HVAC tapes play a critical part in the overall efficiency of heating and cooling systems, and ductwork fabricators depend on tape innovations to meet increasingly demanding goals for reducing energy consumption. One manufacturer that has helped fabricators, and the HVAC industry at large, continue to set new standards for efficiency is Shurtape Technologies, LLC. 

Shurtape originated from Shuford Mills, a textile company founded in 1880 in North Carolina, and it continues to manufacture its tape products in America even today. From the introduction of the first Shuford Mills tape division in 1955 to the addition of a hot melt, foil and gaffers tape facility in 2000, Shurtape has stayed in step with the big-picture needs of the trades, especially HVAC contractors and their operations. By working side by side with HVAC partners, Shurtape has consistently introduced new tape solutions like high-performance foil tapes and tech-savvy coded labels that work hand-in-glove with advances in HVAC materials, designs and operational technologies. 

Foil Tapes for Greater System Efficiency

One industry-shifting product that has sprung from Shurtape’s innovation is its line of high-performance foil tapes designed specifically to help achieve full system closure in HVAC systems. 

With the industry’s intensifying focus on energy efficiency, Shurtape engineers created a new generation of tapes in the 1990s featuring aluminum foil backings and acrylic-based adhesives to deliver next-level airtight adhesion in ductwork sealing and joining tasks. Shurtape’s AF 099 Aluminum Foil Tape, for example, is specially formulated for use on rigid fiberglass ductboard and flexible air ducts, and it can be used in place of mechanical fasteners on rigid ductboard. 

HVAC foil tapes like this are a part of Shurtape’s broader line of industrial tapes — from duct tapes to electrical tapes to masking tapes — with specific formulations that address the different needs of HVAC contractors, even in cold weather applications. Whatever the task, technicians can select an HVAC foil tape designed for their specific materials and conditions and improve virtually any system’s efficiency by delivering airtight ductwork.

Improving Operational Efficiency, Too

Another more recent innovation for the HVAC industry from Shurtape is the result of a unique partnership with a tech startup called Nastro Technologies. Shurtape’s long-standing reputation as a tape manufacturer and its highly visible Duck® brand were an ideal fit for Nastro’s unique software. And in 2022, after two years of collaborating on product development, the two companies introduced a cutting-edge solution that benefits the HVAC industry in ways that tape never has before.

The new product combines preprinted, coded adhesive labels with a free, easy-to-use app and cloud technology to simplify project management, material tracking and related tasks. The labels, available under the Duck Pro® by Shurtape® brand, are called BR Code™ Scannable Solutions, and when used with Nastro’s BitRip® app, provide an inexpensive, easy-to-use method for both fabricators and contractors to track shipments or supplies, monitor service and repairs, verify certifications of equipment and much more.

Each label features a dynamic code that can be stuck to an object such as a unit ready for shipping or an HVAC system that needs specific repair notes. Labels can then be scanned using a mobile device equipped with the BitRip app. The app instantly records a timestamp and geolocation for the labeled object, and any user with a mobile device and the app can update the timestamp and geolocation by scanning the code again. Users can also add information to the code, such as photos, audio files, video files, links and notes, and the information is stored in the cloud and accessible by anyone given access through the app. 

Shurtape solutions demonstrate that improvements and innovations can happen anywhere and can help propel the trades industries forward.