What do you need to know about Black Electrical Tape in Malaysia?

Black electrical tape (or insulating tape) is a type of pressure-sensitive tapes used to insulate electrical wires and other materials that conduct electricity. By using the black electrical tape is one alternative way of prevention of electric shock and for safety of that surrounding which is full equipped with electrical wires and machines. Black electrical tape can be made of many plastics, but vinyl is the most popular material, as it stretches well and gives an effective and long lasting insulation. Black electrical tape for class H insulation is made of fiberglass cloth. A wide variety of electrical tapes is available, some for highly specialized purposes. The primary electrical wire tapes used in electrical applications are vinyl, rubber, mastic, and varnished cambric. Electricians generally use only black wire tape for insulation purposes. The other colors are used to indicate the voltage level and phase of the wire. 

In the early 1940s, vinyl plastic emerged as a versatile material for a wide range of applications, from shower curtains to cable insulation. A major ingredient in vinyl film was tricresyl phosphate (TCP), which was used as a plasticizer. Unfortunately, TCP tended to migrate, giving the surface of the vinyl film an oily quality and degrading every tape adhesive known. Research chemists and engineers at 3M set out to create a dependable, pressure-sensitive tape made of vinyl film that would have the required electrical, physical and chemical properties.

Experiments were conducted combining new plasticizers with the white, flour-like vinyl resin. Finally, in January 1946, inventors Snell, Oace, and Eastwold of 3M applied for a patent for a vinyl electrical tape with a plasticizer system and non-sulfur-based rubber adhesive that were compatible. The first commercially available version of the tape was sold for use as a wire-harness wrapping. This original black tape wasn’t black. Tapes formulated for high-temperature were yellow, and later versions were white. White tape, because of its instability in ultraviolet light, was eventually replaced with black tape, although coloured vinyl tapes are still used as identification and marking tapes. Black became the standard industry colour for vinyl standard tape, primarily because of its ultraviolet resistance.