3M White Shrink Tape for VpCI Shrink Film – 4″ x 108′ (Cortec®)

Description

3M white shrink tape, 4″ × 108′, is the preservation tape Cortec supplies for sealing seams, securing padding, patching and detailing MilCorr and VpCI®-126 shrink-film installations. A shrink-wrapped machine is only as good as its seams and its openings, and this is the tape that closes them: it bonds to the polyethylene film, takes the heat of the shrink gun, and stays put through the outdoor exposure MilCorr is rated for.

Cortec’s shrink-wrap application guide calls for preservation tape wherever film meets film or equipment: securing flame-resistant padding over sharp edges, tacking the inside seam while the outer layer is heated, holding bottom folds, closing the gap around lift points and anchor bolts, reinforcing zipper doors and vents, and holding a patch while it is shrunk in. The guide’s one caution is to use as little tape as possible directly on the equipment, because the film cannot protect metal under tape. It is an accessory, not a VCI product, so it carries no consultation-guide rating; plan on one roll per roll of shrink film, more for units with many protrusions.

Typical applications

• Tacking and sealing shrink-film seams
• Securing flame-resistant padding over sharp edges
• Closing openings around lift points, anchor bolts and tie-downs
• Reinforcing zipper doors and adhesive vents
• Patching cuts and punctures in shrink-wrapped covers
• Closing EcoWeave and VpCI-126 covers where a heat seal is not possible

How to use 3M shrink tape

1. Prepare the surface. The film must be clean, dry and at ambient temperature; wipe dust off before taping.
2. Pad edges. Before wrapping, lay the minimum of flame-resistant padding over sharp edges and tape it so it cannot shift under the film.
3. Tack seams. With at least 12 inches of overlap, tape the inside seam in a few places to hold it while you heat and pat the outer layer down. Keep tape off the equipment wherever you can.
4. Shrink, then seal. After the film is shrunk (340–440 °F for MilCorr), run a continuous strip along every seam and fold, pressing it firmly onto the warm film.
5. Detail openings. Cut minimal openings for lift points and anchor bolts, apply BioCorr or VpCI-377 to the exposed metal, then tape around each so there is no gap between film and metal.
6. Patch and reinforce. Patch a hole with film 6 to 12 inches larger than the hole, heat it in from the corners, and tape the edges; tape across all edges of zipper doors and vents.
7. Store. Original packaging, indoors at ambient temperature, out of direct sunlight.

Where it fits in the Cortec line

Pair a roll with every roll of MilCorr 20′ × 210′ or MilCorr 20′ × 100′ shrink film; it is also the tape to close EcoWeave covers and to reinforce VpCI-126 gusseted liners on a pallet. For marking a closed package rather than sealing it, use VpCI Protected tape and labels. Read the step-by-step MilCorr shrink-wrap guide for the full procedure, and see the VpCI product selection guide for the rest of the packaging line.

Field notes

Three 158-tonne emergency power cable drums on the Norwegian North Sea coast were each lifted onto MilCorr, wrapped, fused and heat-shrunk in freezing wind and snow, with seams shrink-taped, lifting-lug openings taped and zipper inspection panels fitted. Re-wrapping is being considered at 5 to 10 years. (Cortec Case History #800)

A Milwaukee, Wisconsin machine shop packed a spare marine-engine crankshaft for up to 10 years: VpCI-369 brushed into every surface and hole, the shaft laid on 10 mil VpCI-126 HP UV film in a long metal box with BioPads throughout, a second sheet over the bracing, and the film heat-shrink-taped with the upper layer overlapping the lower as a watershed. Fit for indoor or outdoor storage. (Cortec Case History #729)

An offshore rig mothballed in the Gulf of Mexico in 2015 had its hydraulic power unit, heat exchanger, helicopter fuel station, BOP parts, pumps and panels wrapped in MilCorr. The rig took a near-direct hit from a hurricane in 2017; at the 2019 inspection every wrap was intact and nothing under it had rusted, and the HPU returned to service by cutting the film open. (Cortec Case History #662)

Specifications

Product	3M white preservation tape for VpCI and MilCorr shrink film
Width	4 in
Length	108 ft
Use	Seam sealing, padding attachment, patching, anchor-point and vent detailing on shrink-film installations
Size	4″ x 108′
Colour	White
Shipping weight	2 lb (0.9 kg)
Availability	In stock
Cortec product number	11303655

Solvent Recycling Systems is an authorized Cortec® distributor. See the full Cortec VpCI line, browse the VpCI product selection guide, or contact us for volume pricing and lead times.