Why Aerospace and Defense Are Different

Aerospace and defense SMT is governed by risk elimination, not throughput alone.

Failure tolerance is near zero.
Traceability is mandatory.
Process stability outweighs cost.

Splice tape is a process-critical consumable, not a commodity.

What Aerospace-Grade Splice Tape Requires

For aerospace and defense use, splice tape must:

• Maintain mechanical integrity under long feeder dwell times
• Resist adhesive degradation over extended runs
• Preserve exact tape geometry across multiple splices
• Be manufactured under controlled, documented processes

Disposable tools and inconsistent tapes introduce unacceptable variables.

ITAR and Compliance Considerations

While splice tape itself may not be classified, the manufacturing ecosystem matters.

Defense suppliers require:

• Domestic manufacturing control
• Supply chain traceability
• Repeatable tooling and materials
• Documented quality systems

Uncontrolled imports fail audits long before they fail mechanically.

Where Aerospace Failures Start

Many aerospace SMT failures originate at:

• The first splice after leader tape
• Long dwell feeder positions
• Mixed reel sources with inconsistent splice quality

These failures are silent until field exposure.