-Flashing tapes are flexible strips of perforated thermoplastic material joined by a common edge. The tape is perforated with slits one element wide, usually parallel to the edges of the strip.
-First patented in 1889, they are used for many purposes including identification, decoration and packaging.
-Their most important feature is that any perforation may be created or removed by simply passing them through equipment that operates on their longitudinal axes; thus allowing them to be turned into continuous tapes at will.
-Flashing tapes can be made of cloth (such as polyester), paper (cardboard), metal (aluminium) or plastic (polypropylene). Thermoplastic flashing tapes consist of thin layers of thermoplastic which are bonded together to produce the final flashing tape.
Flashing tapes can be produced in a wide variety of colors.
-They are particularly suitable for producing safety warning signs, particularly on forklift trucks and other powered industrial vehicles.
-The shape of the tape dictates its application. For example, narrow strips of flashing tape are more effective than wider tapes for marking adjacent edges on concrete paving slabs because they can be attached at their ends to form continuous lines running right round an edge.
-Flashing tapes are used extensively by farmers to mark trees or posts in groves so that they may be located when farming. They also mark the boundaries of fences around fields. Flashing tapes of distinctive colors (or even emblazoned with logos) allow fencing strung between poles or wire to be identified more easily during plowing operations; especially at night, when it can be seen by plow operators.
-Flashing tapes are used in the construction industry to mark out surfaces for tiling, painting or decoration purposes. They also form important safety devices around scaffolding, ladders and floors so that workmen know where they should walk safely without slipping.
-As flashing tapes are flexible, they can easily bend around corners to mark out safety zones.
-An excellent example of their flexibility is the use of flashing tape on windowsills of tall buildings which are often at slight angles to each other due to settling after construction has been completed. Flashing tapes can thus stretch between windows at various levels with minimum distortion. Flashing tapes may be produced as single strips or combined into continuous rolls designed for a specific site or purpose. They can be manufactured in virtually any color and may have monogrammes, logos, etc. to help mark surfaces for different purposes.
–Flashing tapes are widely used as warning markers in hazardous areas such as prisons and chemical plants where there is a risk of accidents from dropping tools or other equipment onto acid baths, molten metal or similar hazardous substances below an area being worked upon. Flashing tapes come into their own in these circumstances by creating marker lines around workspaces in danger zones that identify potential hazards not otherwise immediately obvious to workmen who wear conventional safety helmets that cover their faces completely.
-Thus the edge of a concrete platform supporting an assembly line for making cars which has no visual protection because the workers’ heads are always covered by their helmets is clearly marked with a line of flashing tape to prevent them from walking into the path of moving assembly equipment, which might kill or injure anybody who walked into it.