Kapton Tape Alternative

[GMTH]

We need tape! our Kapton tape isn't due to arrive until next wednesday, so that's a whole 5 days without continuing our build. Are there any quality alternatives to Kapton tape?

[Mac The Knife]

silicone tape from an auto supply store,,,

[Mac The Knife]

For wrapping the hotend, I assume?

[GMTH]

For wrapping the hot end, as well as covering the terminals beneath the Onyx. Silicone tape? We wouldn't want to use a "lesser" tape on our printer. can someone confirm that this is right?

[Mac The Knife]

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detai ... &ppt=C0404

You can wait on the hot bed terminals, unless you are going to install a metal heatspreader right away.

[add1ct3dd]

You can pretty much do the rest of the printer, but leave out the bed and hotend - that's what I did when I was waiting for the RTV silicone

I'd not go with anything else, Kapton is the stuff to use imo.

[Mac The Knife]

A simple search of the forum will reveal GeneB recommending it for wrapping a hotend.

[Eaglezsoar]

The thermal tape made from silicone is usually 1 inch wide and needs to be cutdown to 1/2" to use it on hotends and most applications.
The silicon tape is self fusing meaning that it only sticks to itself, it will not stick to anything but itself. I have wapped my hotend heat block with
the stuff by holding one end and stretching the tape I wrap it around the heater block at least twice and make sure that I press it firmly to itself before
I cut it off. Works great and helps keep the air from the layer fans from effecting the hotend temperature. I lot of places have it but be sure to pick it
up with the color you like and the highest temperature rating that you can find.

[InerringErrata]

I used silicone (aka self-fusing) tape for my hot end. Most varieties are good to 260C continuously, and generally say so on the package. After around 200 hours of printing ABS, it is still pliable at room temperature. I did have to cut mine in half to get a reasonable width for wrapping.

Although I initially used it because my kapton had not arrived, I now prefer the silicone tape for wrapping the hot end. Wrap it tight so that it stretches and leave .75-1" of overlap. So not only will it fuse to itself (the bond becomes very, very strong after you get it hot a few times), but it is under constant tension too. If you punch holes in the tape while wrapping it with the leads off the resistors and thread them through, you can mechanically capture the tape on the hot end. It is thicker (most likely a better insulator) and stronger than kapton tape, doesn't rely on adhesives to stick, and with the resistor leads punched through it and crimped on the outside it really cannot come off without being cut in multiple places. It also applies constant pressure to the thermistor, which might prevent it from ever coming completely out of its hole if the RTV spirits withhold their blessings.

Compared to the finicky, randomly-peeling-off kapton tape I've tried to supplement the silicone tape with, I quite like it. Although now that I think about it, I really can't remember what I did about the bed terminals...

[Eaglezsoar]

I used silicone (aka self-fusing) tape for my hot end. Most varieties are good to 260C continuously, and generally say so on the package. After around 200 hours of printing ABS, it is still pliable at room temperature. I did have to cut mine in half to get a reasonable width for wrapping.

Although I initially used it because my kapton had not arrived, I now prefer the silicone tape for wrapping the hot end. Wrap it tight so that it stretches and leave .75-1" of overlap. So not only will it fuse to itself (the bond becomes very, very strong after you get it hot a few times), but it is under constant tension too. If you punch holes in the tape while wrapping it with the leads off the resistors and thread them through, you can mechanically capture the tape on the hot end. It is thicker (most likely a better insulator) and stronger than kapton tape, doesn't rely on adhesives to stick, and with the resistor leads punched through it and crimped on the outside it really cannot come off without being cut in multiple places. It also applies constant pressure to the thermistor, which might prevent it from ever coming completely out of its hole if the RTV spirits withhold their blessings.

Compared to the finicky, randomly-peeling-off kapton tape I've tried to supplement the silicone tape with, I quite like it. Although now that I think about it, I really can't remember what I did about the bed terminals...

This appears to be your first post and I wanted to welcome you to the Forum!
Thanks for participating in the discussion and if you ever need help we will do our best to help you!
Send us some pictures of your printer if you get a chance.

[GMTH]

Thanks everyone for the insight! Our Kapton tape arrives tomorrow before noon, we were holding off on our build until then. We will consider using the silicone tape as well as it was mentioned above. The hot end is pretty much all that's left. We called SeeMeCNC and the extremely helpful and responsive staff (thanks guys!!) suggested we use the RTV for the heated bed. The downside is that we will no longer have access to the electric terminals but that shouldn't be a problem as our soldering expert has had a lot of professional experience doing what he did to the Onyx.