FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How can I tell the difference between Hot Melt and Acrylic Tapes?
   When you fold tape over making the two adhesive sides touch, the hot melt adhesive will stick to itself and pull off of the backing, whereas the acrylic adhesive will remain attached to the backing.
    
2. My cartons are over filled and compressed closed when sealed with tape; the take keeps popping off. Why?
   
   If using acrylic tape, switch to hot melt or natural rubber. Acrylic adhesives cure over 24-48 hours to achieve the best bond, whereas hot melt or natural rubber adhesive gives an instant aggressive bond. If a problem is occurring while using hot melt or natural rubber tape, then switch from 2” to 3” wide tape allowing for more surface contact and less pressure affecting shear resistance on the adhesive.
   
   The same holds true for under filled boxes where the top flaps press inwards separating from the tape due to surface weight.
    
3. Is the “yo-yo” test a good method to check for adhesive quality?
   
   No, not necessarily. Often the ability for tape to unwind easily is a function of the release coating and not the adhesive. A properly balanced release coating will offer a smooth and even unwind with some tension to prevent over unwind.
    
4. Why is the tape snapping back and ruffling when cut by my case sealer?
   
   BOPP tape is very flexible and has a larger range of elongation. The tape head tension should be reduced to prevent over stretching and there fore a spring back effect when cut. Later technology machines use non-reversing rollers and precision tension adjustments to ensure smooth operation with BOPP films. Blown films are rigid and do not stretch as much, however excessive machine tension can cause the film to snap./ It is worth the effort to adjust the machine for BOPP films where major benefits are gained by the quality and flexibility of the film.
    
5. My boxes are heavy so I use a premium grade tape; however the bottom opens up in transit. Why?
   
   You are probably using a blown film tape that is not flexible in its width therefore causing excessive shear pressure on the adhesive and making one of the bottom box flaps slide off the tape and open up. Using a BOPP film tape eliminates this problem because the tape is flexible on its width and offers a spring action between the two bottom flaps reducing shear pressure on the adhesive.
    
6. Why is the tape not bonding to my recycled boxes?
   
   The short fiber makeup of recycled boxes makes for a problematic bonding surface. Simply switching from acrylic to hot melt or natural rubber may solve the problem, otherwise a premium grade hot melt or natural rubber tape with extra adhesive may be required.