In the e-commerce industry, kraft paper tapes are mainly used to replace filament tapes for carton sealing. Kraft paper gives the packaging a neat and professional look when delivered to the doorsteps. The most widely accepted reason for applying degradable kraft paper tapes is its recyclability, especially when used on a large scale. However, on cartons, kraft paper tapes can perform very differently by type. Here are a few kinds of Kingnode kraft paper tapes.
Flatback Tape
Rubber-based adhesives are most commonly seen in pressure-sensitive tapes. As one of the variations of rubber, hot melt adhesives in paper tapes are ideal for applications requiring fast bonding and high adhesion, especially in packaging environments. Hot melt provides instant bonding strength for sealing boxes and cartons. Kingnode offers hot melt kraft paper tapes to secure supplies from pilfering. Among all kraft paper tapes, flatback tapes excel in their adhesion strength.
Gummed Tape
Although their adhesion is not as strong as that of flatback tapes, gummed tapes form a biochemical bond with polar surfaces made from wood pulp. Composed of glucose units, the hydroxyl (–OH) groups in starch molecules can form hydrogen bonds with polar materials. On cartons, starch adhesives create a tight sealing, with a chemical bond that hardens over time. Compared to traditional backings such as PET and BOPP, kraft paper allows the application of starch-based adhesives, which have no harmful chemicals during exposure to people.
Acrylics, when in water-activated condition, is another bio-degradable adhesion in kraft paper tapes. In wet, acrylics can be thinned by water while in dry, acrylics can absorb a small amount of moisture.
Reinforced Gummed Tape
Kraft paper tapes are mostly reinforced by fiberglass, as fiberglass has a strong molecular structure and can enhance the tensile strength of the tape, especially when the adhesion is made from starch, which does not have the same level of molecular strength as synthetic adhesives. Reinforced gummed tapes have fiberglass reinforcement in addition to gummed tapes.
100% Degradable Reinforced Gummed Tape
100% degradable kraft paper tapes give an organic and chemical-free option for commercial case-sealing owing to their naturally made characteristics. Here we would like to mention that not all kraft paper tapes are degradable. Along with the fiberglass-reinforced kraft paper tapes, Kingnode offers plant-based yarn to replace synthetic reinforcements. Also functioning as a ‘spine’ to back up the tape, the yarns give extra resilience to endure force against the sealing during application. While kraft paper and starch components are derived from plants, plant-based yarns maintain a similar molecular structure to adhesive mediums.
Conclusion
Kraft paper tapes are recyclable not just for its backing made from the same material as carton boxes, but also for the degradable adhesives the kraft paper layer enabled to take effect. Even with the same backing made of kraft paper, the sealing and recyclability can be quite different from type to type. Kingnode offers a wide range of kraft paper tapes for different box-sealing needs.