the tape is in roll form'
the edges of the roll become tacky.
OPAQUENESS
The ability of a tape to prevent the transmission of
light.
PEAKING
Large singular upheavals in the outer layers of a roll
of tape.
PENETRATION RESISTANCE
The ability of a tape to resist slow puncture under
pressure.
PHOTOELECTRIC SENSOR
See
photosensor.
PHOTOSENSOR
A sensor
mounted on a tape or label dispenser which facilitates
the feeding of tape or labels, based on the absence or
presence of a material. Photosensors are a more
reliable option than a limit switch for starting and
stopping a dispenser, as they are solid state and do
not come into contact with any materials being
dispensed.
PLAIN CLOTH
Fabric woven from cotton' glass' or other fibers
without further treatment.
POLYETHYLENE
A tough' stretchy film having very good
low-temperature characteristics.
POLYESTER
A strong film having good resistance to moisture'
solvents' oil' caustics' and many other chemicals. It
is usually transparent.
POLYPROPYLENE
A cousin of polyethylene' with generally similar
properties' but stronger and having a higher
temperature resistance.
POLYVINYLIDENE
CHLORIDE
A usually very thin transparent film with excellent
resistance to acids' water' and organic solvents.
PRESSURE FEED
The area
where tape is dispensed through and cut. The pressure
feed can be adjusted to work more efficiently based on
the properties of the tape being dispensed.
PRESSURE SENSITIVE
A term commonly used to designate a distinct category
of adhesive tapes and adhesives' which' in dry
(solvent-free) form' are aggressively and permanently
tacky at room temperature and firmly adhere to a
variety of dissimilar surfaces upon mere contact
without the need of more than finger or hand pressure.
They require no activation by water' solvent' or heat
to exert a strong adhesive holding force toward such
materials as paper' plastic' glass' wood' cement' and
metals. They have a sufficiently cohesive holding and
elastic nature so that' despite their aggressive
tackiness' they can be handled with the fingers and
removed from smooth surfaces without leaving a
residue. General trade usage by leading tape
manufacturers does not sanction extension of the term
"pressure sensitive" to embrace tapes and adhesives
merely because they are sticky (e.g.' fly-papers)' or
merely because they adhere or cohere to a particular
type of surface (e.g. self-sealing envelopes); terms
other than "pressure sensitive" should be used in such
cases to avoid confusion.
PRESSURE SENSITIVE
TAPE
A combination of a pressure sensitive adhesive and a
backing.
PRINTABILITY
The ability of tape to accept and hold a printed
legend and resist offset of printing when rewound into
a roll after printing.
PRINTING
The pattern of a tape left on a surface after tape has
been removed. Most apt to occur when tape is applied
to a freshly painted surface that has not fully
hardened.
PROTECTIVE FILM
A low tack
adhesive often used in packaging to guard electronics
or other fragile merchandise from scratches and wear
on outer surfaces such as lcd displays.
PUCKERING
The uneven' non-flat condition of masking paper to
which tape has been applied.
QUICK STICK (tack'
finger tack' initial adhesion' wet grab)
The property of a pressure sensitive adhesive that
allows it to adhere to a surface under very light
pressure. It is determined by the ability of the
adhesive to wet the surface contacted quickly.
RECOVERY
The difference between ultimate elongation and dead
stretch.
REEL STAND
An external
stand used with tape and label dispensers when rolls
need to be dispensed that are outside the maximum
diameter allowed on the machine.
REINFORCEMENTS
A material added to a tape to provide additional
strength.
RELEASE COATING (easy
unwind treatment)
A coating applied to the backing on the side opposite
the adhesive that provides ease of unwind and prevents
delaminating or tearing.
RELEASE COAT TRANSFER
Particles of the release coat stick to the adhesive on
unwind; the resulting tape will have little or no
ability to stick.
RELEASE LINER
A web or sheet of material covering the adhesive side
of a tape. It is removed prior to application. Most
frequently found on double-coated tapes and label
stocks.
REMOVAL
The act of pulling tape away from the surface to which
it has been applied.
RESIDUE
See Adhesive Residue.
RIDGING
A mound-like swelling on the outer layers of a roll'
lengthwise to the tape. Usually found on the more
moisture-sensitive materials' such as cellophane.
ROPE STOCK
A smooth paper made of hemp fiber for high tensile
strength.
SATURATION
(impregnation)
Adding materials (saturant) to the backing for
improvement of physical properties and resistance to
various deleterious environments. The backing of paper
tapes' for instance' actually may contain as much as
50% by weight of a rubber-based impregnant.
SCORING
When the
liner of a die-cut part or label is cut. This happens
when a die cuts the label or die-cut part too deep
therefore cutting the liner.
SEPARATING
See Gapping.
SERRATED BLADE
A blade with notches along its sharp surface, which
allow for thicker, more difficult-to-dispense tapes to
be cut.
SHEAR ADHESION
See Holding Power.
SHRINKAGE
Reduction in any dimension of a tape.
SILICONE
A unique polymer system that can be a very effective
release coating' or pressure sensitive adhesive
capable of functioning effectively at extreme
temperatures.
SINGLE FACED
The adhesive is applied to one side of the backing
only. Most pressure sensitive tapes are of this type.
SIZED
Fabric' usually cotton' treated to give added
stiffness and easier handling.
SLIP SHEET OR
INTERLINER
A treated sheet used to cover the adhesive to
facilitate handling.
SLIVERING
Tape tears or breaks into small pieces' either on
unwind or removal from a surface.
SMOOTHNESS
The relative flatness of the tape backing.
SPLITTING
See Delamination.
STIFFNESS
The measure of a tape's flexibility and
conformability.
STORAGE STABILITY
(roll-aging resistance)
The ability of a tape to retain its original
properties after storage.
STRINGINESS
A condition of the adhesive in which it feels very
soft and mushy' and on close examination relatively
long "legs" or "strings" of adhesive can be pulled out
of the adhesive.
STRIP PLATE
A piece of a label dispenser that performs the peeling
process. Ideally, it is made from a sharp piece of
metal, as opposed to plastic or a wound metal coil.
TACKY
The condition of the adhesive when it feels sticky or
highly adhesive; also used to express the idea of
pressure sensitivity.
TEARING
Breaking or slivering of a tape during unwind.
TAKE UP HUB
An area of
an electric label dispenser where the disposed liner
is neatly gathered and wound onto a rod for easy
removal and disposal.
TAPE GUIDES
Devices on a tape dispenser that conduct the
alignment of tape as it moves through the dispenser.
TAPE WRAPPER
A type of tape dispenser that applies tape around
bundles, as opposed to flatter surfaces. Often used on
cables, wires, and cords.
TEAR RESISTANCE
The ability of a tape to resist tearing after cutting
or nicking of the edge has started a tear.
TELESCOPING
A sideways sliding of the tape layers' one over the
other' such that the roll looks like a funnel or a
telescope.
TENSILE STRENGTH
(breaking strength)
The force required to break a piece of tape by pulling
on opposite ends of the piece.
THERMOPLASTIC
ADHESIVES
Adhesives that become softer as temperature increases'
regardless of the number of heating cycles to which
they are exposed.
THERMOSETTING
ADHESIVES
Adhesives that set up or harden on first exposure to
heat' and remain set regardless of subsequent
temperature cycles.
THICKNESS (caliper'
gauge)
Distance from one surface of either a tape' backing or
adhesive to the other' usually expressed in mils or
thousandths of an inch. This is usually measured under
slight pressure with a special gauge.
TRANSFER
Normally refers to "adhesive transfer" but sometimes
is said of any tape component that moves from its
proper place to some other position during unwind or
removal.
TRANSPARENCY
The ability of a tape to allow transmission of light.
A tape is rated as transparent if 10-point type can be
read easily when the tape is applied directly over it.
TWISTING
The curling around the lengthwise axis of a length of
tape that has been unwound from the roll and allowed
to hang freely.
ULTIMATE ADHESION
The maximum adhesion available from a pressure
sensitive adhesive' determined by the force necessary
to remove a strip of tape from a surface after an
extended period of time.
UNIFORMITY
The consistency of a single type of tape' either
within a roll or from roll to roll or from lot to lot.
UNPLASTICIZED VINYL (UPVC)
A tough durable plastic film' differing from PVC
principally in that UPVC is not very stretchy.
UNROLLING
See Unwind.
UNWIND or UNWIND
ADHESION (Unrolling)
The force required to remove tape from the roll.
VINYL or PLASTICIZED
POLYVINYL' CHLORIDE (PVC)
A tough' durable plastic film having excellent
resistance to oils' chemicals' and many solvents. It
has excellent abrasion resistance. It also can be
colored. Its high stretch is due to the addition of a
plasticizer.
VOID
A bare uncoated area on either the adhesive or
release-coated side of the tape.
WATER ACTIVATED TAPE
A type of tape, often with a paper
backing, which the adhesive must be activated by water
before it is adherent. Often used in shipping and
packaging, as it bonds with corrugated cardboard even
in dusty, dirty conditions.
WEAVING
A poorly wound roll of tape in which the individual
layers of tape are not in alignment with the other
layers.
