FILM STACK, KIT COMPOSED OF FILM STACK AND ADHESIVE TAPE, AND A COVERING TAPE AND A METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION THEREOF

Abstract

Masking film stacks, kits composed of said film stacks, adhesive tapes, and covering tapes, and methods for producing said stacks and kits are provided. The masking film stacks comprise masking films having widths and lengths, wherein the masking films are foldable along folding lines, running along the lengths, to form double-ply-folded masking films such that two free longitudinal edges of the double-ply-folded masking films run adjacent to each another and the double-ply masking films are foldable to form stacks and the two longitudinal edges lie on the masking film stacks.

Claims

1. A masking film stack comprising: a masking film having a width and a length, wherein the masking film is folded along a folding line, running along the length, to form a double-ply-folded masking film such that two free longitudinal edges of the double-ply-folded masking film run adjacent to each another and the double-ply masking film is folded to form a stack and the two longitudinal edges lie on the masking film stack.

2. The masking film stack according to claim 1, wherein the double-ply-folded masking film is folded in a concertina fold and an outer double ply is placed at least in U-shape around a concertina stack.

3. The masking film stack according to 1, wherein the double-ply-folded masking film is folded in a helical fold.

4. The masking film stack according to claim 1, wherein an outer longitudinal edge lies externally on the masking film stack and is freely graspable and forms a manual engagement edge.

5. The masking film stack according to claim 2, wherein the longitudinal edge of the outer double ply is turned over backward.

6. The masking film stack according to claim 4, wherein the manual engagement edge has colored or tactile marking.

7. The masking film stack according to claim 1, wherein the masking film is a PE, PP, PA, PET or PBT film or is a composite film of PA and PE or PP and PE or is made of paper or is an aluminum foil.

8. The masking film stack according to claim 1, wherein the masking film stack is wound on a cardboard or plastic core.

9. A kit with a masking film stack and an adhesive tape, wherein the masking film stack according to claim 1 and an adhesive tape having a layer of adhesive for adherence to a working face.

10. The kit according to claim 8, wherein the adhesive tape has a carrier layer which is a crepe layer or a PVC-containing carrier layer.

11. A masking tape with an adhesive tape having at least one adhesive side for adherence to a working face and having an edge portion, and disposed on the edge portion, a masking film edge of a masking film which has a free manual engagement edge opposite the masking film edge along a width of the masking film, where the masking film is folded toward the edge portion and forms the masking film stack according to claim 1, wherein the free manual engagement edge is disposed lying freely on the masking film stack.

12. The masking tape according to claim 11, wherein the manual engagement edge lies on a side of the film stack opposite the adhesive side of the adhesive tape.

13. The masking tape according to claim 11, wherein the manual engagement edge has an inner side which is disposed under contact on the film stack and has an outer side which has no contact.

14. The masking tape according to claim 11, wherein the manual engagement edge is turned over in the adhesive tape-remote direction.

15. The masking tape according to claim 11, wherein the adhesive tape takes the form of a crepe adhesive tape or PVC-containing adhesive tape.

16. A method for producing a folded masking tape, by disposing a masking film edge of a masking film on an edge portion of an adhesive tape, folding the masking film toward the edge portion and forming a masking film stack, wherein a free manual engagement edge opposite the masking film edge along a width of the masking film is disposed lying freely on the masking film stack.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the masking film is made into a double ply and folded concertinawise.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the masking film is made into a double ply and folded spiralwise.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the free manual engagement edge is disposed along the adhesive tape.

Description

[0052] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a masking tape of the invention in the folded and unwound state;

[0053] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view along the line II in FIG. 1; and

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a further embodiment of the masking tape of the invention.

[0055] FIG. 1 shows a masking tape 1 with an adhesive tape 2 which extends in a longitudinal direction L. A tape, i.e., masking tape 1 or adhesive tape 2, is understood to be a tape which is essentially very long, in principle infinite, in its extent in the longitudinal direction L, having a length L which is greater by a multiple than an extent along a width B. The tape 1, 2 also has an extent along a thickness D. The thickness of the masking tape 1 is different along the width B. Typical dimensions are indicated below. The adhesive tape 2 in this example typically has a width B of 15 mm to 30 mm, and in the portion of the adhesive tape 2 the masking tape has a thickness of 100 μm to 250 μm. The masking film 6 goes off from the longitudinal side of the adhesive tape 2. The width B of the masking tape 1 in the portion of the masking film 6 here is typically 500 mm to 2500 mm; in the portion of the masking film 6, the masking tape 1 typically has a thickness of 10 μm to 50 μm, where the thickness relates to an individual ply of the masking film and not to the entire masking stack.

[0056] The extent along the width B is greater by a multiple than the extent along the thickness D. “Multiple” here refers to 100 times to more than 10 000 times.

[0057] The adhesive tape 2 usually comprises a carrier layer 3 and a layer 4 of adhesive. The carrier layer 3 consists of a common plastic, paper and/or metal (for example, aluminum). Nonlimiting examples of plastics may include the following:

[0058] polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP)—especially the oriented polypropylene (OPP), produced by monoaxial or biaxial drawing, cyclic olefin copolymers (COC), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyesters—especially polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA), polyethersulfone (PES), polyimide (PI), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), and also copolymers, blends, multi-ply films or composite films of abovementioned polymers, which for example are bonded, welded or coextruded. The carriers may additionally be present in treated form, treated by coating with a primer or varnish, pretreated by corona and/or etching, printed or otherwise modified, for example. Paper may likewise be in coated, creped, printed or otherwise pretreated and/or modified form. The same applies to metal-based carriers.

[0059] The layer 4 of adhesive consists of a customary pressure sensitive adhesive, examples being acrylates, natural and synthetic rubber compositions, silicones, etc.

[0060] The adhesive layer 4 is preferably applied over the full area of one side of the carrier layer 3. It may alternatively be arranged along a stripe on the carrier layer next to the masking film.

[0061] On the masking film side, the adhesive tape 2 has an edge portion 7 which may also be part of the adhesive layer 4. On the edge portion 7 there is a masking film edge 8 of the masking film 6 secured.

[0062] The masking film 6 preferably likewise comprises—by way of example but without limitation—the following material:

[0063] paper, metal (for example, aluminum), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP)—especially the oriented polypropylene (OPP), produced by monoaxial or biaxial drawing, cyclic olefin copolymers (COC), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyesters—especially polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA), polyethersulfone (PES), polyimide (PI), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), and also copolymers, blends, multi-ply films or composite films of abovementioned polymers, which for example are bonded, welded or coextruded. The carriers may additionally be present in treated form, treated by coating with a primer or varnish, pretreated by corona and/or etching, printed or otherwise modified, for example. Paper may likewise be in coated, creped, printed or otherwise pretreated and/or modified form. The same applies to metal-based carriers.

[0064] The masking tape 1 in FIG. 1 is very long, with only a portion of the masking tape 1 that is short in longitudinal direction L being shown here. The masking tape 1 may be conveniently wound to form a reel. The wound state is the state in which the masking tape is preferably transported and stored prior to use. In this state, the adhesive layer 4 of the adhesive tape 2 is on the inside of the reel and the carrier layer 3 of the adhesive tape 2 on the outside of the reel. The masking tape 1 may be wound around a core through which one end of a bracket is placed for the application of the masking tape 1, allowing continuous unwinding of the masking tape 1 from the reel. The core may be made for example of cardboard—including siliconized cardboard—or of a plastic such as polyethylene (PE), for example.

[0065] The masking film 1 is folded to form a film stack 9. The folding lines all run parallel to the longitudinal direction L.

[0066] A feature of the folded masking tape 1 of the invention shown in FIG. 1 is a manual engagement edge 11, which is exposed and therefore readily engageable, which is arranged opposite to the masking film edge 8, which is laminated onto the edge portion 7 of the adhesive tape 2, on the folded masking film 6. Freely engageable here means that the manual engagement edge 11 extends freely engageably over the entire longitudinal extent of the masking tape 1 and is arranged about 0 to 10 cm next to and parallel to the adhesive tape 2, in precise terms next to the carrier layer 3 of the adhesive tape 2. After the masking tape 1 has been unwound, according to FIG. 1, the manual engagement edge 11 lies free. It is not covered by a covering material or the like, but is instead visible along its entire longitudinal extent and is directly touchable and engageable for the user, and can be determined by semimechanical or all-mechanical optical systems and gripped by semimechanical or all-mechanical mechanisms when the masking tape 1 is unwound from the reel.

[0067] For particularly simple recognition, the manual engagement feature may be emphasized, for example, in colored form, by additional folding, bonding and/or by crimping, to give it particular optical and/or tactile emphasis.

[0068] FIG. 3 shows the sectional view of a further embodiment of the masking tape 1 of the invention. The further embodiment of the masking tape 1 again has a masking tape 2 to which a masking film stack 9 is adhered along its entire longitudinal extent. In the further embodiment according to FIG. 3, an internal longitudinal edge of the masking film 6 is adhered to an adhesive layer 4 of the adhesive tape. Other modes of fastening are of course also conceivable.

[0069] The masking film stack 9 of FIG. 3 comprises the spirally or helically stacked two-ply masking film 6. Here as well an outer masking film ply 12 is guided in an approximate U-shape around the masking film stack 9. The manual engagement edge 11 of the masking film 6 is turned back backward. Backward here means turned away from the adhesive tape 2. As a result, the manual engagement edge 11 has a particularly easily graspable configuration. In particular it may easily be engaged using the user's fingers.

[0070] A width B of the masking film 6 folded out may be between 50 cm and 2.50 m, preferably between 1.4 m and 1.9 m. However, all other dimensions in between are conceivable and also disclosed. The unfolded masking film may also have larger or smaller widths B.

[0071] For producing the masking tape 1 of the invention, the masking film 6 is first fastened with the masking film edge 8 along the entire longitudinal extent on the edge portion 7 of the adhesive tape 2 and then initially folded to a double ply. In this case the masking film is folded over with a slight offset along a fold line which runs in longitudinal direction L, and the manual engagement edge 11 is folded toward the adhesive tape 2, so that the manual engagement edge 11 is disposed on the side of the masking film 6 that is opposite the adhesive layer 4.

[0072] The masking film 6 is then folded to a double ply over substantially its entire extent. It is subsequently folded to a double ply concertinawise on the side opposite the manual engagement edge 11, to form the film stack 9. The concertina folding here is folded from outside to inside, i.e., toward the manual engagement edge 11. As a result, an outer folded ply 12 of the masking film 6 is formed, which encompasses the other folded plies, on a side of the film stack 9 that faces away from the adhesive tape 2, in a U-shape, preferably encompassing them completely on three sides.

[0073] Another method for producing the masking tape begins first with the folding of the film to form a double ply. It has proven particularly advantageous to use a film with asymmetric single folding which is already present in wound form on a core. This film is obtained, for example, in blown film extrusion, where with dual-benefit manufacture the film bubble formed is slit asymmetrically and then collapsed and wound up.

[0074] Another possibility is based on a symmetrical slitting, to produce a bubble slit at the edge. This bubble is then laid exactly over on itself, and asymmetric film sections are produced with subsequent edge trimming. The asymmetrically folded film is subsequently folded in accordance with the method described above, to produce the completed film stack. An adhesive tape is then fastened on the film stack. In principle the adhesive tape may be fastened on the masking film edge at any point in the manufacture.

[0075] The film stack may also be already completely folded and wound up on a core. In that case, the adhesive tape is fastened locally on the masking film edge using a tool which is able to hold and guide both an adhesive tape and the wound film stack, and the masking tape accordingly can be produced with the tool.

[0076] FIG. 1 does not show that the masking tape 1 is wound. Customarily the masking tape 1 is wound about a winding axis which in FIG. 1 is disposed beneath the masking tape 1, so that the adhesive layer 4 is on the inside of the reel and the carrier layer 3 of the adhesive tape 1 is on the outside of the reel.

[0077] An advantage of the concertina folding according to FIG. 1 of the masking film 6 is that the masking film 6 of the masking tape 1 adhered to the working face (not shown) can be fully unfolded by gripping the manual engagement edge 11 and performing a pulling movement. Another advantage is that the adhered and as yet not unfolded masking film 6 remains in its position, since the outer folded ply 12 completely encompasses the masking film stack 9. Automatic unfolding is therefore not possible. Moreover, the folds of the film stack need not be located at the same height, but may instead have an offset from one another.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0078] 1 masking tape [0079] 2 adhesive tape [0080] 3 carrier layer [0081] 4 adhesive layer [0082] 6 masking film [0083] 7 edge portion on masking film side [0084] 8 masking film edge [0085] 9 film stack [0086] 11 manual engagement edge [0087] 12 outer folded ply [0088] B width [0089] D thickness [0090] L longitudinal direction