Elcometer announced the launch of its Elcometer 99 tape as a replacement for the Permacel P99 tape that is used in accordance with ASTM D 3359 – the cross cut adhesion test method for measuring adhesion using the tape test.

Following independent testing of the Elcometer 99 tape versus rolls of Permacel P99 tape (both within and outside of the tape’s expiration date) and another two possible alternate tapes proposed by the ASTM D01.23 Sub-Committee responsible for the D 3359 Standard test method, the Elcometer 99 Tape, unlike the others tested, has been proven to be a very close equivalent to the Permacel P99 tape, which was withdrawn from production by the manufacturer in mid 2009.

The independent testing also identified how the Permacel P99 tape’s adhesive properties change when used outside its expiration date. It is clear that as Permacel P99 adhesive tape has a 12-month shelf life – making any remaining tape valid until July 2010 – finding a replacement tape was urgently required in order to maintain this important adhesion test.

Elcometer commissioned a tape manufacturer to make a close equivalent to the Permacel P99 tape, and the Elcometer 99 tape was produced.

The testing was carried out using samples of Permacel P99 tape taken from a roll of tape that has a shelf life that expires in July 2010 and a roll of tape that had already expired. The two other tapes in the trial had been proposed as alternatives to the Permacel P99 tape and were the Scapa 8010-B tape and the Intertape LA-26 tape. The samples of these tapes were taken from rolls that were within their shelf life. Both of these tapes are established products for uses other than adhesion testing but were said by the suppliers to be near equivalents to the Permacel P99 tape.

The independent test results in Table 1 clearly show that on average the Elcometer 99 tape has a peel adhesion strength that is within 4% of the average peel strength of the Permacel P99 tape.

The alternative tapes are 67.8% higher and 21.4% lower than the average for the Permacel P99 tape, making the Elcometer 99 tape the closest match for the tapes that were tested.

For more information on the Elcometer adhesion range, contact Elcometer at sales@elcometer.com or visit our website at www.elcometer.com.