Tear tape, also known as tearstrip or tear-off ribbon, is a narrow adhesive tape used to open

packaging Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a co ...

. The backing is often a narrow oriented polymer such as

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefins and ...

but other polymers, yarns, and filaments are also used. Many tear tapes use a

pressure sensitive adhesive Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA, self-adhesive, self-stick adhesive) is a type of nonreactive adhesive which forms a bond when pressure is applied to bond the adhesive with a surface. No solvent, water, or heat is needed to activate the adhesive ...

but others have a heat-activated adhesive system. Tear tape is usually attached to the inner surface of packaging:

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...

paperboard Paperboard is a thick paper-based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker (usually over 0.30 mm, 0.012 in, or 12 Inch#equivalences, points) than paper and has certain ...

corrugated fiberboard Corrugated fiberboard or corrugated cardboard is a type of packaging material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet and one or two flat linerboards. It is made on "flute lamination machines" or "corrugators" and is used for making corrugated ...

plastic film Plastic film is a thin continuous polymeric material. Thicker plastic material is often called a "sheet". These thin plastic membranes are used to separate areas or volumes, to hold items, to act as barriers, or as printable surfaces. Plas ...

. It is used on common non-durable

fast-moving consumer goods Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable household goods such as packaged foods, beverages, toiletries, cand ...

such as soft drinks, groceries or toiletries, as well as tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars, to aid the opening of the packaging. It is also used in courier envelopes and corrugated boxes. Tear tape serves as an easy opening device for the consumer, where it obviates the need for opening tools such as scissors or knives, or the use of excessive force. Tear tape provides a guide on the tear area, thereby allowing more precise opening which reduces product spillage. Tear tape is available in several constructions and has a variety of uses.

References

* Yam, K. L., ''Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology'', John Wiley & Sons, 2009, Adhesive tape Packaging materials {{material-stub

See also

References