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Electrical Construction

On the Job

Stories, advice, tips and tricks of the trade and more.

We’d love to hear about your journey to becoming an electrician and your tips & tricks of the trade. SHARE with us on the 3M Canada Facebook page #TapeInventors.

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3M Electrical Catalogue (US, English)

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Submit your Pin for a Chance to Win!

Celebrating 70 years of 3M Vinyl Electrical Tape Contest

CONFIRMED WEEKLY WINNERS

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
Full contest Rules and Regulations and our Privacy Policy are available atwww.3m.ca/ElectricalTape
Submit the unique PIN code found on specially marked packages of Scotch® Super 33+™ Vinyl Electrical Tapes and Scotch® Super 88 Vinyl Electrical Tapes on the contest website www.3m.ca/ElectricalTape. Contest closes November 30th, 2016. Contest is open to Canadian residents over the age of majority, excluding 3M Canada Electrical Distributors and their employees. 3 Grand Prizes (Prepaid Credit Card ARV $1,000 each) and 3 Second Place Prizes (Prepaid Credit Card ARV $500 each) available to be won, one of each per region (regions are Eastern Canada, Central Canada, Western Canada), and 51 weekly draw prizes available to be won, one per region for 17 weeks, each consisting of a 3M Electrical Product Prize Pack. Odds of winning a prize depend on total number of eligible entries received per region. Total ARV of all prizes is $9,600.00. Skill testing question required. No purchase necessary. Full rules, including no purchase entry details, can be obtained at www.3m.ca/ElectricalTape.

Full Contest Rules and Regulations

 

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Get Social with 3M Vinyl Tape

Contest Rules and Regulations

Check back often for fun facts, tips & tricks of the trade, cool contests, and stories from the worksite. And we love it when you share your electrical stories with us!



SEE MORE
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1946 - A Great Need Spawns a Great Solution

The story of 3M began in 1902, when Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. was established as a mining operation. A few decades later, while WWII devoured rubber supplies, alternatives were needed. A solution emerged from the work of 3M scientists Snell, Oace, and Eastwold—and the electrical world was never the same.

 

Over the next few years vinyl electrical tape set a standard across the electrical industry. Stronger and less prone to rotting and corrosion than the rubber and/or resin infused cloth in common use at the time, Scotch® No. 33 Vinyl Electrical Tape was an invention the world was waiting for.


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Choosing the Right Vinyl Electrical Tape

  • An icon of a thermometer wrapped with the words 'cold weather' representing Super 88 tapes
    Scotch® Vinyl Electrical Tape

    Super 88

    • Professional grade
    • Heavy duty/outdoor applications
    • Terminating and splicing
    • Mechanical protection
    • Re-entry, low residue
    • Application Temp. -18° to 38°C
    • Operating Temp. -40° to 105°C
    • Thickness 0.215 mm
  • An icon of a sun wrapped with the words 'indoor and outdoor' representing Super 33+ ™
    Scotch® Vinyl Electrical Tape

    Super 33+™

    • Professional grade
    • Indoor/outdoor applications
    • Terminating and splicing
    • Mechanical protection
    • Re-entry, low residue
    • Application Temp.-18° to 38°C
    • Operating Temp. -40° to 105°C
    • Thickness 0.177 mm
  • An icon of a bundle of wires representing Temflex™ tapes
    Vinyl Electrical Tape

    Temflex™

    • Bundling
    • Pulling wire and cable
    • Short term/indoor applications
    • Application temp. -7° to 38°C
    • Operating temp. up to 80°C
    • Thickness 0.177 mm (7 mils)
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Resources

The Science of Electrical Tape

Believe it or not, making a quality tape takes a lot of science, much of it behind the scenes. We consider all of the physical, electrical and chemical characteristics for each and every tape we produce. 

Need a tape that is extremely sticky but doesn't leave a gooey mess when you remove it? That's 3M Science!

Need a tape that resists the effects of sun, wind and rain while also insulating a connection up to 69,000 Volts? That's 3M Science!

To that end, 3M offers a wide range of electrical tapes and mastics for insulation, splicing, protection from corrosion and mechanical damage, all weather protection and environmental sealing.

From Scotch® Super 88 Vinyl Electrical Tape to Scotch® 130C Linerless Rubber Splicing Tape to Scotch® 69 High Temperature Glass Cloth Tape, 3M Electrical Tapes provide exceptional performance and reliability. That's 3M Science. Applied to Life.

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Electrical tape

Helping you solve your problems and making your job easier makes us happy. That's why 3M takes tape very seriously.

Find the tape you've been looking for

You know you need tape.

But it's not always easy to decide what to use and when. Whether you are out in the cold, or fixing up wiring around your house, there is a tape for just that. Find out which one you should be using for the task at hand.

FIND THE RIGHT TAPE

Food for thought

Your wants and needs are changing. In today's fast paced environment, getting closer to our customers allows us to help to make your job easier.

  • "Using 3M (Scotch® Super 88) tape in cold weather, you've got everything you need...it's a great product."

     
    Tino Mussio
    Electrician for 32 years, retired

  • "In the oil sands where you're hitting -30 or -40 easy without the wind chill...using Super 88...you don't have to keep it in your jacket pocket to keep it flexible."

     
    AnneMarie Brown
    Electrician for 11 years

  • "I'm really excited about the next generation of electricians...you've got kids who are naturals and also those who are among the most hardworking, amazing people I've met in the trade before."

     
    Michael Cadieux
    Master electrician 12 years

On the job

Stories, advice, tips and tricks of the trade and more.

3M meets challenges head on.

Discover the evolution of electrical tape.
  • 1902 package of Scotch® sandpaper
    1902 Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. Opens for Business

    Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. (now known as 3M) establishes itself as a mining operation; sandpaper is their first commercial product.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • 3M's invention, masking tape, being used by auto worker in 1925
    1925 Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. Invents Masking Tape

    Now that automobiles are more common, customers demand more colour options. Masking part of a car with cloth surgical tape gives auto makers nothing but grief.

    Dec 1, 1901
  • Man and woman assembling an airplane in a factory during World War II
    1940s WWII Demands Make Innovation an Absolute Necessity

    World War II spawns many, many innovations in the industrial world that include the invention of PVC, plasticized vinyl.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • The lab where Esther Eastwold, pioneer chemist and co-inventor of vinyl electrical tape, worked.
    1944 3M Pioneer Chemist Esther Eastwold

    One of the 3 scientists credited with the invention of Vinyl Electrical Tape, Esther paves the way with her discovery of an adhesive-friendly plasticizer.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • 1945/46 3M invents Scotch Brand No. 33 Electrical Tape
    1945/46 3M invents Scotch Brand No. 33 Electrical Tape

    3M applies for a patent in January 1946 and No. 33 Tape (originally white or yellow in colour) becomes the new standard for insulating electrical connections.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • 1960 Scotch Brand No. 33 is a Household Name
    1960 Scotch Brand No. 33 is a Household Name

    Ads appear in the Saturday Evening Post and Life magazine; this TV commercial colourfully illustrates just how handy 3M Plastic Vinyl Electrical Tape can be.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • 1966 3M Scotch Brand No. 33 Tape Becomes "Super"
    1966 3M Scotch Brand No. 33 Tape Becomes "Super"

    3M introduces the new and improved electrical tape "Super 33". Now black for UV resistance, it has a new operating temperature range from -12º to 80ºC.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • 1969 3M Vinyl Electrical Tape Makes the Grade with a PLUS 
    1969 3M Vinyl Electrical Tape Makes the Grade with a PLUS

    3M Vinyl Electrical Tape takes another leap forward to 33 PLUS. It boasts a surprising upper operating temperature rating of 105ºC.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • 1975 Making Conforming a Good Thing
    1975 Making Conforming a Good Thing

    3M launches the 1st highly conformable, all-weather Linerless Rubber Splicing Tape as Scotch® 130C…but don't forget to overwrap with 3M Vinyl Electrical Tape.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • 1976 Continuous Improvement & Regal Family History
    1976 Continuous Improvement & Regal Family History

    A look at the lineage of Scotch® Super 33+ Vinyl Electrical Tape provides insight into the previous 30 years of improvements.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • 1985 3M improves on Vinyl Electrical Tape Yet Again
    1985 3M improves on Vinyl Electrical Tape Yet Again

    3M sets the standard yet again with the new and improved "Super 33+" vinyl electrical tape with a -18º to 105ºC temperature range and even greater elasticity.

     

    Dec 1, 1901
  • 2016 Happy 70th Birthday Vinyl Electrical Tape!
    2016 Happy 70th Birthday Vinyl Electrical Tape!

    3M CELEBRATES their invention of Vinyl Electrical Tape. Tape that transformed the electrical industry almost overnight is definitely worthy of a birthday party!

     

    Dec 1, 1901

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