Insulating tape – incredibly useful, and sometimes even the irreplaceable material which is actively applied when carrying out wide range of household, repair, industrial and other types of works. Despite simplicity of design and ease in use, the insulating tape has a number of properties and characteristics which surely should be considered at its choice and purchase.
Insulating tape: PVC or cotton
The insulating tape can be two types: PVC, made of polyvinylchloride, and cotton, made of cotton matter, coarse calico, muslin and other rough materials.
The insulating tape of PVC has received bigger distribution, in comparison with cotton products. It is carried out in various color gamma, but its most frequent coloring are considered blue, black and red. The gluing part of insulating tape of PVC represents acrylic or rubber glue covering without addition of various toxic substances that guarantees safety to the person working with it.
Temperature condition at which all most important properties of insulating tape of PVC remain makes from-30 to +50os. The voltage maintained by this material can reach even 5000 volts.
The insulating tape from polyvinylchloride is capable to stretch for 100% in relation to own length, however its insulating characteristics at the same time strongly weaken. For this reason use of insulating tape of PVC provides, as a rule, imposing of several layers of material on the processed object. The main advantage of cotton insulating tape before the film made of polyvinylchloride consists in its ability to harden quickly at contact with hot surfaces. Cotton it is reasonable to apply insulating tape to winding of wires of electric stoves, ovens, ten and the other devices which are constantly exposed to heating.
The insulating tape cotton provides 100% protection to the object processed by it at the voltage which is not exceeding 1000 volts. Temperature condition of safety of its properties makes from-30 to +30os.
The PVC insulating tape under the influence of high temperatures melts, baring wires and increasing risk of emergence of the fire. The cotton insulating tape behaves a little differently: at influence of high temperatures the rubber entering its structure burns down, and the cotton layer remains in integrity and just hardens, forming the peculiar insulation course interfering contact of wires with each other.
Choice of insulating tape: main councils and recommendations
Choosing insulating tape, surely pay attention to exterior of material. At qualitative insulating tape there should not be folds, holes, cracks, bubbles, otkhozhdeniye of glue layer. The edge of insulating tape has to be equal and smooth, without jags and anguishes. The roll into which the insulating tape is contracted has to be equal and attractive by sight. Its surface has to be smooth, without all cambers and openings between rounds of the insulating tape.