3M 853 Polyester Tape
- Product Name: 3M 853 Polyester Tape
- Factroy Site: Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
- Price Inquiry: sales8@ascent-chem.com
- Manufacturer: Ascent Petrochem Holdings Co., Limited
- CONTACT NOW
- 3M 853 Polyester Tape is typically used in formulations when high-temperature resistance and dielectric strength must be controlled within specific ranges.
| HS Code | 203680 |
| Backing Material | Polyester film |
| Adhesive Type | Silicone |
| Color | Green |
| Total Thickness | 3.2 mil (0.081 mm) |
| Backing Thickness | 2.0 mil (0.051 mm) |
| Adhesive Thickness | 1.2 mil (0.030 mm) |
| Adhesion To Steel | 25 oz/in (7.0 N/25 mm) |
| Tensile Strength | 30 lb/in (525 N/100 mm) |
| Elongation At Break | 100% |
| Temperature Resistance Short Term | 500 °F (260 °C) |
| Temperature Resistance Long Term | 400 °F (204 °C) |
| Dielectric Strength | 7000 V |
| Chemical Resistance | Excellent |
| Core Size | 3 inch |
| Standard Length | 72 yards (66 m) |
| Width Availability | Various widths available |
As an accredited 3M 853 Polyester Tape factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Each carton contains 1 roll of 3M 853 Polyester Tape, individually wrapped and labeled in a cardboard box. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | Container Loading (20′ FCL): palletized 3M 853 Polyester Tape, non-hazardous, properly secured, dry, away from heat, moisture, and incompatible materials. |
| Shipping | Shipping Description: 3M 853 Polyester Tape is not classified as dangerous goods for transportation. It ships as non-hazardous general cargo with no UN number, hazard class, packing group, or special handling required. Store dry, away from extreme heat; standard ground, air, or ocean transport applies. |
| Storage | Store 3M 853 Polyester Tape in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from incompatible materials. Keep in original, sealed, clearly labeled packaging, upright and protected from physical damage. Avoid direct sunlight, heat, ignition sources, moisture, and dust. Recommended conditions: 16–27°C (60–80°F), 40–60% RH. Do not store near strong oxidizers, acids, bases, or solvents. Rotate stock using FIFO. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life: 24 months from date of manufacture when stored at 21°C (70°F) and 50% relative humidity in original packaging. |
During lead-free wave soldering of FR-4 boards using SAC305 at a pot setpoint of 250 °C, 3M 853 polyester tape is applied over gold fingers, edge-card test points, and unplated via fields on the top side of the board. The top-side board temperature is normally kept below 110 °C by the preheat zone, so the silicone adhesive remains below its published intermittent service limit of 204 °C. A 6 mm strip exhibits a published tensile strength of 491 N/100 mm per ASTM D3759/D3759M-05(2019), which permits removal at a 90° peel angle without slivering after one pass through a three-zone wave solder machine. Published peel adhesion to stainless steel is 24 N/100 mm per ASTM D3330/D3330M-04(2018). The principal process defect is not adhesive softening but edge penetration by no-clean flux volatiles. When tape edges are not burnished with a PTFE roller at a linear pressure of 1 N/mm, capillary wicking transports flux under the adhesive at the gold finger transition. Ionic residues measured by IPC-TM-650 2.3.25 then exceed the 1.56 μg NaCl equivalent/cm² limit referenced in IPC-J-STD-001, producing intermittent contact resistance drift after a 72 h mixed flowing gas exposure per ASTM B845-05. Board-to-board variation in top-side temperature of ±15 °C is observed when conveyor speed changes from 0.8 m/min to 1.2 m/min; adhesive residue on solder mask is minimized by warm peel at 60–80 °C rather than cold peel at room temperature, because cold peel after thermal aging generates electrostatic discharge on high-resistance solder mask surfaces. Direct contact with the SAC305 solder wave is outside the product boundary; if tape edges extend into the wave, film shrinkage and adhesive carbonization occur within 3–5 s, and the resulting char must be removed before conformal coating. RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU and the current REACH candidate list are procurement-level verification items; the supplier compliance certificate must be checked for the batch because adhesive and backing formulations may be reformulated without changing the trade designation.
| Property | Test standard | Typical value | Process relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total tape thickness | ASTM D3652/D3652M-20 | 0.066 mm | Die-cut caliper tolerance |
| Backing thickness | ASTM D3652/D3652M-20 | 0.025 mm | Thermal shrinkage and stiffness |
| Adhesive thickness | ASTM D3652/D3652M-20 | 0.041 mm | Gap filling at mask edges |
| Peel adhesion to stainless steel | ASTM D3330/D3330M-04(2018) | 24 N/100 mm | Clean mask removal |
| Tensile strength at break | ASTM D3759/D3759M-05(2019) | 491 N/100 mm | Web splice integrity |
| Elongation at break | ASTM D3759/D3759M-05(2019) | 100 % | Conformability to complex geometry |
| Dielectric breakdown voltage | ASTM D149-20 | 3000 V | Electrical coil overwrap |
| Intermittent service temperature | manufacturer technical data | 204 °C | Oven and autoclave mask limit |
On a cast-aluminum powder coating line processing A383 alloy components with a five-stage iron phosphate spray washer and a convection cure oven at 190–204 °C for 15 min, 3M 853 is applied to bearing bores, threaded inserts, grounding pads, and flange faces before parts enter the electrostatic booth. The polyester backing retains sufficient tensile strength at 190 °C to bridge a 20 mm bore with a 12 mm strip without sagging; published hot tensile strength at 190 °C for this specific construction is limited, but the room-temperature tensile strength of 491 N/100 mm per ASTM D3759/D3759M-05(2019) leaves a wide margin for hand-tensioned masking. The main coating defect is under-tape powder ingress caused by electrostatic wrap-around at sharp mask edges. This is controlled by cutting the tape end at 30° and removing loosely adhered powder with a 0.2 MPa compressed-air stream after powder application and before cure. If the oven temperature exceeds 204 °C because of recirculation band fluctuations, localized shrinkage of the PET backing produces scalloped edges and exposes an annular ring of partially cured powder 0.3–0.5 mm wide. The tape is removed at 60–80 °C to keep the adhesive in a cohesive regime and to avoid mask-line delamination of the cured powder layer. Although the silicone adhesive survives the bake cycle, it is a known siloxane contamination source for later liquid topcoat cells; even sub-monolayer transfer to a phosphate conversion coating can lower intercoat adhesion without visible residue. Components that have been masked with silicone adhesive are not routed into Class A liquid paint cells without a 50:50 isopropyl alcohol/deionized water wipe and a wetting-tension check against a 38 mN/m dyne solution in accordance with ASTM D2578.
What Limits Silicone Liner Splice Integrity at High Converting Speeds?
The silicone adhesive on 3M 853 develops measurable peel on platinum-catalyzed silicone release liners that reject acrylic and rubber pressure-sensitive adhesives; the low surface energy of a silicone liner, typically 24 mN/m, is not a barrier to silicone-to-silicone contact. Adhesion on stainless steel is published at 24 N/100 mm per ASTM D3330/D3330M-04(2018); on a 1.3 g/m² tin-catalyzed release coating, peel values generally fall in the 8–12 N/100 mm range, although published data for this specific liner configuration is limited and must be measured on the actual lot. The dominant converting failure mode is not splice tensile failure but caliper-induced web flutter at unwind speeds above 150 m/min. Because the total tape thickness is 0.066 mm, a butt splice creates a step change of 0.066 mm against a 0.075 mm PET release liner; when this step passes over a dancer roller, the resulting tension spike of 3–5 N tears thinner liners at perforation points. A 25 mm-wide splice with 12.5 mm overlap on each side distributes the caliper change over a ramp, but lap splices increase the effective roll diameter and may trip closed-loop tension controls with a load cell range of 0–100 N if the controller sampling rate is below 10 Hz. Splice passage is more stable when the tape is applied at 45° to the web direction. In rotary die cutting, the silicone adhesive prevents adhesive transfer to the release liner, but a dwell time of 72 h at 40 °C can allow z-axis adhesive creep at splice edges; die-cut parts pulled through the nip then show liner residue at the splice boundary.
For dry-type transformer coil assemblies processed through a vacuum-pressure impregnation resin bake at 145 °C, 3M 853 polyester tape serves as an outer coil overwrap and lead transition barrier, not as a primary enamel replacement. The polyester backing has a thermal class of 130 °C per IEC 60085, so continuous service is confined to Class B insulation despite the higher temperature tolerance of the silicone adhesive. A single total-thickness layer of 0.066 mm provides a typical breakdown voltage of 3000 V per ASTM D149-20; however, edge-initiated tracking can begin below 600 V when conductive copper dust is present at the tape edge. For a 600 V class dry-type transformer, two half-lapped layers are specified, with a third layer at lead transition points. The silicone adhesive remains in place during a 150 °C resin cure without oozing, but the tape is not specified for oil-filled transformer systems because dissolved siloxanes in insulating oil reduce interfacial tension and can compromise oxidation stability testing under IEC 61125. In breathing transformer designs with thermal cycling from −40 °C to 130 °C, the CTE mismatch between the polyester backing and the copper winding produces axial adhesive shear; if the tape is applied with more than 5 % tension, the overlapped edge lifts after approximately 100 thermal cycles. If UL recognition is required for electrical insulation, the current UL Yellow Card should be requested for the specific finished construction.
When Autoclave Cure Cycles Exceed 170 °C in Vacuum Bagging
Autoclave cure of prepreg laminates at 177 °C and 0.59 MPa pressure places 3M 853 on the vacuum bag outer surface to splice nylon bag film, seal thermocouple feedthroughs, and anchor breather felt. The tape is not a release tape and is not placed against uncured epoxy prepreg. The limiting mechanical input is the differential thermal expansion between the polyester backing at approximately 30 ppm/°C and nylon bag film at approximately 100 ppm/°C; this mismatch generates shear stress at the splice boundary when the autoclave ramps at 2 °C/min. If the bag film is pre-tensioned over a tool with a concave radius below 500 mm, the splice edge opens into a leak channel before the vacuum pump can compensate, and helium mass spectrometry leak testing shows leak rates above 1×10⁻⁴ Pa·L/s at the splice boundary after the thermal excursion. For this reason, a 50 mm-wide strip is used across bag splices rather than a narrow 25 mm overlap, and the bag is inspected for glossy adhesive ooze after the first autoclave cycle. Silicone contamination of the laminate is controlled by keeping the tape on the outside of the breather and peel ply stack; direct contact with bagging film is acceptable, but direct contact with epoxy prepreg edges is not permitted because siloxane transfer can survive cure and produce paint fisheyes after topcoat cure. The contamination is not detected by ultrasonic C-scan because it is a surface-energy defect at the paint interface.
Thermal Spray and Grit Blasting Mask Boundaries
Low-pressure grit blasting with 46 mesh aluminum oxide at 0.35 MPa nozzle pressure uses 3M 853 to protect O-ring grooves, bearing journals, and machined datum surfaces from overspray and ricochet. The polyester film is not a rubber or urethane blast mask; direct impingement at 90° from a 9.5 mm nozzle erodes the backing in 30–60 s, so the tape is positioned at least 50 mm outside the primary blast pattern. The silicone adhesive removes cleanly from ground steel if the tape is stripped within 24 h; after 72 h at 50 °C, adhesive-cohesive transition may leave silicone residue that requires isopropyl alcohol and a low-lint wiper. In thermal spray masking adjacent to HVOF operations, the tape is limited to surface temperatures below 204 °C. Plasma spray preheat can exceed this before the torch pass, causing the polyester film to shrink and lose contact at the mask line. Published data for 3M 853 under multi-pass HVOF overspray conditions is limited; validation on a scrap part with the same standoff distance and traverse rate is required before production use.
Competitive 3M 853 Polyester Tape prices that fit your budget—flexible terms and customized quotes for every order.
For samples, pricing, or more information, please contact us at +8618005193850 or mail to sales8@ascent-chem.com.
We will respond to you as soon as possible.
Tel: +8618005193850
Email: sales8@ascent-chem.com
Get Free Quote of Ascent Petrochem Holdings Co., Limited
Flexible payment, competitive price, premium service - Inquire now!
- 3M 853 Polyester Tape is manufactured under an ISO 9001 quality system and complies with relevant regulatory requirements.
- COA, SDS/MSDS, and related certificates are available upon request. For certificate requests or inquiries, contact: sales8@ascent-chem.com.
3M 853 Polyester Tape is a transparent biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate film carrying a crosslinked silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive. The construction is manufactured with a backing thickness of 0.025 mm (1.0 mil) and an adhesive layer of 0.033 mm (1.3 mil), yielding a total nominal thickness of 0.058 mm (2.3 mil). Manufacturer-reported tensile strength at break is 490 N/100 mm (28 lb/in) with elongation at break of 120% when tested according to ASTM D3759/D3759M. The product is specified for high-temperature masking, silicone release liner splicing, and roll-to-roll web joining. The silicone adhesive provides wetting on low-energy silicone-coated substrates and does not accumulate the oxidative hardening residue typically observed with acrylic adhesives after powder-cure oven residence at 180 °C to 200 °C for 10 min to 20 min. The polyester carrier resists cut-through during manual scraping, but its edge must be burnished because electrostatic powder spray equipment operating at 60 kV to 100 kV can drive fine particles beneath lifted tape edges. 3M 853 is not a direct substitute for general-purpose acrylic polyester tapes in every operation; the silicone adhesive has lower room-temperature initial tack, and its siloxane chemistry can transfer trace species to porous or unsealed substrates under extended thermal aging. The tape is supplied in roll form, and incoming inspection should verify thickness, peel adhesion, and tensile elongation against the manufacturer’s certificate because converted slit rolls can vary by ±0.005 mm in width depending on the slitting configuration.
What Separates a Crosslinked Silicone Adhesive from an Acrylic Polyester Tape Adhesive in High-Temperature Service?
In 180° peel testing per ASTM D3330/D3330M, acrylic polyester tapes often exhibit higher room-temperature adhesion to stainless steel than silicone polyester tapes. The acrylic advantage narrows after repeated or sustained exposure above 150 °C, where oxidative hardening can increase residue transfer and reduce conformability. The silicone network in 3M 853 is crosslinked to retain cohesive strength through the bake cycles encountered in polyester and epoxy-polyester powder coating; typical cure schedules of 180 °C to 200 °C for 10 min to 20 min fall within the intended range. Silicone adhesives also wet silicone release liners and release-coated films, which acrylic adhesives do not reliably wet because of the low surface energy of the substrate. This characteristic makes 3M 853 suitable for splicing silicone-coated paper and film liners without the need for primers or corona treatment. The trade-off includes lower ambient peel on untreated stainless steel and a different solvent-resistance profile. Aromatic hydrocarbons and ketone-bearing cleaning solvents can swell the silicone network and increase residue transfer; therefore, the tape should not be used as a mask for solvent wiping. Static shear evaluations under load should follow ASTM D3654/D3654M, but comparisons between adhesive chemistries are valid only when the same temperature, backing thickness, and bond area are used.
In electrostatic powder coating lines, 3M 853 is applied to threaded holes, grounding bosses, bearing seats, and sealing faces before alkaline cleaning and phosphate conversion coating. The tape must survive an aqueous wash stage at 50 °C and pH 9–10, then remain bonded during dry-off at 120 °C and final cure at 190 °C. The polyester backing has sufficient modulus to bridge small holes without sagging, but the tape can lift at concave radii if film shrinkage exceeds the adhesive compliance. Dimensional stability is measurable by ASTM D1204; shrinkage becomes significant above 220 °C, and the carrier can pull away from the substrate before the adhesive fails. Masking edges should be burnished with a low-durometer roller before powder application. Application below 10 °C is not recommended because the silicone adhesive loses wetting on cold rolled steel and galvannealed surfaces. After cure, the part surface temperature should fall below 60 °C before tape removal to reduce adhesive stringing and film tearing. Water-spray flash-off or part cooling tunnels can reduce this interval, but rapid cooling can increase powder-coating stress; the tape removal step should be integrated after the powder surface reaches ambient handling temperature. Die-cut masks with rounded corners exhibit less powder ingress and lower edge-lifting than straight knife-cut tape. The silicone adhesive is hydrophobic and retains adhesion through rinse stages, but impingement from high-pressure wash jets above 2 bar can force water under the tape edge and cause loss of mask definition.
In liquid masking operations involving polyurethane or epoxy topcoats, the silicone adhesive on 3M 853 can survive short bake cycles but may leave a siloxane film that interferes with subsequent adhesive bonding. Surface preparation after tape removal should include solvent degreasing with a volatile aliphatic hydrocarbon and a final wipe with isopropyl alcohol; chlorine-free degreasers are preferred to avoid swelling the silicone network. For applications requiring a residue-free surface as measured by water-break testing after tape removal, an acrylic adhesive tape may be preferred below its temperature limit. Conversely, when the masked surface is a silicone rubber component, acrylic tapes tend to slip and lift, whereas 3M 853 maintains contact through the bake cycle.
When Silicone-Liner Splicing Places the Polyester Carrier Under Constant Web Tension
In roll-to-roll coating and laminating, 3M 853 is inserted between the tail of an expiring roll and the leader of a new roll across silicone-coated paper or film. The splice must wet the low-energy release surface without lifting at line speeds up to 300 m/min and must hold through accumulator nip pressures and dancer-roller reversals. The backing tensile strength of 490 N/100 mm is adequate for many narrow-web splice loads, but the maximum tension at the splice point must be calculated from the reel width and the accumulator load. The tape elongation at break of 120% provides a strain reserve through idler wraps; however, elongation can also introduce registration drift in printed webs if the splice passes through a print station before it is removed. Silicone adhesive residue can contaminate coating baths if the splice is not excluded from the coated zone; therefore, splice placement should be registered to the converting line so that the tape is removed in a designated waste section. Published data for silicone release liner peel adhesion in production conditions is limited; laboratory values from ASTM D3330/D3330M are not directly transferable to release-coated substrates because the release chemistry, liner roughness, and silicone crosslink density alter wetting and peel separation. A splice trial on the actual liner is required to establish shear holding power and peel adhesion before committing to a production volume.
Physical, Electrical, and Compliance Data for Incoming Inspection
Incoming inspection protocols for 3M 853 typically include thickness, peel adhesion, tensile strength, elongation, and dielectric breakdown voltage. The values below are manufacturer-reported typical values and should be verified against the current 3M technical data sheet and certificate of analysis for each lot. Dielectric values can vary with relative humidity and converting-induced adhesive compression.
| Property | Typical Value | Test Method |
|---|---|---|
| Backing thickness | 0.025 mm (1.0 mil) | ASTM D3652/D3652M |
| Adhesive thickness | 0.033 mm (1.3 mil) | ASTM D3652/D3652M |
| Total thickness | 0.058 mm (2.3 mil) | ASTM D3652/D3652M |
| 180° peel adhesion to stainless steel | 6.9 N/25 mm (25 oz/in) | ASTM D3330/D3330M |
| Tensile strength at break | 490 N/100 mm (28 lb/in) | ASTM D3759/D3759M |
| Elongation at break | 120% | ASTM D3759/D3759M |
| Dielectric breakdown voltage | 5,000 V | ASTM D1000 |
| Maximum intermittent operating temperature | 260 °C (500 °F) | supplier thermal aging evaluation |
Compliance status under RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU and REACH must be confirmed from the current regulatory certificate because raw-material changes can occur without a change of the 3M trade designation. Silicone adhesives are not inherently conductive; the dielectric breakdown voltage in the table is a thickness-dependent value and should be rechecked if the tape is laminated, calendered, or stretched during application. For masking of anodized aluminium, the surface should be tested after tape removal according to ISO 2409 cross-cut adhesion because silicone residue can reduce paint adhesion. For powder-coated steel, the adhesion of subsequent liquid coating or adhesive bonding should be verified with ASTM D3359 after masked surfaces are recoated.
Compared with 3M 850, which uses an acrylic adhesive, 3M 853 is specified for higher-temperature masking and for adhesion to silicone release surfaces. 3M 850 has higher room-temperature peel on stainless steel and is common in general-purpose masking, bundling, and temporary fixing. Its clean removal envelope is narrower above 150 °C, and extended exposure can cause adhesive edge wicking. 3M 853 should be considered when the process reaches 180 °C or when the substrate contains silicone release chemistry. In comparison with green silicone polyester tape such as 3M 8403, 3M 853 is transparent, which permits visual alignment of the mask over holes and seams. The transparent backing may transmit UV in UV-cure processes; this can be beneficial for registration but can increase thermal load on the adhesive if the process chamber reflects high-intensity UV. The silicone adhesive on 3M 853 is not recommended as a barrier against aromatic hydrocarbon wipe solvents because swelling can cause residue transfer; a fluoropolymer-backed tape or a solvent-resistant film tape is preferred for that exposure.
Compare the Failure Modes Before Selecting a Polyester Masking Tape
Three failure modes dominate high-temperature polyester tape selection: backing shrinkage, adhesive transfer, and edge-lifting. Backing shrinkage is measured by ASTM D1204 at 150 °C and 200 °C. For 3M 853, shrinkage above 220 °C can cause the polyester to pull away from concave radii, even when the silicone adhesive retains bond strength. Adhesive transfer on powder-coated panels should be assessed by peeling the tape after full cure and inspecting the surface for silicone residue; visual inspection at 1× magnification may be insufficient, and contact-angle measurement or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is required to detect trace siloxane films. Edge-lifting is influenced by the squareness of the slit edge, the coating thickness at the tape boundary, and the amount of powder that accumulates beneath the edge. Die-cut masks with rounded corners and bevelled edges reduce ingress compared with straight-cut tape. Silicone adhesive tapes should not be placed in contact with uncured platinum-catalyzed silicone coatings because trace siloxane transfer can inhibit hydrosilylation at the interface. The same incompatibility applies to some rework operations in medical device assembly where addition-cure silicone potting is used; a process risk assessment should require cleaned removal of all tape residue before potting.
Storage of master logs and slit rolls below 38 °C and 50% relative humidity limits adhesive flow and reduces edge ooze. The product should be kept in original packaging until use because polyester film accumulates static charge and can attract airborne particulates. Lot-specific peel adhesion should be monitored by ASTM D3330/D3330M and thickness by ASTM D3652/D3652M. Because silicone adhesives can migrate into porous substrates, use on unsealed anodized aluminium or oxide-treated magnesium should be evaluated with ISO 2409 after tape removal. The operational boundary for continuous high-temperature exposure is best established by application-specific thermal aging rather than by extrapolation from room-temperature data. Published data for this specific configuration is limited; therefore, process validation on production substrates with the actual cure profile remains essential before the tape is locked into a manufacturing specification.
