MAKING AND USING AN ADHESIVE TAPE FOR WRAPPING AN ELONGATED OBJECT

Abstract

The object of the invention is a method of making a wrapping for an elongated object (1). An adhesive tape (2, 3) comprised of a substrate strip (2) and an adhesive coating (3) at least partially covering the substrate strip (2) is combined with an adhesive-free band (4) to form a laminate (2, 3, 4). The substrate strip (2) and the band (4) at least largely overlap, and at the overlap (U), the first adhesive coating (3) is between the substrate strip (2) and the band (4). According to the invention the first adhesive coating (3) at the overlap (U) between the substrate strip (2) and the band (4) is composed of a plurality of spaced adhesive substrips (3).

Claims

1. A method of making a wrapping for an elongated object, the method comprising the steps of: combining an adhesive tape comprised of a substrate strip and an adhesive coating at least partially covering the substrate strip is combined with an adhesive-free band to form a laminate; overlapping the substrate strip and the band at least largely overlap such that, at the overlap, the first adhesive coating is between the substrate strip and the band, and forming the first adhesive coating at the overlap between the substrate strip and the band of a plurality of spaced adhesive substrips.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: dimensioning the adhesive substrips of the first adhesive coating to have the same width.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: applying the adhesive substrips of the first adhesive coating to the substrate strip spaced apart equidistantly.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of; applying a further, second adhesive coating to the band on its outer face turned away from the adhesive tape.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second adhesive coating is at least one adhesive substrip.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of: forming the second adhesive coating of adhesive substrips each applied each to the band at a respective one of its two longitudinal edges.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the two adhesive substrips of the second adhesive coating are each applied onto the band with equal widths.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein all adhesive substrips have a width within a range of 5 to 30% of the region of overlap.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: fixing the sheath in the longitudinal direction to the elongated object with the second adhesive coating and then overlapping the longitudinal edges of the laminate.

10. A longitudinal sheath for a elongated object, the sheath comprising: an adhesive tape formed by a substrate strip and a first adhesive coating at least partially covering the substrate strip, the adhesive tape being combined with an adhesive-free band to form a laminate, the substrate strip and the band at least largely overlapping such that, at the overlap, the first adhesive coating is between the substrate strip and the band, the first adhesive coating at the overlap between the substrate strip and the band being composed of a plurality of spaced adhesive substrips.

Description

[0022] Below, the invention will be illustrated more in detail with reference to a drawing only representing one embodiment; wherein:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a sheath made according to the inventive method, and

[0024] FIG. 2 is a schematic section through the sheath as a wrap for an elongated object.

[0025] In the drawing, first of all, a longitudinal sheath or wrap is shown. The longitudinal sheath encases or wraps an elongated object 1 as shown in FIG. 2. The elongated object 1 is, by way of example and not restrictively, several cables or tubes or lines in a motor vehicle.

[0026] The sheath for the elongated object 1 is a longitudinal casing for a cable set here serving to wrap the cable set and in this manner produce a cable harness or otherwise provide protection and hold together the cable set.

[0027] To make the longitudinal sheath or wrap, first of all, an adhesive tape 2, 3 is provided. The adhesive tape 2, 3 has a substrate strip 2 and a first adhesive coating 3 at least partially covering the substrate strip 2. Here, the substrate strip 2 is nonrestrictively a textile, for example a polyester that has or may have for example a grammage of 50 g/m.sup.2 to 500 g/m.sup.2, and in particular up to 300 g/m.sup.2.

[0028] Basically, instead of a textile substrate or polyester textile substrate, a different substrate, such as a film, may be employed as the substrate strip 2.

[0029] Normally, however, the substrate strip 2 is a textile substrate strip. In the described and illustrated example, the textile substrate strip 2 is a textile and in particular polyester. Basically, however, the textile substrate strip 2 may also be a fleece. Combinations are also conceivable.

[0030] The first adhesive coating 3 is here and according to the invention composed of a plurality of spaced adhesive substrips 3, as can be seen in FIG. 1. To this end, the individual adhesive substrips 3 are applied by nozzles to the substrate strip 2 is elongated longitudinally and is altogether represented in a cross-section in FIG. 1 as was already described in the introduction. The application weight of the adhesive coating 3 may be within a range of 20 g/m.sup.2 to 200 g/m.sup.2. The adhesive coating 3 or the individual adhesive substrips 3 are those that are normally applied onto the substrate strip 2 on the basis of a UV-curable acrylate hot-melt adhesive. This only applies as an example and is of course not compulsory.

[0031] The adhesive tape 2, 3 of the substrate strip 2 and the first adhesive coating 3 realized in this manner is combined with an adhesive-free band 4 to form a laminate 2, 3, 4. The design of the adhesive-free band 4 means that it is not provided with an adhesive layer on either of its two faces before it has been used to form the laminate 2, 3, 4 with the adhesive tape 2, 3. Moreover, the design of the adhesive-free band 4 expresses that at this point, no adhesive coating is provided; the band 4, however, may be, for example, equipped with a plastic coating or otherwise.

[0032] The band 4 advantageously is, like the substrate strip 2, a textile band 4, although basically a foil or a non-textile material may be employed for making the band 4. Advantageously, the band 4, however, is a textile band 4. Here, as in case of the substrate strip 2, a fabric, and in particular a polyester fabric, has proved to be particularly advantageous.

[0033] Indeed, one may proceed, for example, in such a way that both the substrate strip 2 and the band 4 are made of a polyester fabric each having the same structure. This is of course understood only as advantageous and by way of example. In any case, the adhesive tape 2, 3 and the band 4 are combined to form the already mentioned laminate 2, 3, 4. This is done such that the substrate strip 2 of the adhesive tape 2, 3 and the band 4 overlap at least largely and define a region of overlap indicated in FIG. 1. Compared to this region of overlap U, which in each case occupies more than half the width of the substrate strip 2 and of the band 4, both the substrate strip 2 and the band 4 may project laterally and have a respective lateral projection shown by a broken line in FIG. 1. Normally, however, such a projection is not provided. In this case, the substrate strip 2 of the adhesive tape 2, 3 and the band 4 have essentially the same width and are combined, with their respective longitudinal edges lying one upon the other, in a common longitudinal extension by the first adhesive coating 3 to together form the laminate 2, 3, 4.

[0034] At the overlap U, the first adhesive coating 3 is provided between the substrate strip 2 and the band 4. The first adhesive coating 3 at the overlap U between the substrate strip 2 and the band 4 is composed of the already discussed plurality of spaced adhesive substrips 3.

[0035] Here, the design is such that the adhesive substrips 3 occupy the complete interstice between the substrate strip 2 and the band 4, seen in the cross-section. Thereby, any mechanical loads attacking the substrate strip 2 or the band 4 are absorbed by the laminate 2, 3, 4 as a whole. Moreover, this results in the increase of the abrasion resistance of the band material realized in this manner already described in the introduction.

[0036] With reference to the method sequence represented in FIG. 1, one can see that after the manufacture of the laminate 2, 3, 4, in addition, one further, second adhesive coating 5 is applied onto the band 4 on the outer face thereof turned away from the adhesive tape 2, 3. The second adhesive coating 5 is, like the first adhesive coating 3, also formed as at least one adhesive substrip 5. One can indeed see that the second adhesive coating 5 is composed of two adhesive substrips 5 each applied at a respective longitudinal edge of the band on the free outer face.

[0037] The two adhesive substrips 5 of the second adhesive coating 5 are each applied onto the band 4 with equal widths. The adhesive substrips 3 of the first adhesive coating 3, too, each have the same widths. Moreover, the adhesive substrips 3 of the first adhesive coating 3 are applied to the substrate strip 2 each at equal spacings, or equispaced.

[0038] All the adhesive substrips 3, 5 are altogether provided with a width B.sub.1 that is identical here. This way, for the manufacture of the respective adhesive substrip 3, 5, one may use a nozzle having an identical design to apply the hot-melt adhesive. This is, of course, only an example.

[0039] In any case, the design is such that all the adhesive substrips 3, 5 have a width B.sub.1 dimensioned within a range of 5 to 30% if a width B.sub.2 of the region of overlap U. Particularly preferred, the respective width B.sub.1 of all adhesive substrips 3, 5 is within a range of 10% to 25% of the width B.sub.2 of the region of overlap U.

[0040] With reference to FIG. 2 and the sectional view therein, it now becomes clear how the longitudinal sheath or longitudinal casing realized in this way is folded around the elongated object 1 and forms the desired wrap. Indeed, to this end, the sheath or the special band material is first of all fixed by one of the adhesive substrips 5 of the second adhesive coating 5 to the respective elongated object 1. Subsequently, the sheath according to the embodiment is folded counterclockwise around the elongated object 1. In this manner, the second adhesive substrip 5 will come, at the opposite longitudinal edge of the band 4, into the region of the substrate strip 2 of the adhesive substrip 2 and may be fixed at a back of the substrate strip 2, opposite the first adhesive layer 3. Thereby, the longitudinal sheath or wrap is altogether wound around the elongated object 1 as a longitudinal sheath and in this manner forms a wrap. Here, it is understood that in the described example, the width B.sub.2 of the region of overlap U, and consequently of the band material, is altogether dimensioned such that the complete elongated object 1 is encased and wrapped during the folding process.