What is pressure-sensitive tape?
Pressure sensitive tape (PST) is a surface mount form of tape with a dry adhesive applied to the film to adhere to cartons. PST adhesives can be made from natural rubber, hot melt glues or acrylic chemicals. Natural rubber is the best but most expensive and can be used from 0 to 150 degrees F but can yellow with age. Acrylic is good on temperatures from 32 to 140 degrees F and will not yellow. Hot melt is the lowest-cost material and generally works from 40 to 120 degrees F.
This is the technical term for any type of “adhesive tape” or “sticky tape”. It means that the adhesive, at room temperature, is aggressive and permanently tacky and will adhere to a wide variety of surfaces without the need for more than finger or hand pressure. Tapes can either have adhesive coated one side of a carrier (single sided tapes) or on both sides (double sided tapes). The vast majority of adhesive tapes sold fall under this category, although there are also tapes that are dry or non-tacky to the touch at room temperature and require an activator to get them to bond such as heat, water or some other solvent. It is important to understand that the pressure required to form a bond with a surface will depend on a number of different parameters (type of adhesive, nature and smoothness of the surfaces and the ambient temperature, being the main factors). It is always important to use firm pressure when applying tape, since the ultimate bond strength is dependent on the degree of
