www.gizmag.com: People may make jokes about how duct tape can be used to fix just about anything, but a new product is claimed to be 100 times stronger than our matte-silver friend. It's called FiberFix, and it's a tape impregnated with a resin that reportedly "hardens like steel."
13 comments:
STRONGER THAN DUCT TAPE??? Impossible! (Joking)
While there are many adhesive products out there that are stronger than duct tape (Many epoxy's, fiberglass, and several rare kind of tapes) none of these are ready-off-the-shelf available at duct tape, nor as convenient. FiberFix, although a brilliant product for tape applications that need a little something extra, does not seem like it would be as convenient as duck tape that you can pull out of a bag and slap on.
Well, you know, Gaff tape is better than duct tape too. This is really cool but look at that price! That's crazy! Duct tape is so available and less expensive, it is no wonder that people use that instead of any other fancy choice. Even Gaff tape is on the expensive side. A broken handle, like in the video, could just as easily been fixed with duct tape. Sure you'd have to replace it eventually, but you have to replace most tools when they become less sharp/don't fulfill their intended purposes anymore. This is cool but not convenient.
It would be interesting to see if this stuff really bonds to items other than itself. In a wrapping context this stuff works as advertised. I like the idea that you can use this stuff on multiple different materials and with the epoxy base on this I wonder how much porosity the two surfaces effects the bonding. I really want to test the material of the tape itself and the tensile strength of the tape when impregnated with the resin.
As Luke mentioned, I'm curious as to whether or not this resin imbued fiber actually bonds to the surface it is laid upon, as well as itself. If it's the latter, the products usefulness is quite limited in situations where it cannot be wrapped around the object(s) to touch itself. Although the title of the article touts it as the harbinger of duct tape's demise, that really isn't the case. Using FiberFix requires more supplies, forethought, and time than a simple roll of duct tape. For most people, duct tape is not a permanent fix. This product seems to aim to be.
So I just not sure. I want some of the tape and try it. Also does the tape containment the water? Because it said do not get the tape on your skin.
So yes I see this could be useful in our world. It does stink that it takes 24 hours to become fully hard, but nothing that is not a supper big deal.
Biggest thing for me is to get some of the tape and try it. Will it hold a shovel handle together under load?
This seems like an amazing innovation but it seems very expensive. Hopefully in coming years this product's cost will decrease. It would be very effective for repairing scenery or maybe for strengthening a curved surface, especially in props. Once FiberFix is silver it might surpass duck tape.
There's another demo video on their website showing a salesman fixing the shoving and then after 10mins (I think) putting his full weight on it. It's never gonna replace duct tape because when you buy a roll of duct tape you get a bit more than one 60" strip...and it's not a one shot, one kill sort of thing. However, I still think the product has some merit. Duct tape, and especially gaffe tape dry out after time and lose their strength and grip, they also don't stand up to water very well.
It seems like this is just an easy mess free way to apply epoxy to an object. There are definitely situations where this would be useful and more effective than duct tape but for the most part duct tape is used because it is cheap and easy, not because it will permanently fix the object. I would say that there should be a middle ground between FiberFix and duct tape but Gaff tape is already pretty close.
Because I love Sharktank, I am a bit biased toward liking this product. However, I don't think that this will ever get rid of duct tape. One of the reasons people like duct tape so much is because it's simple. all a person has to do is rip a piece off a roll and use it. Of course there are stronger products out there, but when it comes to hassle, and possibly being allergic to the item, I'm not surprised that duct tape still wins out. I wish this product the best of luck though, it's a great idea.
Let’s get some!
I’m not entirely sure where we’d use it, but I’m sure at some point a project will come up and we’ll wish we had this.
I wonder how much this material can be stretched in a compound contour? If I had a positive 3D Shape, could I used this to make an ultra high strength negative mold? If it’s fiberglass, how heat resistant is it?
I’m actually really exited to find some cool uses for this product. I’m not sure why this is so exciting; I just love finding new products that I haven’t seen before.
Two-part steel stick putty is my standby moldable epoxy; perhaps this will be my standby wet tape.
I think that this can be an incredibly useful product. Some of the current arguments on this take is that it is not a "now" fix but rather a "tomorrow" fix. Some people prefer duct tape because it will help solve the problem now whereas the FiberFix will take care of the issue with some time, but with more permanence. I think it would be interesting to test this material in a number of different situations and on different materials, and like Luke said, not in a wrapping fashion. Perhaps it could soon be the adhesive of tomorrow.
I'm not sure why this article is being compared to duct tape, as the two seem to be designed for different scenarios. It seems to me as though duct tape is meant for quick fixes, for situations where things need to be fixed now, but that don't need to be permanent. Meanwhile, FiberFix seems to be for permanent solutions, and thus is not really being used in the same situations.
Picked up a roll of fiberfix from local hardware store. I plan on getting a few props lined up and test it on them. Then I do not have to use fiberglass and resin.
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