tesa recently introduced tesa^® 4338 Green, a high-performance, finger-friendly masking tape solution that can withstand multiple high-temperature drying cycles across a variety of applications. Finding the right masking tape to meet the demanding requirements of industrial painting applications can be difficult. Manufacturers are often forced to stock multiple, hard-to-work-with masking tapes, each for different needs, including general purpose, fine-line and high-temperature applications. tesa 4338 Green reportedly reduces complexity and increases process efficiencies for manufacturers and provides improved operator friendliness, both during masking and removal.

According to Stefan Sell, director of General Industrial Markets for tesa North America, specialty vehicle and boat manufacturers and painting operators identified a number of specific challenges they face when choosing a high-temperature masking tape. "Customers told us that traditional masking tape solutions for the transportation market—including boats, RVs, trucks, and trains—can be challenging to apply, degrade easily in sunlight and result in messy paint lines," Sell said. "Painted items can't be left outside for drying—and have to be remasked to withstand multiple drying cycles. For operators, masking tapes can be hard to unwind, difficult to reposition—and many leave residue behind. Plus, some tape backings can be tough on operator's fingers."

tesa reports that its dedicated technical team blends in-market expertise with a passion for solutions. Armed with these customer insights, they set out to develop the ideal high-temperature masking tape that addresses their unique concerns.

"We love adhesion," said Claudia Ramirez, application solutions engineer for tesa North America. "Our self-adhesive products and technologies solve complex problems across a wide variety of industries—making our customers' world just a little better, one application at a time. Through close customer collaboration, we aspired to develop a durable, highly-visible masking tape specifically for multiple high-temperature drying cycles. By leveraging our extensive adhesive knowledge, and taking a solution-oriented approach, we arrived at tesa^® 4338 Green—one masking tape for all."

The benefits of tesa 4338 Green were reportedly confirmed in North American customer trials, including outdoor UV resistance under challenging conditions in Nevada. Operators were especially pleased with its conformability and ease of handling during application.

Sell added that the unique adhesive qualities of tesa 4338 Green make it easily repositionable and can help painters achieve sharp paint lines. In addition, with up to seven days of UV resistance, the bright green masking tape is durable and allows for temporary outdoor storage.

"tesa^® 4338 Green offers good adhesion balance," Sell said. "That means it goes on well, sticks well, leaves no residue, and is easy to unwind. tesa^® 4338 Green can help you simplify your painting operations with a single high-performance tape, increase your painting process efficiencies – and show your operators you care by providing a tape that's a joy to work with."

Learn more at www.tesa.com.