The history of reflective tape goes back much further than 1939 when the 3M™ company invented it. To get a more comprehensive picture of how this amazing product came to be, we need to go back to the year 1845, the year that adhesive tape was invented.
1845 – Dr. Horace Day, a surgeon, came up with the idea of coating strips of fabric with rubber cement and in doing so, came up with what we know today as Surgical Tape, the first form of adhesive tape.
1921 – Earle Dickson, a cotton buyer for Johnson and Johnson, created the first Band-Aid by attaching gauze to cloth based adhesive tape and then covering it with crinoline fabric (release liner). The invention was made for his wife, but when he presented it to his company, they made him a VP for his discovery.
1923 – Richard Drew joined the 3M™ company, which at that time only made sandpaper. He was product testing a new type of sandpaper called Wet/Dry at a local body shop when he noticed that the automobile painters were having a hard time making clean lines between paint colors of dual color paint jobs. This inspired Drew to invent the world’s first masking tape in 1925. I mention this invention because it paved the way to more self adhesive products by 3M.
| How Adhesive Tape is Made – A top layer which can be anything from paper, plastic or reflective media along with an adhesive transfer film is run through a machine that binds these two materials together using rollers and pressure. The adhesive transfer film roll generally includes a release liner so that when the product is finished in the machine and on a roll, it has the peel off backing installed along with the adhesive. |
1937 – Harry Heltzer, born in Cincinnati in 1911, left an indelible mark on road safety with his pioneering work at 3M™. Graduating with a degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Minnesota, Heltzer started his career at 3M as a laborer, earning a modest wage. In 1937, he was tasked with a project to enhance the visibility of highway center lines. The goal was to accomplish this using a durable high visibility tape. His initial attempt involved a double-coated tape embedded with retro reflective glass beads, but it didn’t adhere well to the roads during winter and lacked durability. However, that did not stop Heltzer. Putting road tape on hold, he switched his efforts to making signs reflective, and in 1939 he and his team created the world’s first retro-reflective sheeting (reflective tape). The invention was first tested in 1939. A patent was filed in 1941, and granted in 1943.
1971 – 3M launches its new High Intensity Glass Bead sheeting (Type 3). This new product helped the company maintain their dominance in the sign sheeting market by providing more reflectivity, about 3 times that of engineer grade sheeting.
1989 – 3M unveils its Diamond Grade™ prismatic series of reflective sheeting, renowned for its exceptional quality and durability, and particularly suited for signs. Leveraging their established dominance and expertise in the industry, this new line swiftly emerged as the preferred choice for signage.
2006 – 3m introduces Diamond Grade DG3 sheeting. Brighter and reflective at sharper angles due to its full cube technology. Driven by new regulations, DG3 4000 series sign sheeting is quickly becoming the choice for brighter interstate signs.
Today, 3M manufactures and distributes a wide variety of retro reflective tapes for traffic signs, work zone safety, and vehicle conspicuity. From its invention in 1939 until today, 3M’s retro reflective tapes have prevented an untold number of accidents and saved countless lives. For more information on 3M reflective tapes, click on the links above.