Pressure-sensitive Tape - Tape Glossary

Tape Glossary

• Backing. The primary component of tape upon which an adhesive is applied. Examples are cloth, paper, metal foil, film etc.
• Conformability. Ability of a tape to make total contact with a rough or uneven surface.
• Creped. Paper that has small "folds" to provide stretchability and conformability.
• Double-coated, or two-sided tape. Pressure-sensitive tape with adhesive on both sides of the carrier material.
• Gapping. Openings between layers of tape within a roll.
• Release coating. A very thin coating applied to the impervious tape backing so as to allow the tape to be unwound at a controlled level.
• Substrate. The material which the PSA tape must adhere to
• Tack. The sticky feel of the tape. It is the initial adhesion without rub-down.
• Telescoping. A sideways sliding of the tape layers, one over the other, so that the roll looks like a funnel or telescope.
• Unwind. The force to remove or unwind the tape from a roll.