The development of the first masking tape in the early 1920s showed just how gifted American Dick Richard G. Drew was in devising practical solutions to customer needs.
But Drew was not one to rest on his laurels—or to neglect the ever-changing concerns of 3M customers. Naturally, then, Drew went straight to work when he learned that a St. Paul insulation firm needed 3M’s help in devising a waterproof covering for the insulation batteries that it was designing for railroad refrigerator cars.
While Drew was pursuing his research, he spoke with a fellow 3M researcher who was considering packaging 3M masking tape rolls in cellophane, a new moisture-proof wrap created by DuPont. Why, Drew wondered, couldn’t cellophane be coated with adhesive and used as a sealing tape for the insulation batteries?
In June 1929, Drew ordered 100 yards of cellophane to conduct experiments. He soon devised a tape product sample that he showed to the St. Paul insulation firm. Unfortunately, the sample didn’t adequately solve that particular customer’s problem. But the sample definitely showed promise as an aid to packaging other types of products.
Drew kept working. It took over a year for him to solve the many problems posed by his materials. Cellophane could indeed work as a backing for pressure-sensitive tape. But it was difficult to apply adhesive evenly upon it. Also, cellophane split easily in the process of machine coating. But for each such challenge, Drew found an answer. He discovered that if a primer coat was applied to cellophane, the adhesive would coat evenly. As for splitting, special machinery solved that problem. Finally, Drew developed virtually colourless adhesives to improve the aesthetics of the tape.
On September 8,1930, the first roll of Scotch Cellophane Tape was sent to a prospective customer. That customer wrote back with the following sound advice for 3M: “You should have no hesitancy in equipping yourself to put this product on the market economically. There will be a sufficient volume of sales to justify the expenditure.”
The customer’s word proved to be a considerable understatement. Scotch cellophane tapes went on to become one of the most famous and widely used products in 3M history. Commercial enterprises used it for packaging. Farmers found it handy for patching cracked turkey eggs. Home owners used it to repair toys and torn book pages. New uses continue to be discovered—and product sales continue to grow—up to the present day.
