Tip for easy tape removal

[RinusDamen]

Maybe someone already came up with this idea although I couldn't find it on the forum:

If you don't want your working table to become messy after the P&P job is done and you need to remove the double sided tape:
I think it's a good idea to use painters masking tape on your table before sticking the double sided tape on it.
This way you can easily remove the double sided tape with the empty paper / plastic strips which held the components during the P&P job.

I didn't try it yet because my machine is still not finished, but maybe an other user can try / confirm this tip?

There is also removable double sided tape on the market, but less common, maybe that works also, but it's easier to use materials you most likely already have in your garage / shed / workshop.....

[mrandt]

Hi Rinus,

I guess the extra layer of masking tape which you are proposing would make tape removal easier.

3M has a product called "Scotch Carpet Tape Removable", article #42032050 which also works great. The glue used makes it much easier to remove than cheap double sided tape and I use it for many purposes. Maybe you want to try this?

I do not glue the components directly to the table in the first place. Instead, I either put them into custom component trays (3D printed for now, might try laser-cut from acrylic or CNC milled from aluminium in the long run) or tape them to another plate of about 20x20cm size - let's call that a component board, shall we?

For ESD safe components, plywood or cardboard works fine as a component board. For ESD critical, I use steel plates.

The component board (or 3D printed tray) is put into a predefined location on the table.

I see multiple advantages in this approach:

- I can prepare a new component board while the machine is still busy
- Jobs become repeatable when always using the same component locations on one board (pending feature request in git issue #13, https://github.com/jkuusama/LitePlacer/issues/13)
- No mess / sticky tape on the table

You only have be careful when moving a component board around after removing the cover tape...

Cheers
Malte

[JosephBarton]

Try warm, soapy water. For surfaces such as acrylic, plaster, asphalt, copper, enamel, glass, linoleum, marble, pewter, plexiglass and all things vinyl, all you need is warm, sudsy water. The warm water will soften the tape so it can be removed with a sponge or cloth.
Alcohol to the rescue. Consider using a little rubbing alcohol, which is a non-solvent for pressure-sensitive adhesives. When you apply rubbing alcohol, the adhesive residue will lose its adhesion and will precipitate. This can also work with acetone, or nail polish remover. Keep in mind that alcohol or acetone may damage painted surfaces, so be careful when using these substances.