Hook and Loop Tape is the smartest innovation to the attachment methods. They have smartly replaced the age-old attachment methods. They are perfect for use of simple easy adhesion and are tough fasteners.
Hook and loop tape have derived its name for the conventional method it has been made. The fabric is made up of tiny small hooks and the other is made of frizzy loops. When both the parts are combined together, the hooks interlock with the loops resulting in securing the pieces firmly and securely. It is a temporary attachment method which can be separated easily creating a ripping sound.
Hook and Loop Tape are simple to use, safe and pocket-friendly. They are easily available in the market as rolls and reels and are made up of polyester, nylon or metal while nylon being the most commonly used material in the hooked part.
The best part about the tape is that it is water resistant, so it can easily be used underwater. Polyester is more preferred in outdoor and marine and stands strong and better resistant to UV. The nylon is mostly and preferably used in the hooked part, and so the polyester is used in the looped part.
It is the best invention in the adhesion method and is used in the variety of simple applications such as the shoes, cushion covers, bags, curtains and ranges to great things used in rockets and space. Hook and Loop tape cannot be underestimated for the material it has been made for it is very strong in strength and requires less maintenance.
Advantages of Hook and Loop Tape
- It can be used numerous times.
- It is cheap and affordable.
- The tape is safe, easy to use and requires less to low maintenance.
- The ripping sound makes it convenient against the thieves and pickpockets.
Disadvantages of Hook and Loop Tape
- With time, it gets accumulated to hair, dust and dirt particles.
- The hook gets attached to clothes damaging the fabric.
- The loop widens or broken after repeated use.
- The ripping sound makes it inappropriate to use in certain conditions or situations like in the battlefield.
Types of Hook and Loop Tape
- Adhesive backed hook and loop tape: it is the most common and widely used tape. The sticky back tape makes it appropriate to stick it to surfaces. It is easily available and affordable.
- Sew on, hook and loop tape: this kind requires stitching and is sewed on materials or objects. It is commonly used in the industrial and clothing industry.
- Back to the back tape: this kind is secured with fabric on both the sides making it convenient to wrap around securely and tightly.
The material and purpose of use play an important role in the strength of the tape. It can support up to 180-pound load. It highly depends on how tightly the hooks are fixed to the loop, contact area of the hook with the surface area and the nature of the force.
If it is bonded to two rigid surfaces, the strength becomes very strong because as it gets spread evenly across all the hooks. One can also increase the strength by using larger pieces in the area of the bond or by increasing the number of hooks and loops per area.