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Adhesive Transfer Tapes

Adhesive transfer tape is a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive with no carrier film, supplied on a release liner and wound on a core. Peel the liner away and only adhesive is left behind. That is what makes it the right call when the bond line has to disappear: nameplates on painted metal, graphic panels, membrane switches, and any assembly where a visible tape edge counts as a defect.

Adhesive Transfer Tape vs Double Coated Tape

These two get shelved together and they are not the same product. Transfer tape is unsupported, so it conforms to the substrate and adds nothing to the stack beyond the adhesive itself. Double coated tape has a carrier in the middle, usually PET or polypropylene, with adhesive on both faces. The carrier adds tensile strength, makes the tape easier to handle and die cut, and lets the converter run a different adhesive on each side.

Choose transfer tape when appearance and low profile decide the job. Choose double coated film when the part needs dimensional stability through handling, or when one face has to bond to something the other face will not. Both are stocked here. The double coated film tape range covers those PET and polypropylene carrier constructions.

Choosing an Adhesive Thickness

  • 2.0 mil for smooth rigid substrates. Anodized and painted metal, rigid plastics, printed graphics. Lowest profile and the cleanest edge.
  • 4.0 mil for print mounting, laminates, and lightly textured surfaces where the adhesive needs to wet out into the finish.
  • 5.0 mil and heavier for rough or powder coated surfaces, foam, and parts with a gap to close.

Coat weight, not brand, is the variable that decides whether a transfer tape holds. Running thicker than the surface needs costs money and slows die cutting. Running thinner than it needs shows up as edge lift three weeks after the part ships.

3M 467MP and 468MP Cross References

Most buyers who land here are already running a 3M part number and looking at what it costs them. The Mactac Macfilm line is the substitute.

3M part Adhesive thickness Mactac cross Availability
3M 467MP 2.0 mil Mactac IF4042, 2.0 mil HSA440 acrylic 12 in x 180 ft rolls
3M 468MP 5.0 mil Mactac IF4044, 4.0 mil HSA440 acrylic Nearest thickness, quoted on request

IF4044 runs 4.0 mil against 468MP at 5.0 mil, so treat it as the nearest equivalent rather than a drop in match. On most print mounting and laminate work that difference does not show up in the field, but pull a sample and test it before you convert a running job.

High Tack Acrylic for Hard to Bond Surfaces

Mactac HSA440 is a pH neutral, UV cured, high shear acrylic built for the surfaces that defeat a general purpose adhesive. Powder coated metal, UV cured inks, and low surface energy plastics such as polypropylene and HDPE. It ships on a 72 pound poly coated liner, self wound on 3 inch cores, and converts cleanly on a rotary die. Standard stocking width is 12 inches. Narrower slit widths can be quoted for production runs.

Application Tape for Sign and Graphics Work

MACtransfer 210 is listed in this category and it does a different job. It is a medium tack saturated paper tape that lifts a weeded graphic off its liner, holds it in register while the installer positions it, then peels away. It is a carrier for installation, not a bonding adhesive. Stocked in 30 inch and 54 inch widths on 300 foot rolls.

Related Categories

Need Help Choosing?

Send us the substrate pair, the surface finish, and the service temperature. We will tell you which coat weight to run and send a sample so you can prove it on your own parts. Call (800) 220-1966 or email [email protected].

Adhesive transfer tape is a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive with no carrier film, supplied on a release liner and wound on a core. Peel the liner away and only adhesive is left behind. That is what makes it the right call when the bond line has to disappear: nameplates on painted metal, graphic panels, membrane switches, and any assembly where a visible tape edge counts as a defect.

Adhesive Transfer Tape vs Double Coated Tape

These two get shelved together and they are not the same product. Transfer tape is unsupported, so it conforms to the substrate and adds nothing to the stack beyond the adhesive itself. Double coated tape has a carrier in the middle, usually PET or polypropylene, with adhesive on both faces. The carrier adds tensile strength, makes the tape easier to handle and die cut, and lets the converter run a different adhesive on each side.

Choose transfer tape when appearance and low profile decide the job. Choose double coated film when the part needs dimensional stability through handling, or when one face has to bond to something the other face will not. Both are stocked here. The double coated film tape range covers those PET and polypropylene carrier constructions.

Choosing an Adhesive Thickness

  • 2.0 mil for smooth rigid substrates. Anodized and painted metal, rigid plastics, printed graphics. Lowest profile and the cleanest edge.
  • 4.0 mil for print mounting, laminates, and lightly textured surfaces where the adhesive needs to wet out into the finish.
  • 5.0 mil and heavier for rough or powder coated surfaces, foam, and parts with a gap to close.

Coat weight, not brand, is the variable that decides whether a transfer tape holds. Running thicker than the surface needs costs money and slows die cutting. Running thinner than it needs shows up as edge lift three weeks after the part ships.

3M 467MP and 468MP Cross References

Most buyers who land here are already running a 3M part number and looking at what it costs them. The Mactac Macfilm line is the substitute.

3M part Adhesive thickness Mactac cross Availability
3M 467MP 2.0 mil Mactac IF4042, 2.0 mil HSA440 acrylic 12 in x 180 ft rolls
3M 468MP 5.0 mil Mactac IF4044, 4.0 mil HSA440 acrylic Nearest thickness, quoted on request

IF4044 runs 4.0 mil against 468MP at 5.0 mil, so treat it as the nearest equivalent rather than a drop in match. On most print mounting and laminate work that difference does not show up in the field, but pull a sample and test it before you convert a running job.

High Tack Acrylic for Hard to Bond Surfaces

Mactac HSA440 is a pH neutral, UV cured, high shear acrylic built for the surfaces that defeat a general purpose adhesive. Powder coated metal, UV cured inks, and low surface energy plastics such as polypropylene and HDPE. It ships on a 72 pound poly coated liner, self wound on 3 inch cores, and converts cleanly on a rotary die. Standard stocking width is 12 inches. Narrower slit widths can be quoted for production runs.

Application Tape for Sign and Graphics Work

MACtransfer 210 is listed in this category and it does a different job. It is a medium tack saturated paper tape that lifts a weeded graphic off its liner, holds it in register while the installer positions it, then peels away. It is a carrier for installation, not a bonding adhesive. Stocked in 30 inch and 54 inch widths on 300 foot rolls.

Related Categories

Need Help Choosing?

Send us the substrate pair, the surface finish, and the service temperature. We will tell you which coat weight to run and send a sample so you can prove it on your own parts. Call (800) 220-1966 or email [email protected].

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