Many pipeline operators have experienced problems with tapes. For these people, the word “tape” brings a very negative reaction. In North America, operators have largely banished tapes and shrink sleeves.

Bob Nee invented Polyguard RD-6. When Bob took early retirement from Surfcote/3M/Bredero Price in 1988 to rejoin Polyguard, the first thing he said was; “Tape is on the way out.” This news was not greeted with applause, since most of what Polyguard sold was tape. But we couldn’t argue when Bob showed us a study by the Pipeline Research Council⁽¹⁾ showing that gas transmission users were condemning solid film backed coatings due to corrosion and SCC failures from cathodic shielding, soil stress, and related problems.

In the RD-6 invention, Bob replaced solid film backing with high strength geotextile backing. The result is not a tape in the traditional pipeline coating sense. Read below and decide yourself.