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Invented during World War II for American soldiers who used it for everything from repairing broken windows and making temporary bandages to waterproofing ammunition cases, duct tape is – today – a staple in toolboxes, tool cribs, jobsites and more. Although durable in construction and versatile in use, the truth, duct tape comes in many types and sizes. That’s why Shurtape Technologies, LLC, a manufacturer and marketer of pressure-sensitive tapes, is helping to decode duct tape with a simplified general purpose offering.
Considered the workhorse of the duct tape world, general purpose duct tapes are designed for everyday use in a range of applications, from seaming, sealing and bundling to repairing, holding, goosenecking and more. Shurtape’s general purpose duct tapes, ranging from 6 to 9 mils thick, offer a variety of must-have characteristics, including easy handling and tearability, good conformability, and good adhesion to a variety of surfaces. That offering includes:
For added strength and durability, these general purpose duct tapes are constructed with Shurtape’s Polybonded CO-EX Technology, a co-extrusion process during which polyethylene, cloth and adhesive are melded together in a single, high-temperature step. This method of duct tape construction delivers a seamless, airtight construction that adds strength and prevents delamination failures, particularly when the tape is subjected to repeated stress or weather elements.
“Understanding the differences between the various duct tapes available – and how to pick the best tape for the job – could be the deciding factor between a sloppy rework and a job well done,” said Kelly Patrick, product marketing manager for cloth and duct tapes at Shurtape. “It’s important to consider characteristics like thickness, adhesion, tensile strength, and even clean removability, to ensure excellent performance and superior results. But still, there are a number of options to choose from. That’s why we’re on a mission to decode duct tape with our easy-to-decipher general purpose line-up.”
