When applying floor marking tape, signs, and symbols, is a floor tape applicator cart necessary? Superior Mark® floor tape and signs can be applied manually, but even though using tape is easier than painting, it can be a time-consuming process. Tape application equipment is an ideal solution for a less strenuous install and to improve efficiency. Here are three ways an applicator cart makes applying floor marking tape easier.
Lay Tape Faster with an Applicator Cart
When applying small sections of tape or laying markings in tight areas, an applicator cart may be less beneficial. However, if you’re applying long lines—straight, curved, or dashed—application equipment will speed up the process significantly. This is especially helpful in locations where floor markings change often or in busy areas that need regular repair. While it may take multiple employees hours to apply visual cues manually, using our Superior Marker® cart, a single employee can lay about ten feet of tape per minute. It’s easy to load, too—simply slide the tape roll into place, feed the tape through the front of the applicator cart, and you’re ready to go.
In manufacturing facilities and warehouses that use 5S Methodology, an applicator cart makes it easy to swap tape colors or messages as you update and create detailed visual cues. If workflows are updated regularly in your facility, an applicator cart helps you to apply tape in a fraction of the time, and reduce work floor downtime.
Reduced Bending and Cutting for Health and Safety
Repetitive motion—such as bending to stick and cut floor marking tape—can cause strains and injury. A floor marking cart equipped with hand- and foot-activated levers reduces the need for bending to apply or cut floor tape, which improves ergonomics and reduces floor marking-related injuries and can mean fewer sick days taken by employees due to work-related injury.
This tool is especially helpful when creating dashed markings, a process that requires more repetitive bending and cutting than laying lengthy lines. Even pre-cut dashed floor markings require repeated backing peeling, bending, and sticking motions. An applicator cart makes the process less strenuous—and purchasing rolls of floor tape in bulk is more cost-effective if you’re marking large areas.
Built-In Tamper Activates Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive
Tamping provides the right amount of direct pressure to activate the floor tape’s recessed adhesive, so your tape application sticks—and stays stuck. Simply stepping on the tape application isn’t enough, but a tamper cart or application equipment is designed to complete this important final action.
Our three types of tape application carts include:
- The Superior Marker® Cart, which lays and cuts the tape via hand- and foot-activated levers and provides enough tamping weight to activate the adhesive.
- The Kaizen Cart, which keeps tape application tools and rolls of tape close at hand for easy repair and adjustment and weighs enough to tamp after installation.
- The Tamper Cart, which provides enough weight to ensure the pressure-activated adhesive sticks well—but this equipment doesn’t offer application or cutting capabilities.
If you use floor marking tape to create visual cues throughout your facility, contact a Floor Marking Specialist at 1-866-284-1541 to learn how to get the Superior Marker® Floor Marking Applicator Cart for free.
While you can apply floor marking tape manually, a floor tape applicator speeds up the process and reduces the amount of bending necessary to complete the job. Built-in tamper rollers complete the process by activating the pressure-sensitive adhesive, so your visual cues last longer. For more tips on floor tape installation and maintenance, explore our Resource Center.
