Imagine a situation. You have tons of packages waiting to ship out and for some reason, your packaging tape doesn’t stick properly. There is nothing more frustrating than this. Orders are piling up and you keep losing precious time trying to seal your carton boxes!
When your packing tape fails, it risks spilling, damaging your products. For a business, this is a nightmare situation.
Tape fails happen for many reasons. It can be an inefficiency of the application process. It can be due to the poor quality of the tape. Or it can be other elements.
But, over the years, we have seen that tape fails to happen mainly due to five reasons:
The wrong type of tape
The type of tape is a major factor. Packaging tapes come in a variety of sizes and compositions. Things like adhesive strength, backing material matter when it comes to its quality. You cannot expect a thin transparent tape to seal a carton containing heavy-duty items.
While most e-commerce companies use brown packing tape to secure boxes, the grade matters. Ensure that the tape you are using is the right fit for the box. Browse through sites like Wellpack Europe where you can see the variations in sizes, width, and quality of fragile packing tape, vinyl tape and others.
Temperature change
The varying type of adhesive used in packing tapes creates the tack. However, the tack stick changes with temperature. For instance, many natural adhesives like resin oxidise. Due to oxidisation, the adhesive loses its ability to stick and create a bond with the fibres of the cardboard.
Most standard packaging tape is designed for the general environment and temperature. Thus, going to an extremely cold environment can make the adhesive freeze. This will limit the tape’s ability to stick to the carton. The best way to deal with such a situation is to research the places you will ship your products. Then you can customise your packing tape and make it suitable for that climate.
Box filled incorrectly
Improper case volume has a major impact on how the tape will hold the packages. Just filling the boxes with packaging material isn’t enough. If the carton is under filled, it reduces the resistance during the tape application process. Thus, the tape opens after some time.
Whereas, for an overfilled cardboard box, the tape will feel constant pressure. This will eventually reduce the hold and increase the risk of opening or tearing during transport. Use the proper size of cardboard boxes to ensure the hold is proper. Fill any void spaces will peanuts or bubble wraps to guarantee extra protection during transit.
Fault in technology
Just like any other machinery, case sealers and case erectors also age. They lose efficiency and impact over repeated use. Blades become dull and bearings become inefficient due to daily grind.
This results in misapplications of packaging tapes. To prevent such situations, schedule maintenance and regular servicing. Change the blades of the tape dispensers, or springs to make sure the efficiency isn’t lost during packaging. A piece of healthy equipment performs better, provides maximum productivity, and decreases the risk of failure.
Quality of the cartons
According to reports, the U.K. has around 75% of recycled cardboard boxes produced every year. The volume of recycled packaging material will have a direct influence on the quality of the cartons.
Some packaging suppliers stock poor quality cardboard boxes. This affects the packing tape’s ability to create an adhesive bond with the fibres of the boxes. Fresh fibres allow deep bonds to form quickly. Too much recycled fibre is shorter which limits the ability to create a strong bond with the tape.
To conclude
The primary job of packing tape is secure the cardboard boxes and keep the items inside safe. So, check tensile strength, backing material, elongation, dimensions, and adhesive quality of packaging tape before buying.
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