Scotch Tape

A roll of Scotch Tape

Antique Scotch Tape package

Scotch Tape dispenser

Scotch Tape is a brand name used for certain pressure sensitive tapes manufactured by 3M as part of the company's Scotch brand.

History

The precursor to the current tapes was developed in the 1930s in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Richard Drew to seal a then-new transparent material known as cellophane.^[1]

Tradenames

Although it is a trademarked brand name, it is commonly used in the US and elsewhere as a generic term for transparent adhesive tape. The Scotch brand includes many different constructions of tape.

Use of the term "Scotch" in the name has a pejorative origin. To cut costs 3M applied the adhesive only to the edges of the tape. A remark was made by a St. Paul automobile detailer that the stingy Scotch bosses needed to put more adhesive on it creating a more robust adhesive.^[2] Scotty McTape, a kilt-wearing cartoon boy, was the brand's mascot for two decades, first appearing in 1944.^[3] The familiar plaid design, a take on the Wallace tartan, was introduced in 1945.^[3]

The Scotch brand and Scotch Tape are registered trademarks of 3M. Besides using "Scotch" as a prefix in its brand names (Scotchgard and Scotchlite), the company also used the name "Scotch" for its (mainly professional) audiovisual magnetic tape products,^[4] until the early 1990s when the tapes were branded solely with the 3M logo. In 1996 3M exited the magnetic tape business, selling its assets to Quantegy (which is a spin-off of Ampex).

Other uses

The material has uses in research as well. The Scotch Tape Test is conducted in conjunction with an Instron device to gauge the adhesion strength of conducting polymers adhered to indium tin oxide glass slides. The study was made famous by a group at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.

Front of Scotch Tape packaging circa 1994

X-rays

In 1953, Russian scientists showed that triboluminescence caused by peeling a roll of Scotch Tape in a vacuum can produce X-rays. In 2008, American scientists performed an experiment that showed the rays can be strong enough to leave an X-ray image of a finger on photographic paper. ^[5]

See also

• Magic Tape
• Sellotape

References

1. ^ http://www.3m.com/brands/scotch/anniversary/images/ScotchHistoryFinal.pdf
2. ^ http://www.3m.com/brands/scotch/anniversary/images/FunFacts.pdf
3. ^ ^{a b} Scotch 75th Anniversary - The Tale of the Tape - Mad about Plaid
4. ^ http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/3mtape/soundtalk/soundtalkbull12.pdf
5. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/science/28xray.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

External links

• The History of Cellophane Tape and the Scotch Brand
• Scotch 75th Anniversary — pages with history information and old commercials featuring Scotty McTape
• www.scotch-tape.co.uk — the official website for the UK
• www.scotchtape.com — the official website for the USA