Ukhangtabs.co.uk has self-adhesive hooks and universal hangstrips for the small and large retailer or manufacturer. Ukhangtabs.co.uk only stocks and has manufactured PET self-adhesive hooks.
We are aware of some large suppliers of hang tabs such as do-it hang tabs that do not restrict the use of materials to PET. Some of the Do-It hang tabs or offer self-adhesive hooks are manufactured with environmentally questionable PVC. PVC is an environmentally questionable plastic and there have been numerous calls throughout the world for banning its use in packaging or strictly regulating it’s use. Of course there will be those in the platics industry that will have economic interest in stating that PVC is a wonder product with no environmental issues at all. At ukhangtabs.co.uk our philosophy appears to be a little different to those fo Do-It hang tabs in that we are listening to all the questions raised with the use of PVC especially as compared to PET and we have made an ethical decision not to go after the “cheap sale” of self-adhesive hooks at the possible expense of the environment.
Like the Do-It hang tabs the self-adhesive hooks offered at ukhangtabs.co.uk come in a number of hanging profiles, some of which are commonly referred to Euro Slot, Delta Slot, Round Hole and Hook.
Self-Adhesive hooks profiles
Of the four most common self-adhesive hooks it is the Hook Profile hang tabs that offer a solution for hanging a number of variants of a single product from the “same peg or rail”. For example ,if you were hanging hosiery on Pegs and you wanted to offer different sizes on the same peg, only the Hook profile self-adhesive hook would allow the shopper to remove one of the products from behind other products without removing all the products hanging in front of it on that rail. The disadvantage of using Hook profile self-adhesive hooks is that the open nature of the shape means it is physically a weaker Hang tab that will twist under load. It is unusual for product weighting more than 500 grams to have hook profile self-adhesive hooks due this very problem. At ukhangtabs.co.uk we do have a very clever solution for hanging up to 1000 grams with a hook profile hang tab.
Product Shape – What shapes can I hang and how should they hang?
Single Hang Tabs are best for hanging products that are flat rather than products with any significant depth. When a product has depth, for example a box of tissues, a single hang tab placed on a back face will result in the product hanging on an angle. The greater the angle a product hangs, the greater the peeling force on the Hang Tab. For light weight products this hanging angle might not matter – for heavier products this hanging angle can result in the hang tab failing quite quickly.
Ukhangtabs.co.uk has two solutions for heavier products that tend to hang on an angle with the application of one standard Hang Tab.
The first solution is to place two Hang Tabs on the product; one on the front of the product and another on the rear of the product to prevent the hanging angle. To mitigate the cost of two hang tabs you may be able to use two smaller and less expensive Hang Tabs since the weight is to be shared. Note the ukhangtabs.co.uk tabs only use crystal clear PET so artwork under the hang tab can still be viewed.
The second solution is to use the DELTA LARGE PERFORATED BUTTERFLY HANGTABS which allows for placing two adhesive areas on adjacent sides of the product – one on the top surface and one on the back surface. The adhesive area on the top surface of the product counters the peeling force on the back surface when a product hangs on an angle. As the adhesive on this hang tab is a flexible adhesive this hang tab can be applied onto a retail package and folded flat across the pack for bulk transport in shipping cartons – without the need to increase the size of the shipping carton beacueas of a rigid Hang Tab being in place.
Hanging Time – How long will the hang tab hold my product?
For light weight products the Hang Tab will be able to hold the product for a very long time – perhaps many years. For heavier products time can play a factor- something often overlooked by people who quickly test a Hang Tab on their product and seeing it hang for a day or so assume all will be well long term. Ukhangtabs.co.uk test all their hangtabs using standardised tests where hang tabs are holding weights via a Stainless Steel plate. The adhesive of the hang tabs is on the stainless steel plate and the weights are attached to the other side in a vertical test. We provide you with the weights we have tested each hang tab so you have a guide as to what to expect in ideal conditions. Of course the Hang Tabs will often have less than ideal circumstances where they are applied – for example hanging on angles or surfaces more difficult to adhere to, or extreme temperature ranges, uneven weight distribution; the list goes on.
Hanging Temperature – Does the temperature affect the performance of Hang Tabs?
The temperature does affect the performance of hang tabs. For example some small goods need to hang in refrigerated conditions; this can be a problem for standard adhesives which simply fail in colder applications. Ukhangtabs.co.uk have specialty formulated adhesive and present one standard product within their range for cold conditions DELTA MEDIUM REFRIGERATION HANG TABS. For clients requiring other sizes and shapes where volumes will be more than 500,000 pieces, Hang Tabs can be produced to a specific size and shape ;just ask. No one moves through the process faster with Design-Drawings-Packaging-Samples-Production within 4-6 weeks.
Hanging Surface Material – Does the material that the Hang Tab adheres to change performance?
Ukhangtabs.co.uk uses a very advanced adhesive for their hang tab which is designed to cater for a large variety of product materials – though performance does vary from material to material. The Some plastic films, for example, may have oils or additives that seep out over time which can reduce the effectiveness of the hang tab. Some plastic films have been heat sealed and the surface is contoured by the heat sealing areas – reducing the contact area for the adhesive. Some materials may be dusty or friable and while the adhesive holds well it is holding onto particulate that is not holding onto the rest of the package. Finally, the product surface, being rigid or flexible, can affect the performance of the hang Tab. For example, flexible packaging can result in uneven distribution of hanging weight over the surface of the Hang Tab. Rigid packaging that has a curve can affect rigid hang tabs where the wides of the hang tabs are under some pressure to release from the package.
In summary there are five main areas to be aware of where variables will determine how well you product will hang with Hang Tabs. Therefore ukhangtabs.co.uk recommends all customer applications should be tested over time and verified by the customer due to the number of variables involved. We always recommend that clients, new to hang tabs for their application, choose a more heavy duty hang tab until they have time to test the lighter weight hang tabs over time. The customer time trials should be for perhaps twice as long as they expect to hang their product up at the point of retail. One way to conduct “accelerated” tests is to hang perhaps twice the weight you need to hang in the SAME pack as you intent to hang. In any event you can always discuss your applications with us as we have engineers available to guide you in tabs selections for Tabs you should first test for your hang tabs applications.
