Packaging Tape
Packaging tape can come in many colors, although it is most often a clear, tan or brown shade. Sometimes different colors can be used to designate certain destinations or shipping services, as different hues of
electrical tape designate a certain type of wire. For example, red or orange is often used to mark a Fed-Express package, green is for 1st class and blue marks a package as a 2nd day UPS shipping. Another tape used in this way is
PTFE tape, which designates certain types of piping. Clear packaging tape is used to protect mailing labels. Generally, packaging tape is sold with a width of two inches, but it is available between three eighths of an inch and four inches. Rolls are between fifty five and sixty yards. Depending on the packaging material needs, packaging tape can be made from a few different materials itself. Both aluminum and copper foil have been added to the plastic or paper sheets of packaging adhesives to improve strength, while fluoropolymer film is used in packaging situations that require chemical resistance.
Because it has a high adhesive strength and needs a great amount of unwinding force, packaging tape is difficult to apply using only your hands. It also cannot be torn by hands alone. Another reason application can be difficult is that packaging tape comes double sided as well as single sided, depending on specific shipping needs. Therefore, many brands of packaging tape are sold with hand-held dispensers, which hold the role of tape and have a device to shear the tape, easing the applying process.
Tape suppliers like
3M market tape accessories such as dispensers and special tape cutting scissors independently of rolls of tape as well. In the past few years, bio-degradable packaging tape has been introduced to consumers. It allows for easier disposal of packaging materials. Since containers like cardboard boxes are already bio-degradable, the tape and container no longer need to be separated before being thrown away. Advances like biodegradable packaging tape are attractive to earth friendly consumers, and is one of the few examples of how an excellent product can always be improved upon.
