What is Magnetic Tape?
Utilized as a storage device since the early days of radio, magnetic tape is an external storage device that can be used for making copies of audio, video, and data. In addition to data storage, magnetic tape has been used over the years to make master copies of audio recordings that would be replicated for vinyl, cassette, and more recently compact disk recording formats. The tape is employed with the use of a machine referred to as a tape drive. Tape drives run the magnetic tape during the recording process and also stores the tape onto a reel for easy retrieval. The appearance of magnetic tape is similar in all of its incarnations. The tape is a simple strip of plastic that is very narrow in appearance. A thin oxide coating on the plastic makes it possible for the tape to retain electronically encrypted data that can range from voice to audio to data information. This makes magnetic tape an ideal method to back up customer databases, computer generated detail, and billing database i
Magnetic tape is two-or-more layers of materials, one of which is capable of retaining a change in magnetic energy. The magnetizable layer rides on a base, with the potential of one or more additional layers added for various purposes (such as reducing friction, reducing static, or aiding in a more uniform tape pack). The top layer of this sandwich is made up of magnetizable particles suspended within a binder. The binder may be composed of various polymers, such as cellulose nitrate, chlorine bearing vinyls, and sundry epoxy and acrylic resins. In addition to carrying the magnetizable particles in a complete dispersion and to depositing a uniform coating of the mixture by solvent release the binder must, also, provide a smooth surface to ease movement of the tape through the equipment; join the various layers securely to the base; be strong enough not to rub-off during record, playback or storage; not adhere to adjacent winds of tape, even under strong pressure and tension; and not cr
