3M Tape: Finding the Right Tape for Your Flexo Printing

Date18 Jul 2016

How to Avoid Web Breaks with 3M Splicing Tape

Boost Efficiency with 3M Sticky Back Tape

Ten thousand feet of a job is already on the unwind roller, with just 3,000 feet to go before the next roll is running through the press. Deadlines are tight, and the media is slippery.

This is not the time for web break drama.

How to Avoid Web Breaks with 3M Splicing Tape

Web breaks can cost thousands of dollars every year, but with 3M’s Splittable Flying Splice Tape 8387, you can save those thousands and reap the benefits of a stronger, more reliable splitting mechanism (especially on low-energy substrates).

Splicing Tape 8387 helps converters avoid web breaks due to less-than-perfect splices while facilitating faster, cleaner splices. Here’s how:

Efficient Splicing

3M Splittable Flying Splice Tape 8387 eliminates the need for glue and other tabs with its double-coated film construction that separates into two single-sided tapes for fast and clean splicing.

Improved Handling

The 7mil double-coated film tape lays flat—which makes it far more reliable and accurate than paper-based splicing tapes.

Fiber-Free Splices

Unlike competitors’ tapes, 3M splice tape is fiber-free. This eliminates fiber debris from contaminating printing blankets or sticking to rollers or CI drums. With a clean tape release, 3M tapes allow for fewer defects, less cleanup, and decreased downtime.

Increased Visibility

3M’s Splicing Tape 8387 comes in a dark purple color and splits into pink and gray layers to help quickly identify splice components. No more guesswork or tedious examination.

Single Splicing Tape Solution

Drawing from its experience in paper mills, 3M Splittable Flying Splice Tape 8387 merges 3M’s experience in splittable tapes and flexographic printing technologies. The result is a single solution tape for flexo press operators and print managers that works on challenging surfaces such as polyethylene, polyester, and aluminum foil without slowing down the process.

Boost Efficiency with 3M Sticky Back Tape

Plate mounting tape, or sticky back, might seem like a one-size-fits-all product with little effect on your operational efficiency or productivity, but the right adhesive can save both time and money while adding a boost of efficiency in the plateroom.

3M’s L-Series and Pro-Series Cushion-Mount Plate Mounting Tape ensures a secure, efficient, and repeatable mount with the following benefits:

Cleaner Mounting

3M mounting tapes’ proprietary crosshatch design creates unique microchannels in the adhesive that help air bubbles escape between the tape and the plate. This means faster setup in the print room and cleaner print quality for your customers.

Fast Changeovers

Plate mounting tape needs to be sticky enough to adhere to the plate securely to the cylinder while being easily released at the end of a job without tearing the plate or leaving behind trace residue. 3M’s sticky back does just that.

With no adhesive residue left behind and just the right balance of adhesion, your changeovers are fast and efficient with 3M mounting tape.

Better Hold

Even on small repeats, you’ll get a more secure run with 3M’s specially formulated adhesive that limits edge lift.

Easier Removal

Removing flexographic plates in one undamaged piece lets you reuse plates rather than remaking them. Both the L-Series and Pro-Series mounting tapes are optimized to prevent edge lift, making flexo plates up to 78% easier to remove while reducing the risk of tearing and damage. All of this means more savings in both time and money.

Wide Range of Densities

Plate mounting tape plays an essential role in shock absorption: acting as the buffer between the printing plate and the cylinder. The right mounting tape foam can reduce machine fibrations, minimize bounce, prevent vibration marks, absorb minor irregularities in the print cylinder, and maintain its shape over fast speeds and long print runs.

3M offers the widest range of plate mounting tape with its Cushion-Mount™ collection, including eight different foam densities for printers to fine-tune their ink transfer and achieve the highest print quality possible.

Safer for Operators

Using 3M mounting tape requires less force for operators (up to 54% less force for removal from the sleeve with the Pro-Series sticky back). This provides a safer, more ergonomic work environment for employees and reduces the incidence of injury.

Why 3M Tape?

3M is a leader in adhesive science for flexo printing. If you’re looking to avoid web breaks, 3M splicing tape is the way to go. If you’ve overlooked the value of high-quality plate mounting tape, 3M will reward you with better print quality, speed, and efficiency with their L-Series and Pro-Series cushion-mount tapes. And if you’re looking for corrugated tapes, edge sealing, or other packaging solutions, they have solutions for those, too.

Let’s talk about tape

Anderson & Vreeland is the leading provider of 3M tapes for flexo printers. Our specialists can walk you through the various considerations for your specific printing needs and find the best tape for any press application.