| ive tape was first patented in 1848 by Henry Day and, | | | | inspirations for the advances in industrial tape |
| 34 years later, a German pharmacist named Paul | | | | technology; in 1948, a Swiss engineer named George |
| Beiersdorf created an adhesive bandage; two early | | | | de Mestral returned from a walk to discover some |
| examples of the different uses for adhesive tape. | | | | plant burrs clinging to his jacket. By 1956 he had |
| Things changed in the twentieth century, when new | | | | perfected the notion of using tiny hooks to fasten |
| advances in adhesive technology saw the | | | | things together, by creating two strips of nylon fabric |
| development of synthetic materials. Many natural | | | | – one covered in hooks and the other consisting |
| adhesives, including glue made from animal and plant | | | | of thousands of tiny loops. His invention is now used |
| proteins, dextrin pastes, starch pastes, latex pastes, | | | | worldwide in a variety of industries and applications. It is |
| natural rubber, resin and bitumen are still in use today, | | | | strong, lightweight, durable, washable and easily |
| but synthetic adhesives now dominate the industry. | | | | separated and is known as Velcro. Initially, Velcro was |
| In 1926, Richard Drew of the Minnesota Mining and | | | | used in the fabric industry; sewn onto different |
| Manufacturing Company (also known as 3M) | | | | materials to provide easy opening and closing. |
| developed Scotch Tape, possibly the most famous | | | | Recently, this has been updated and it can now be |
| adhesive tape across the world. It was originally | | | | bought as an adhesive tape, offering a variety of other |
| created for use in car-painting, to create defining lines | | | | uses. |
| between different colours. Earlier, gummed tapes | | | | Once the potential of adhesive tape had been |
| removed paintwork as it was peeled off, so Drew set | | | | recognized, research went in to its durability and |
| about inventing a pressure-sensitive tape that would | | | | strength. Early tape offered little of either, but research |
| not scar paintwork. Further developments saw him | | | | and the development of synthetic materials offered |
| coating cellophane with adhesive and, in 1930, the | | | | more advances. Initially, cloth fibres were used to |
| domestic tape we are all so familiar with, was | | | | create Duct tape which was used by the military to |
| released. | | | | repair aircraft, rifles and jeeps. Unlike medical tapes |
| Since then, the basic principles of adhesive tape have | | | | that were being used at the time, Duct tape is |
| been applied to other uses. Now there are a diverse | | | | waterproof and, after the Second World War, it was |
| and assorted range of tapes for different applications, | | | | used in the housing industry to connect heating and air |
| including gaffer tape, pipeline identification tape, | | | | conditioning ducts together. Industry also saw the |
| plumber’s tape, electrician’s tape and | | | | potential for adhesive tape and researched its tensile |
| packaging tapes. Tapes can now offer protection | | | | strength. The result was a plastic-based tape that is |
| against electrical current, temperature and the escape | | | | commonly known as packing tape. As well as being |
| of gas or liquid, as in the case of foam tape, which | | | | waterproof, it also offered an unprecedented strength |
| uses open or closed-cell sponges for protection as | | | | that has now made it one of the most versatile tapes |
| well as the bonding together of different surfaces. | | | | in the world. |
| However, natural occurrences have provided many | | | | |