Adhesion and Automotive Tape

In looking at the specs for the two types of 3M Automotive Tape, you'll see two different levels of adherence. So, what is the adhesion, and what it means to strip the customers?

First, adhesion (like glue) refers to the degree of adhesion exhibited by the bands. Consider, for example, the difference between the postit note and duct tape. The first can be easily drawn, and duct tape required to pull hard, if you want to download. We would say, therefore, that postit notes indicate low adhesion and adhesive tape shows a high adhesion.

And since we have all kinds of uses for the tape, and may have different time spans in mind, it makes sense to choose the level of adhesion that works best for your needs. If you're tacking a small piece of chrome on your dash, you can use something like 3M Automotive Attachment Tape. On the other hand, if you hold back on the Fender '57 Chevy, then you will want the 3M VHB tape that is strong enough to compare with the light riveting or spot welding.

As you can tell what's what when it comes to choosing the type of tape? Refer to the section of the specifications and compare the number of descriptive terms. For example, the "good" adhesion refers to the lighter and less sticky tape, and 'high' or 'excellent' refers to the stickier tape, one that is harder to pull away from the surface to which it is attached.

This bonding strength is not the only factor to consider in buying a tape, but it certainly holds as critical. After all, if you can not get it to stick to one another, it can not be wrong.

By the way, do you know the difference between "fit" and "cohesion"? As Benjamin E. Russ University of California at San Diego explains in Scientific American, "There are two essentially different components of the tape is sticky in nature. Adhesion and cohesion adhesion is the binding force between two different materials, and the cohesion of the binding force between two similar materials ... So, the "stickiness" of the tape is caused by a combination of molecular forces adhesive materials adhere to, as well as keeping the underlying ."

Take a moment next time you are shopping for 3M Automotive Tape, or any other type of tape, take into account the key role of the sticky stuff on one side or both sides of their lane.