Monarch’s MFTAPE: Materials and Installation Factors to Consider

Monarch serves a variety of industries, and it always surprises us when we learn all the diverse ways our customers use our products. Our MFTAPE clip is particularly versatile, and customers have used it on everything from acrylic signs to back painted glass panels.

MFTAPE comes equipped with two strips of pre-applied 3M VHB tape that work via peel-and-stick application. The design is intended to help you install panels easily without having to drill directly into them.

Our customers have used the Monarch MFTAPE System for the following materials:

• Phenolic Panels, such as Trespa rain screens
• Corian
• Glass
• Back Painted Glass
• Acrylic Signs

While MFTAPE is easy to use, it’s important to us at Monarch that customers are aware of certain installation considerations. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

Test Your Specific Material: Because materials vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, we recommend you test the material you plan to use for adhesion prior to moving forward with a project. We offer this testing for free and conduct it right in the 3M materials engineering lab. This testing will not only verify the adhesion but will help us direct you to the correct primer.

Surface Preparation: For optimal adhesion, it’s essential for you to properly prepare the surface of the panel before applying the tape. 3M VHB tape works best when the surface provides a well unified, clean environment. To achieve this, 3M recommends using a cleaning solution that’s 50% water and 50% alcohol.

To promote better adhesion, you can also use a surface primer on certain materials. If working with glass, for instance, a silane glass treatment works best. You can read more about surface preparation at 3M’s website.

Weight Capacity: It’s a good idea to ensure that MFTAPE can sustain the weight of your panel. Each foot of MFTAPE is rated for 7.5 pounds of shear strength and is available in lengths up to 12 feet, so be sure you’ve calculated weight capacity correctly prior to installation.

Material Width: Unlike traditional non-adhesive clips, MFTAPE gives you greater flexibility to use different material widths. This is especially convenient for projects that call for thinner materials because MFTAPE eliminates the concern of puncturing the face of the panel with screws or other fasteners. You can often offset the cost of the MFTAPE product by using a thinner panel from the manufacturer. 

If you’d like to learn more about our MFTAPE clip or have questions regarding its installation, please give us a call at (631) 750-3000.