Kapton or polyamid tape by the sheet for use with hot air in reflow?

[cdev]

I have been looking to get some larger sheets of kapton or kapton like tape for use with hot air gun, to protect the other components, and I am wondering how people buy it. It dries out eventually so I dont want to get too much but I have a feeling a bunch of it would be nice to have around. Where can I get it and what is a good price?

I plan to use it to cover as best as possible the whole work piece and cut out holes for the areas that hot air is intended to remove or replace components on, protecting the rest. 

[crossroad]

They dry out? What type are you using because I haven't had any issues with my rolls drying out

Also, why not just get some wide rolls? I'd imagine it would be cheaper and potentially easier to use than sheets

[jpanhalt]

I just use aluminum foil tucked around sensitive components in the area.

[cdev]

I have noticed that my tape sees to have lost some of its adhesive quality. Its probably around 5 years old. My tape is around a cnentimeter wide. Not wide at all.


will try using it to hold aluminum foil. Thats a goiod plan, it will probably work. Aluminum foil is cheap and blocks heat.

They dry out? What type are you using because I haven't had any issues with my rolls drying out

Also, why not just get some wide rolls? I'd imagine it would be cheaper and potentially easier to use than sheets

Good idea.

[crossroad]

If you don't mind paying a little (a lot) more for the quality, McMaster carries them under "electrical masking tape"

It's all brand name Kapton stuff, with option different types of adhesive. Comes as wide as 6 inches which seems like plenty

https://www.mcmaster.com/fastening-tape/masking-tape-for-electronics-8/

Okay 6 inches should be more than enough - it would cover literally any of the boards laying around on my desk in one go
If McMaster is a bit too premium - just look for 6in rolls of kapton on amazon or whatever

[tooki]

I have been looking to get some larger sheets of kapton or kapton like tape for use with hot air gun, to protect the other components, and I am wondering how people buy it. It dries out eventually so I dont want to get too much but I have a feeling a bunch of it would be nice to have around. Where can I get it and what is a good price?

I plan to use it to cover as best as possible the whole work piece and cut out holes for the areas that hot air is intended to remove or replace components on, protecting the rest.

Just to be clear, Kapton is polyimide, not polyamide (nylon). They're very, very different plastics.

[DavidAlfa]

It's very strange that kapton dries out.
I've seen some cases were it peels or dellaminates, but that was in old electronics, that kapton had been there for maybe 10 years and had took a lot of heat.
Maybe it wasn't kapton but a cheap imitation.
Never had that issue with tape rolls, used the same (a big big one) for 6 years or so without problem.
If the parts are very sensitive, you might use both aluminium foil and kapton.
My aproach was first kapton, then aluminium.
Worked great for extremely small componentes like in cellphones, were you had the CPU, or baseband at 1mm from the part you wanted to replace.

[cdev]

The Kapton tape I have is around 1 cm wide and its lost a lot of its stickiness. I remember when I first got it it stuck really well, now its iffy at best. I know I bought some cheap no name brand.. Maybe I just need to make a better choice in brands. Aluminum foil would work but I get nervous combining aluminum foil with electronics always nervous that little shreds of foil might get where they shouldnt be.

My next purchase of the stuff will probably be the wider tape, in a well known brand.

[Zoli]

I have a roll of 3M 5419 from 2003-2004; I've just checked, and I still can hang the remaning(~1/2) roll by the sticky side.
I cannot guarantee that the manufacturing doesn't changed since then, but I hope I gave you some good info.

[jeremy]

In my experience, the adhesive on the aliexpress/ebay kapton tape is almost uncomparable to the 3M stuff; the 3M stuff works way better at low and high temperatures.

[highpower]

12" x 12" film sheets: https://www.mcmaster.com/plastics/shape~film/performance-properties~high-temperature/thermally-conductive-kapton-polyimide-film/