The 3M portfolio of products at Rapid include an extensive range of adhesive tapes, including VHB foam and sealant assembly tape, electrical insulation tapes, the legendary Scotch tape, foil tapes, packing, masking and gaffer tapes – as well as products in a number of other categories, such as work and protective clothing, mechanical, fasteners and fixings and industrial connectors.
Rapid is delighted to be working with 3M directly to supply a range of products that meet all of your adhesive tape requirements. We have the product knowledge and the technical expertise to fully support you.
3M estimates that a third of its revenue is generated from products that did not exist five years ago. How is that for innovation? Pursuing solutions to new problems, applying science to create products that transform people’s lives – this has been a guiding principle of 3M since the company was born at the beginning of the 20th century, and throughout its development and diversification.
3M VHB Tapes
It is easy to see why 3M’s VHB tape provides an increasingly popular alternative to mechanical fasteners. With no holes to drill, rivets to fit or liquid adhesives to cure, this double-sided foam tape is simple to apply and creates bonds of exceptional strength. With greater durability and elasticity than conventional tape, VHB tape has applications in a wide range of industries, including construction, automotive assembly and consumer electronics.
VHB tape is a double-sided foam acrylic bonding tape that is a proven high-strength alternative to screws, rivets and other mechanical fasteners. While a screw or rivet can join two substrates at a single point, speciality bonding tape permanently adheres one substrate to another and spreads the stress load across the entire length of the joint. Once substrates are joined with high-strength bonding tape, an almost indestructible “weld” is created.
3M demonstrated the power of VHB tape when it swung a 16lb bowling ball at aluminium sheets joined first with rivets and then with VHB tape.
But why is VHB tape so resilient? The unique combination of closed cell foam with pressure sensitive adhesive on both sides means that it bonds instantly, absorbs shock, distributes stress evenly and expands and contracts in a controlled manner without threatening the strength of the bond. The seal VHB tape produces is waterproof and conformable, can be die-cut to any shape, size or profile, and has a smooth, invisible appearance. Its ability to resist extremes of temperature makes VHB tape ideal for aeronautical applications.
3M Extreme Sealing Tapes
It plugs gaps in your guttering, fills in your flashings, even seals up ceilings. 3M’s Extreme Sealing Tape is a no-nonsense solution to household jobs. It bonds to metals and plastics and unlike liquid sealants has no drying time, dripping or oozing. It is easy to paint too!
This translucent, single-sided tape can be used to seal walls, roofing, buildings, windows, awnings, gutters, outdoor signs, vehicle roofs and trailers. Simply choose from 25, 50 or 76mm width tapes, on 16.5 or 33m rolls.
We’ve all been there. Trying to fill a gap inside the house or an exterior wall with liquid sealant and a caulking gun. In no time there is sealant everywhere it shouldn’t be!
3M’s Extreme Sealing Tape makes all that a thing of the past – there is no drying time and no mess to clean up; just a translucent tape that is easy to apply, looks good and provides a watertight seal.
The tape sticks on contact to many metals and plastics, and conforms over screw heads, fasteners, seams, joints, holes and gaps to ensure a long lasting seal on a variety of substrates. The tape is translucent and can be painted so blends seamlessly with its surroundings. Not only does it bond to a variety of substrates, but adheres well to itself in order to maintain a consistent seal while creating overlapping joints.
There is nothing worse than a sealant or filler that is cracking or crumbling. Extreme Sealing Tape stays flexible through extremes of weather and temperature, compensates for thermal expansion and contraction and has outstanding environmental resistance.
3M Scotch® ATG adhesive system
The 3M Scotch® ATG adhesive system is an efficient way to apply adhesive tape to a wide range of surfaces. In fact, there are more than 350 combinations of substrates that can be joined using just a handful of different tapes.
The ATG applicator gun is easy to feed tape into. The beauty of the system is that the backing of the tape is removed and rewound into the applicator. So there is no waste to be cut off, no picking at the tape line, no mess from oozing adhesive or aerosol overspray.
