Engineer's Corner


Things affecting compressive force on your part

  • Tape Thickness: The thicker the tape, the more compressive force as it shrinks
  • # of layers of tape: Same principle as using thicker tape, more layers = more compaction
  • Shrink % of the tape: The higher the shrink % of the tape, the higher the shrink force
  • Winding tension: this increases the compressive force on the part, and is in addition to the shrink force
  • Diameter of object being wrapped: Inversely related to shrink force, the larger the diameter of the part being wrapped, the lower the shrink force. Large diameters usually require thicker tapes and/or more layers of tape to achieve desired compaction.