What is Hi-Shrink Tape?

Dunstone’s Hi-Shrink Tape is a heat-shrinkable tape that applies compression to an underlying structure when heat is applied, typically in a curing process. This powerful force can consolidate or laminate multiple layers of material beneath it, and the compressive force it delivers does not relax throughout the curing process, unlike other commonly used non-shrinking films. Cellophane, nylon, and polypropylene can relax and lose tension when used to overwrap composite parts during curing, resulting in less optimal lamination and material waste. Dunstone’s heat shrink wrap tape applies optimum compression throughout the process and empowers you to produce void-free composite parts with tighter lamination.

Hi-Shrink Tape is suitable for a wide range of applications and may be the ideal material to consider using for your next project depending on your unique needs and production environment. Read on to explore our expert breakdown of the product and how to find the right supplier for your heat shrink wrap tape.

How Heat Shrink Wrap Tape Works

Heat shrink wrap tape is commonly made from materials like polyester or polyimide, both of which are temperature-sensitive and suit applications with composite and resin materials. When heated, heat shrink wrap tape compresses underlying components to aid in the lamination or curing process. Because Dunstone’s Hi-Shrink Tape is entirely adhesive-free, once lamination is achieved, the tape can be easily removed with no residue left behind.

Usage Recommendations for Best Results

Hi-Shrink Tape can empower your project with improved lamination, higher mechanical strength of the composite, and less foreign object debris and voids in your resin. For best results, it’s important to choose the right Hi-Shrink tape for your application needs, be consistent with the force you’re applying to your composite, and properly secure the tape.

Choosing the Right Heat Shrink Wrap Tape

At Dunstone, we produce a variety of specialized heat shrink wrap tapes to suit a range of applications and project requirements. The Hi-Shrink Tape you choose will be dependent on the compression needed and the thickness of the tape relative to the size and thickness of your composite. Whether the application produces gas or other volatiles or if you require a release coating will also help you determine which Hi-Shrink Tape is right for you.

How Heat Shrink Wrap Tape Works with Automation

As the use of automation increases to streamline production and save costs, Dunstone works directly with customers to ensure our heat shrink wrap tape is prepared to serve your unique needs. When your project requires longer, continuous lengths of heat shrink wrap tape, you can count on our innovative traverse winding solutions to serve your needs. We work with you to create a traverse winding solution that prevents you from needing to manually apply shrink tape to larger products, speeding up production without sacrificing the benefits Hi-Shrink Tape offers. Our compressive, high-temperature tape allows you to achieve your productivity goals with an improved high-throughput workflow.

How to Find the Right Heat Shrink Wrap Tape Supplier

The best supplier for heat shrink wrap tape offers a strong product portfolio with a range of on-the-shelf and custom solutions. They also showcase supply chain resiliency to prove they can keep up with demand. At Dunstone, we work with you hands-on to explore your needs and production goals, then recommend one of our Hi-Shrink Tapes to serve you. We can even customize your tape to meet your precise specifications, including shifts to the material, thermo-sensitivity, and readiness for automation and traverse winding.

Contact the Dunstone Team for Heat Shrink Wrap Tape Solutions Today

Every production line is different, so we take careful efforts to ensure you get the custom heat shrink wrap tape solution that best serves your unique production needs. Dunstone passionately serves a variety of markets with our innovative heat shrink wrap tape technology. Our tapes beat out their outdated competition by ensuring your composite is properly compressed and void-free from start to finish. We raise the quality of composite projects and cut excess time and material waste. Designed to be used in your unique environment, our Hi-Shrink Tape performs flawlessly when utilized using automated techniques, traverse winding, and manual applications.

Contact us today to request a free sample and discuss your production needs.