About Polypropylene Tape
When people move, they’re often surprised not only at how many boxes they need but how any different types of boxes and packing materials they need. Broken down boxes from the liquor store and bunched up newspaper and tape are sometimes just not enough.
One thing a person who’s moving will need to do is buy polypropylene tape. Why polypropylene tape?
Polypropylene is a type of thermoplastic polymer that’s used for a wide variety of things beside packing tape. A thermoplastic polymer is a plastic that has a smooth but rigid finish when it’s cool and grows soft when it’s heated.
Polypropylene tape can be told from other types of packing tape because it makes a distinctive crackling noise when it’s pulled off the roll. Its uses range from roofing material to plumbing pipes to plastic bags. The tape itself can also be used to join fittings to polyvinyl chloride ducts. It’s light weight, inexpensive, sturdy and can come in a variety of vibrant colors including white, tan, blue, green, red, yellow and orange. It can also be clear and doublesided. The doublesided tape will have a paper backing that will need to be peeled off before the tape is used.
The size of the tape can also vary. polypropylene tape can be bought in widths of one half inch and up, and in lengths from 55 yards to 1500 yards and up, depending on the needs of the purchaser. The thickness of the tape can also vary from 1.7 mm to 3 mm. The thicker the tape, the heavier the box it can seal. Manufacturers recommend that 2.0 mm polypropylene tape be used for boxes that weigh 30 pounds or under, while 3 mm tape can be used for boxes that can weigh over 50 pounds.
The tape can come with two adhesive systems. The first one is the hot melt system. This requires the use of a glue gun and is better for packages that need to be very well secured. The other adhesive system is acrylic, which doesn’t need heat.
Other advantages of polypropylene tape are its resistance to abrasion and water. It also resists corrosion by acids and alkalines and has a high bond strength that keeps its edges from lifting up and curling, a fault of other, less adhesive tapes. Polypropylene tape can also be snugly applied to packages with awkward shapes and keeps its elasticity.
