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 The
popular two-tone designs on trucks and automobiles and
thick paint coatings on aircraft typically use a paint
masking tape that's applied to create the break line
between sprayed colors. The paint and coatings
industry has made great strides in modifying the composition
of their products to be more environmentally friendly.
This effort has occurred simultaneously with industry's
focus on improving the durability of their products.
Compositional changes in paint and
coatings require that a thicker final coating now needs
to be applied for increased levels of durability. The
method by which thicker coatings are achieved highlights
some deficiencies in existing conventional thin-film
paint masking products when a two-tone color break line
is specified.
 In automotive assembly, a vehicle
will undergo at least four coats of paint. The
paint is then subjected to a series of low bakes in
an oven that averages 170°F with the final cure up to
350°F. In aerospace production, as many as 20
to 30 individual coats of paint are sprayed onto the
metal body frames. The rigors and demands for
military aircraft means that the stealth coatings can
take as much as 8 to 12 hours to complete the film build
with 15 to 30 minutes between coats. This thicker
coat presents a challenge to conventional mask methods.
 Conventional masking products typically
consist of an adhesive-coated
thin-paper or film (polypropylene or polyethylene) tape to which masking drape material
is attached. The slit edge of the tape creates
the final paint break line. The problem is that
thin masking tapes become buried within the multiple
paint coatings; the final paint thickness becomes greater
than the thickness of the thin masking tapes. When
the masking is removed, the paint coating is torn or
stretched as the tape is peeled away, leaving an unacceptable
rough edge which must later be reworked at great expense.
 After recognizing this impending problem,
Waterjet Tech devised a solution: TurboTape
beveled edge masking. TurboTape is a self-adhesive,
beveled-edge foam masking tape that features a virgin
polyethylene foam body which is slit at specific angles
on one edge. The foam is supplied with a unique adhesive
bonding system on one side. The adhesive side
is repositionable and removable from painted surfaces;
it is protected by a 60# super tough kraft release liner.
The repositionable adhesive allows for the precise
location of the painting mask. Should a positioning
error occur, the tape can be peeled off without leaving adhesive
residue behind and relocated in the correct position.
 With
the right fastening system determined, the question
became how to enhance this masking system further. The
answer lay in tailoring the masking tape facestock thickness
and edge angle to optimize application. The angled
edge of the masking product creates an overhand toward
the desired break line creating a shadow area under
the masking product. The multiple paint finishes
build and taper off under the bevel creating a precise
edge break thinner than the final paint coating. A
precise combination of foam thickness and angle overhand
in relationship to the final paint coating eliminates
the possibility of the masking product becoming embedded
within the paint or coating. At the time of demask,
the tape product is peeled away leaving a perfect break
line that does not require rework.
 The proprietary method of defining
the height and angle of the masking product to achieve
dimensional coating location and a smooth break line
is patented and key to the product. The precise angling
comes from waterjet cutting technology. Water
in streams as fine as human hair is forced through 0.003-inch-diameter
nozzles at three times the speed of sound.
 The product is manufactured from highly
conformable and noncontaminating materials and allows
the generation of super-smooth and slick break lines
on most complex three-dimensional surfaces. Use
of TurboTape eliminates the need for costly
manual rework. The product is available in different
thicknesses, widths, lengths, and with a single or double-angled
edge.
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Background of TurboTape