3M Rubber Tapes
Insulating and Splicing
Electricians have critical jobs. Keeping our world powered requires concentration, knowledge, and skill. Some of the most dangerous work is done by electricians working on medium and high-voltage applications.
Ethylene propylene and silicone rubber electrical tapes have the highest dielectric rating of electrical tapes made by 3M and are a trusted product in the toolbox of most medium and high voltage linemen and installers. With proper wrapping, their self-fusing properties help to eliminate voids in critical areas that may cause catastrophic failures.
Best used to provide primary electrical insulation, 3M Rubber Tapes are highly conformable. Use on bus bar connections, general splice insulation, and moisture sealing for low- to high-voltage electrical connections.
The Range of 3M Rubber Tapes
- Scotch® Linerless Rubber Splicing Tape 130C is a premium, highly conformable, linerless Ethylene Propylene Rubber (EPR), high voltage insulating tape that provides excellent thermal dissipation of splice heat.
- Scotch® Splicing Tape 130C meets industry specifications and has excellent physical and electrical properties, which helps provide immediate moisture seal and void free buildups.
- Scotch® Splicing Tape 130C is rated up to 90°C continuous operating temperatures and short term 130°C overload service.
- This product can be used for low and high voltage (up to 69 kV) applications.
- This tape should be applied like any rubber tape – that is, the outside of the tape should be facing down as applied (tacky side up).
- This will help prevent the roll from getting progressively further away from the work area.
Applications
- Primary electrical insulation for splicing all solid dielectric cables up to 69 kV
- Moisture sealing electrical connections
- Jacket repairs
- Scotch® Rubber Splicing Tape 23 is a premium, highly conformable, self-fusing Ethylene Propylene Rubber (EPR), high voltage insulating tape.
- Scotch® Tape 23 has a “snakeskin” liner that is easily removed as the tape is applied. This product can be used for low and high voltage (up to 69 kV) applications.
Applications
- Primary electrical insulation for splicing all solid dielectric cables up to 69 kV
- Moisture sealing electrical connections
- Jacket repairs
- c is a high-temperature, arc and track-resistant tape composed of self-fusing, inorganic silicone rubber with an easy-tear and easy-strip liner.
- It has excellent UV and ozone resistance and is workable at extremely low temperatures.
- Scotch Tape 70 can be used as a base tape layer to enable clean re-entry of connections. Meets the requirements of Mil A-A-59163 Class I, Type I.
Applications
- Protects and overlaps high voltage cable terminations and serves as a base layer to provide clean re-entry into connections
- Protective overwrap for terminating high-voltage cables
- Scotch® Varnished Cambric Tape 2510 is made from straight-cut woven cotton cambric fabric.
- The fabric is oil primed and coated with a high grade yellow electrical insulating varnish.
- Varnished cambric tapes are flexible, electrically insulating and moisture resistant with a smooth finish.
- Scotch Tape 2510 is yellow, non-adhesive coated and 0.18 mm thick, providing an excellent dielectric strength with high puncture and cut-through resistance.
- Its electrical properties are stable up to 105°C.
Applications
- Insulation of bus bars, motor leads (for re-entry), service drop connectors
- Scotch® Varnished Cambric Tape 2510 is made from straight-cut woven cotton cambric fabric.
- The fabric is oil primed and coated with a high grade yellow electrical insulating varnish.
- Varnished cambric tapes are flexible, electrically insulating and moisture resistant with a smooth finish.
- They are designed to perform continuously in temperatures up to 105°C (220°F) with excellent resistance to abrasion, puncture and cut-through.
Applications
- Insulating joints requiring rapid and clean re-entry
- Use in areas where mechanical protection and puncture resistance is critical
3M Rubber Tape Guide
Proper wrapping
Moisture control
High temperature performance
Extra padding
Proper Wrapping
Shouldn’t snap when you wrap it.
Wrapping tape on a high-voltage cable can be time-consuming and error-prone since the careful build-up of tape requires accurate half-lapping and constant tension in order to reduce build-in air voids. Rubber tapes are designed to stretch some up to 1000%. Elongating the tape this way drives to compression, and that results in the strong self-fusion that provides great insulation and moisture protection.
In a typical tape splice, you’ll tug and pull out the tape, stretching it to just before the breaking point. The tape’s width narrows to about 1/3rd of its original size. The tape’s length increases; your hand travels very quickly up to 20” away from where you started. Quite often you’ll be wrapped in a tight location making this even more difficult. Proper taping techniques are critical to realizing the many performance benefits of rubber tape.
- Backwinding rubber tape allows you to tuck the excess back onto the roll as you work, pacing out more as you make your half laps around the cable and helping prevent the tape from getting progressively further away from the work area.
- Even pressure on the stretch helps eliminate voids and bulges, sometimes called ‘pregnant splices’.
- A good rubber tape won’t snap and break when you wrap.
- Splices and terminations should always be jacketed with vinyl tape for protection from chemical contaminants and physical damage. Vinyl jackets help keep your cable from collecting debris.
- Dielectric strength of rubber tape increases as you add layers. For low-voltage applications (<600V), always apply a minimum of 2½ half-lapped layers.
Moisture Control
Self-bonding helps make air and watertight seal.
Rubber tapes repel moisture and are a great solution for outdoor applications or in manholes where water may occasionally seep in.
In production plants and manufacturing facilities where steam, dripping water and elevated humidity are present, self-fusing rubber tapes provide much needed moisture protection.
In a harsh environment, one that is subject to chemical and harsh fluid exposure; overwrap with a hearty vinyl tape to help prevent copper corrosion.
High Temperature Performance
Engineered to beat the heat.
Anyone who’s left a roll of general-purpose vinyl tape in the cab of their truck on a very hot summer day can attest to the fact that heat makes the adhesive soft. Extreme heat makes it ooze and flow.
3M rubber tapes have operating temperatures ranging from 176°F (80°C) to 221°F (105°C). Some, like Scotch® Linerless Rubber Splicing Tape 130C and Rubber Splicing Tape 23, have overload temperatures up to 266°F (130°C). Because of this high heat attribute; there are many industrial settings where it is common to use rubber tape in lower voltage applications to moisture seal, pad, and insulate:
- Production lines with blasting furnaces
- Steel mills
- Near heat vents
- Machines and motors which run hot
Wait, it gets hotter.
3M also makes an electrical tape made of silicone rubber for applications where Class “H” (180°C/356°F) temperatures are encountered i.e., silicone rubber cables.
Scotch® Self-Fusing Silicone Rubber Electrical Tapes 70 and 70HDT offer very lightweight, thin profiles for environmental sealing, insulation (typically 5 to 46kV), UV resistance, and track and arc protection in very hot applications.
Scotch Tape 70HDT has a triangular profile, thicker in the middle. This tape is designed to create a uniform surface height when half-lapped.
These features can also be extremely important in applications such as naval, military and aircraft manufacturing, where limiting weight and minimizing space are critical.
Extra Padding
Thicker for Padding. Designed to take the shake.
Engines and motors in a production line subject electrical connections to extreme vibrations. Rubber tapes are typically 4 times thicker than vinyl electrical tapes and provide extra mechanical protection for connections like motor leads that are subject to constant vibrations. They also provide excellent padding and conformability around surfaces with irregular, rough or sharp edges like bus bar and split bolt connections.
Scotch® Linerless Rubber Splicing Tape 130C is 30 mils thick−watch it in action.
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