Masking tape for automotive: the most important features
27 April 2023
27 April 2023
Masking tape is adhesive tape specially designed for professionals working in the automotive sector since it offers several advantages that ordinary tape cannot. This type of tape not only has a special adhesive property on particular surfaces (metal, aluminium, polypropylene to name a few) that ensures proper anchoring and holding power overtime but also prevents paint bleed. In addition, automotive masking tape leaves no residue on the surface (or sporadic), follows all the contours of the vehicle well, gives high visibility with no residue on a peel and is suitable for masking every part of the car such as panels and bumpers and withstands high heat drying cycles up to 110°C. To achieve excellent results, it is necessary to use high-quality products with particular characteristics. Let's find out together the most important characteristics of masking tape for the automotive market.
Previously, we have already mentioned the most important features that a masking tape for the automotive industry should have to ensure a high standard of work. In detail, these are:
An excellent quality index for masking tape in the automotive sector is its ability to leave no traces after removal. At the same time, it is necessary that during removal it does not carry away any traces of paint and that the edges remain clean. Talking about removal, a good masking tape must be easy to tear off by hand, because during painting and various bodywork finishing tasks, using scissors is not only inconvenient but also wastes valuable time.
Since the masking tape is once applied on the vehicle, in combination with paper or film, it must not only hold its position but also retain its adhesive capabilities throughout the entire painting process. For this reason, it must be able to withstand the high temperatures that are reached in the cabin and during the use of infrared lamps. In general, a good automotive masking tape must withstand a maximum of 90°C for twenty minutes or 110°C for two minutes.
Due to its higher tensile strength and elongation, automotive masking tape has a high conformability capacity, which means that it can easily adapt to curves and all irregular surfaces of a vehicle, without breaking and tearing, providing protection to every part of the vehicle, even the most inaccessible and hard-to-reach areas. Adaptation to various types of surfaces relates to materials in a broad sense, specifically to characteristics such as their smoothness or roughness (in terms of finishing) or their high or low wettability, relating to the chemical composition that determines them.
A good automotive masking tape can adapt to the most common paints, primers and fillers on the market. Therefore, it ensures excellent adhesion even when water-based paints are used and that the characteristics of the tape do not change when the paint is applied.
The translucent colours provide excellent visibility during the various masking operations. Typically, yellow is used for masking tapes suitable for the most common operations while green is used for those requiring more care and attention.
Q1® has designed two different types of masking tapes for the automotive industry that ensure high performance and excellent results: Q1® Premium Masking Tape is ideal to offer crisp paint edges and to ensure an easy and clean removal, and Q1® High Performance Masking Tape has been specifically designed for most critical jobs in the automotive aftermarket.
But there's more! Discover the full range of Q1 masking tape solutions for the automotive industry. See the whole range.
Keeping excellent masking products in your shop means selling efficiency and high productivity to your customers. Join the Q1® family to watch your business grow.