Replacing the bracket on M&R style aluminum platens

[ZooCity]

One of our platens had the double sided tape that holds the bracket to the platen come loose.  No abuse just happened that week we broke a hundo on mercury a couple times.  It's not an M&R platen but another brand's and is barely a year old, just faulty tape I guess.

This is just a 3M double sided permanent adhesive tape?    Any tips on aligning it correctly?

Thx in advance.

[ZooCity]

In case it helps anyone, I think it's this stuffhttp://www.shop3m.com/70006291192.html?WT.mc_id=US_EnterpriseCatalog_70006291192.

Very expensive.  I might just put screws or possibly tap the bracket and platen. in this set of platens to reinforce.  The mfg skimped on the adhesive tape, installing short strips intermittently v. the solid layer of tape I see on all my M&R built platens (which have never exhibited this) so there just must not be enough grip.

[mk162]

I have played around with this stuff, and it's great, you will need mapp gas though, propane won't do it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-low-temperature-aluminum-welding-rods-44810.html

[ZooCity]

Great idea, my buddy is a welder and budding fabricator.  Thing is, I bet they'll all do this eventually.  Not stoked about ripping apart six platens, removing gnarly tape and paying him to line them back up and tack 'em all together though.  Might just tap or screw 'em from below and never let anything from this co. in my shop again, just not worth the ag.

[ebscreen]

Daaaayyyuuuummmm. $1000 roll of tape?

I know it's been the industry standard for years but somehow tape on platens always seemed off to me.

FWIW the American style platens were countersunk on the top side and bolted to the "holders". Fill in the
allen key hole with a little bondo and cover with rubber and you couldn't feel 'em.

[Binkspot]

You can get the tape at Action or maybe even Graphic Parts International. Grainger used to carry a suitable product but I can no longer find it on their site. All the stuff I have has no markings on it.

If you are using the tape clean the bracket and pallet off then sand with 60 grit to create a anchor pattern for the adhesive to grab. I use a random orbital sander, makes a nice pattern. Wipe it down with alcohol to clean the surfaces. Scribe a center line on the back of the pallet, there should be a center line extruded on the bracket to line it up. Apply the tape to the bracket, make sure there are no bubbles. I center the bracket front to back in the middle, place the back end down first lining up the extruded line on the bracket with the center line I made on the pallet. Then start lowering the front while lining it up at the front end until it is touching the pallet front to back.

After the bracket is attached I will stack some heavy stuff on top of the pallet overnight to let it adhere. 

[ZooCity]

I too thought the tape was ludicrous when I first learned that's how the platens are held on, but reading 3Ms description it does make a lot of sense- more surface area than screws.  Anyways, it's never failed on all our M&R built platens so no complaints, these ones were just made too cheaply with not enough of the tape.  You'd think it would be obvious that putting little strips on there would be a bad, bad idea. 

Thanks Brian, that is super helpful if I wind up doing it.  Maybe Action can sell me a few strips so I don't need a roll. 

[244]

I too thought the tape was ludicrous when I first learned that's how the platens are held on, but reading 3Ms description it does make a lot of sense- more surface area than screws.  Anyways, it's never failed on all our M&R built platens so no complaints, these ones were just made too cheaply with not enough of the tape.  You'd think it would be obvious that putting little strips on there would be a bad, bad idea. 

Thanks Brian, that is super helpful if I wind up doing it.  Maybe Action can sell me a few strips so I don't need a roll.

Yea its really expensive! store.mrprint.com. Part # 7016000 List price $5.00.  The correct tape!

[ZooCity]

Yea its really expensive! store.mrprint.com. Part # 7016000 List price $5.00.  The correct tape!
[/quote]

Thank you sir, I couldn't find it in there on a search. And thanks for offering the single strips at an affordable price!

[ScreenFoo]

I have played around with this stuff, and it's great, you will need mapp gas though, propane won't do it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-low-temperature-aluminum-welding-rods-44810.html

Geek alert:  They're not welding rods at all--they're brazing rods.

Although this is a little off-topic, I bought into this as well until I logged more than a few days brazing--the funny thing is, propane and Mapp PRO (*registered trademark) have nearly identical BTU/unit gas figures.  They're just hyping you into six bucks more a canister...

[cvreeland]

Yea its really expensive! store.mrprint.com. Part # 7016000 List price $5.00.  The correct tape!
[/quote]

Oh hey, thanks for this! It's a little hard to find stuff on their store when you don't know the nomenclature, & the parts dept. guys don't always answer the phone.

[ZooCity]

So I just let the mfg ship me over a roll of their VHB tape so they wouldn't have to pay to ship 6x platens back and forth (and also b/c I want to do it right this time which means doing it myself) but the tape they use is 1" wide.  I'm assuming this was a big part of the initial problem- putting little 1" strips intermittently on the bracket and it not being enough to hold.

Would anyone recommend lining up four strips of this tape alongside each other and trimming v. using a single pc of the correct width? 

For all the trouble it's causing, I just want to do this right so it lasts the life of the platens.

[244]

So I just let the mfg ship me over a roll of their VHB tape so they wouldn't have to pay to ship 6x platens back and forth (and also b/c I want to do it right this time which means doing it myself) but the tape they use is 1" wide.  I'm assuming this was a big part of the initial problem- putting little 1" strips intermittently on the bracket and it not being enough to hold.

Would anyone recommend lining up four strips of this tape alongside each other and trimming v. using a single pc of the correct width? 

For all the trouble it's causing, I just want to do this right so it lasts the life of the platens.

Use or tape. It's the same width of the pallet bracket and the right brand.

[Evo]

It's the same width of the pallet bracket and the right brand.

But that would be easy...not gonna fly around here, this is The Shirtboard.

[mimosatexas]

Sorry to bump a super old thread, but I had a bracket come off a pallet today.  I bought these used and they are super old so whatever.  I looked at the replacement and it says it is 14" long, but the bracket I have is 17" long.  Any chance I could get a custom length piece of tape Rich?  Does the gap on either side of the bracket even matter?