The Hague, The Netherlands—Afera, the European Adhesive Tape Association, announced today the launch of the 2023 edition of the Afera Test Methods Manual, the contents of which have been developed, edited and provided as a resource for the European adhesive tape industry. The new, exclusively digital, 130-page edition is available free of charge to all Afera Members and at a cost of €150 to nonMembers, who can access and purchase it online here.

“Afera Test Methods provide a uniform standard for the definition of adhesive tape performance for both manufacturers and users,” explained Afera Technical Committee Chairman Reinhard Storbeck, who is also director of R&D at tesa SE. “It is a key priority of the Afera TC to identify, develop and maintain new TMs for the benefit of the adhesive tape industry.”

The 2023 edition of the Manual contains the newly developed, internationally harmonised GTF (Global Tape Forum) TMs for the most important tests, which include some of those that are both Afera and ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) and/or CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) certified. Most of the others are both Afera and CEN certified.

“What we set out to do,” added Afera Standardisation Consultant Karsten Seitz, “is to improve Afera’s most substantial and important publication in every sense, while at the same time driving our regular programme of developing new, next-level TMs.”

The 2023 edition builds on former editions with some notable modifications: The entire presentation of the Manual has been optimised in terms of style, layout and illustrations, and inconsistencies detected in the descriptions of the TMs have been researched and corrected. The glossary has been updated, and the list of equipment suppliers has been shifted from the publication to Afera’s website, where it will be developed and routinely updated. The statement on the accuracy of TMs, constituting Section 4, has been updated and agreed upon with IVK, the German Adhesives Association, as a joint statement on specification limits for adhesive tapes.

“We are confident this new Manual will deliver even more value to our Members and welcome feedback on the TMs and their development at any time,” commented Afera Secretary General Astrid Lejeune. “The TC TMs Working Group led by Mr. Seitz has done an excellent job of realising this project.”

“It has been our goal to professionalise and upgrade Afera’s many materials and services over the last few years,” said Afera President Evert Smit, who is also director scouting at Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG, “and the Afera Test Methods Manual, in addition to our Sustainability Project and GTF Meetings/Technical Seminar, is one of our key deliverables for 2023.”

Relevant to global TMs development, the Manual will be presented and discussed during another standardisation milestone planned for 2023: Afera’s hosting of preparatory GTF and Global Test Methods Committee Meetings, ahead of the 8 th official international events planned for China in 2024. GTF Membership includes Afera, CATIA (The China Adhesives and Tape Industry Association), JATMA (The Japanese Adhesive Tapes Manufacturers Association), PSTC (The Pressure Sensitive Tape Council, North America) and TAAT (The Taiwan Regional Association of Adhesive Tape Manufacturers). The 2023 pre-Meetings will be held 16-17 April 2023 at the Brussels Marriott Hotel in Brussels, Belgium, preceding Afera’s 10 th Technical Seminar.