4. Environmental Resistance Beyond waterproofing and durability, butyl rubber roofing sheets resist corrosion, mildew, and biological growth. These properties contribute to maintaining the structural integrity of buildings and minimizing the need for maintenance over time.

Self-fusing Silicone Rubber Tape

In 1845, a surgeon named Dr. Horace Day made the first crude surgical tape by combining India rubber, pine gum, turpentine, litharge (a yellow lead oxide), and turpentine extract of cayenne pepper and applying that mixture to strips of fabric. It was the first “rubber-based” adhesive and Dr. Day used it in his practice as a surgical plaster. Larger scale manufacturing of similar medical tapes began in 1874 by Robert Wood Johnson and George Seaburg in East Orange, NJ. That company would soon become the Johnson & Johnson Company we know today. Later in 1921, Earle Dickson who bought cotton for Johnson & Johnson noticed that the surgical tape kept falling off his wife Josephine’s fingers after cutting them in the kitchen. He fixed a piece of gauze to some cloth backed tape and the first Band-Aid ® was invented. It took almost 75 years from Dr. Day’s first crude tape until the early 1920’s when the first industrial tape application appeared. The application was electrical tape (although the adhesive was more of a cohesive film than the electrical tape we know today) to prevent wires from shorting. The second major industrial tape application was a result of the rise of the American automobile in the 1920’s. Two-toned automobiles were becoming popular and automakers needed a way to produce clean, sharp paint lines while using the new automatic paint spray gun. They started using the surgical tape that was available but the paint wicked through the cloth backing and caused defective paint jobs. Richard Drew, an engineer at Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) happened to be at a local body shop testing their WetorDry® brand sandpaper in 1925 and he saw the workers struggling to get clean paint lines. He went back to his lab and created a 2-inch wide crimp backed paper tape that became the first “masking tape” for painting. Jumping ahead to 1942 and World War II, Johnson & Johnson developed duct tape to seal canisters and repair equipment for the military. The tape was a basically a polyethylene coated cloth tape with good “quick stick” properties that made it easy to use in the field for emergency repairs. The world never looked back and duct tape can be found in almost any home or toolbox.

• Flex Tape is also incredibly durable, with the ability to withstand harsh weather conditions, UV rays, and extreme temperatures. This makes it a reliable choice for both indoor and outdoor repairs.

In construction, insulation cotton tape finds its utility in HVAC systems to enhance energy efficiency. By insulating ductwork, it minimizes energy loss, contributing to a reduction in heating and cooling costs. With increasing energy prices and a growing emphasis on sustainability, utilizing insulation cotton tape in building projects can lead to significant long-term savings.

Made with a specialized high-temperature tempering process, butyl tape is thoroughly airtight and watertight to endure the harshest of weather conditions - from heavy rains to frigid winters, and its UV resistance helps to withstand direct sunlight with minimal damage.