3M Extreme Masking Tapes for High Temperature Powder Coating
To keep your powder-coated pieces looking their best and minimise rework, you need high temperature masking tapes that can take the heat while maintaining a clean edge – our extreme masking tapes deliver.
Empower your powder coating process
Powder coating masking tapes must stay in place during the bake cycle of a high temperature powder coat process without shrinking or curling, then remove cleanly without residue or slivering. Save time and rework with 3M Powder Coating Tapes, which are built to take the heat and perform reliably cycle after cycle, shift after shift, day after day.
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High temperature resistance keeps our tapes in place during a typical bake cycle (<30 minutes) without shrinking, curling or edge lifting.
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The thin caliper of our tapes produces very thin, sharp paint line edges.
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One-piece clean removal with no adhesive residue or slivering allows faster processing and less rework.
Powder coating is a finishing process that’s applied as a dry, free-flowing thermoplastic or thermoset powder, melted, and then hardened into an even coating. It’s used for various materials, especially metals, to provide functional and decorative surface coatings in a variety of colors, finishes and textures not achievable by conventional liquid coating methods. Powder coat finishes are long-lasting and color-durable. They are also more resistant to outdoor weathering, chipping, fading and scratching than other finishes. Powder coating typically involves shorter processing times than liquid paint applications, with no solvents and negligible amounts of VOCs.
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Six common types of powder- Epoxies – the first widely used powder is durable, with great adhesion, excellent hardness and strong resistance to chemicals and corrosion. Epoxies do not weather well, so they are often used as pre-coat applications for other finishes.
- Polyesters – the most-used powder, with low cure temperatures and providing great value relative to cost. Polyesters offer a wide variety of colors, gloss levels and special effects.
- Super Durable Polyesters – designed to hold color and gloss longer, these powders offer superior durability and improved humidity and corrosion resistance compared to standard polyesters.
- Epoxy-Polyester Hybrids – a mix of the two types designed to offer ‘best of both worlds’ performance characteristics.
- Fluoropolymers – these powders provide excellent weathering properties and color and gloss retention. For many applications they can be applied in one coat.
- Urethanes – somewhat similar to polyesters, but with different curing agents, urethanes offer excellent chemical and corrosion resistance, a smooth finish and very good exterior durability. These powders are more expensive and potentially odorous or smoky during the bake cycle.
3M Extreme Masking Tapes for high temperature powder coating
While our go-to masking tapes for powder coating reliably handle most processes, you may need a masking tape that resists higher temperatures or features a non-silicone adhesive. Find more information about each type and appropriate 3M Extreme Masking Tape solutions using the tabs below.
Go-to powder coating tapes
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3M™ Polyester Tapes 8991 and 8992 provide sharp mask lines and clean removal after bake processes.These general-purpose tapes excel in high temp powder coat operations and feature a silicone adhesive that bonds to a variety of difficult surfaces. 3M Polyester tapes are versatile, reliable and economical.
- Works in demanding conditions and high temperatures up to 400°F (204°C)
- Clean removal after high-temperature masking
- Polyester film offers excellent thermal and chemical resistance while maintaining flexibility
- Silicone adhesive provides clean removal from a variety of surfaces
- Translucent colored backings provide easy identification and positioning
- 8991 tapes have a thinner backing for greater flexibility and conformability
- Available with or without a polyester liner for die cutting applications
3M Solutions
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*L represents a version of the tape with a polyester liner
Higher temperature resistance tapes
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3M™ Polyimide Tapes 8997 and 8998 remove cleanly and break through cured paint without tearing.For even higher temperature powder coat processes polyimide tapes are the solution, providing reliable performance up to 500°F (260°C). The silicone adhesive peels cleanly while the backing breaks through cured paint without tearing, all at an economical price.
- Seals tight on contact and peels off cleanly after bake cycles up to 500°F (260°C)
- Polyimide film offers excellent thermal and chemical resistance while maintaining flexibility
- Translucent colored polyimide backings provide easy identification and positioning
- 8997 tapes have a thinner backing for greater flexibility and conformability
- Available with or without a polyester liner for die cutting applications
3M Solutions
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*L represents a version of the tape with a polyester liner
Non-silicone adhesive tapes
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3M™ Polyester Tapes 875 and 876 are non-silicone tapes that handle bake cycles up to 400°F (204°C).For situations where silicone contamination in downstream processes is a concern – two-tone painting, for example – these powder coating masking tapes offer a rubber adhesive that delivers similarly clean removability.
- Works in demanding conditions including bake cycles at up to 400°F (204°C)
- Rubber adhesive helps avoid silicone contamination on parts where subsequent painting or adhesive bonding is necessary
- Provides good initial tack, holding strength and clean removal after high-temperature masking
- Provides a degree of conformability while meeting low caliper requirements
- Green color for easy identification and positioning
- 875 version has a thinner backing for greater flexibility and conformability
Meet the expert
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Meredith Opatz
- Application Engineering Specialist, 3M Specialty Tapes
- How long have you worked on harsh environment processes and solutions for 3M? I’ve been at 3M for over 10 years – I started in our Regulatory department and I’ve been an application engineer for around 9 years. I started with powder coating and progressively picked up other harsh environments such as anodization.
- What is the greatest challenge a masking tape has to meet in a powder coating process? The toughest part of the powder coat process for a tape to handle is the high temperatures of the bake cycle, up to 500°F (260°C). Not only does the adhesive have to stay stuck and in place so the paint doesn’t creep under it, but at high enough temperatures the tape backing can begin to shrink, which will pull the adhesive as well and create a wavering paint line.
- How do I know when to use a polyester vs. a polyimide tape? Polyester/silicone tapes are able to withstand bake cycles of 400°F/204°C. However when bake cycle temperatures increase, polyester backings begin to shrink and customers need to use a more dimensionally stable backing like a polyimide which, when paired with silicone adhesive can withstand bake cycles of 500°F/260°C.
- What do you love about your job? I never knew such a job existed. It is like going behind the scenes of “how’s it made” every day. I support several products that go into dozens of unique and different applications that people may or may not know about. It allows me to be creative and learn something new on a daily basis. I get to work one-on-one with customers to help them improve their processes and make their jobs easier. I’m proud of the products we create and how we influence lives.
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Need help finding the right product for your project? Contact us if you need product, technical or application advice or want to collaborate with a 3M technical specialist, or give us a call at (65) 6450 8888.
Need help finding the right product for your project? Contact us if you need product, technical or application advice or want to collaborate with a 3M technical specialist, or give us a call at (65) 6450 8888.
