Before the advances of science and technology, earthenware pots were patched together using the first glue type substances, made from either animal material or tree sap. Much later in the nineteenth century, basic medical advances meant that rubber-based glues were starting to be applied to fabric substrates to keep dressings in place. With World War II came further significant advances with the troops’ requirement for a durable, waterproof product to use as a sealing tape for ammunition cases, leading to the creation of the first duct tapes as we know them!
In our 21st century society, a world without adhesive tape is impossible to imagine as its usage has spread across every possible market, from the technical automotive, aerospace, military and smartcard applications, to permeating every part of industrial manufacturing, including restoration and remediation. Tapes are used today for increasingly demanding applications, capable of withstanding huge amounts of pressure and stress, thin enough to be used in passport and credit cards without being noticed, and with different technical adhesive technologies used to withstand water, heat, UV, fire and solvents.