Tuesday, August 19, 2014
More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Duct Tape
Tools of the Trade: According to the press release, lamination is the most common method for manufacturing duct tape, and involves the continuous combination of film, cloth and adhesive. Laminated duct tapes are flexible and conform to a variety of surfaces—making them best for use on curved and uneven surfaces. The other way to make tape is by co-extrusion, which involves melding polyethylene, cloth, and adhesive in a single high-temperature process. Co-extruded tape is thinner, stronger, and lays flatter than laminated tape, and won’t delaminate when subject to stress and weather.
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I’ve always been rather curious as to how duct tape, or any tape for that matter has been made. I guess that I just never thought to look it up on Youtube…
However, the infographic and explanation in the article are even more interesting. I never realized there were two different manufacturing processes for what I’ve long believed was just one product. I supposed it makes sense though….I’ve test driven various brands and types of tape, and maybe this explains the mix bag of results I’ve had in the past. Gorilla Tape has long been my product of choice (I also find Gorilla’s glue to be quality products as well). Gorilla Tape claims to have a double layer of adhesive, which is what makes it a stiffer product, and one of claims to success. According to Wikipedia (the most reliable resource on the internet) Gorilla Tape has a 3-layer construction consisting of a weather-resistant outer shell, a reinforced backing and the double adhesive I mentioned earlier (reviewed by Popular Science in 2006). According to Wikipedia there is a slight offset between the two top layers of the tape that make it 145% stronger than your average duct tape. I guess that’s why it’s the only product that would hold the hood together on my old ’92 Ranger pick-up in the day.
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