Why Custom Slitting Matters:

The "Invisible" Efficiency Boost for Finishers

Every powder coater knows the frustration of "making it work." You have a 1.25-inch masking area, but your shelf is only stocked with 1-inch and 2-inch rolls. You either spend time overlapping (and risking a ridge) or you spend time trimming with a blade (and risking a scratch).

It seems like a small thing—a few seconds here, a few seconds there. But in a high-volume job shop, those seconds turn into hours of lost labor every week.That’s where custom slitting changes the game. Here is why getting your tape at exactly the width you need is one of the smartest moves you can make for your production line.

Reduce Overhead Labor

The most expensive part of any finishing job isn't the powder or the tape—it's the labor. When your team has to manually trim tape to fit a specific flange or housing, you are paying for precision that should have happened at the factory. Custom-slit tape allows for a "peel and stick" workflow that can cut masking time by 20-30%. With digitally-controlled precision tape slitters in-house, we slit every tape to order, so adding a custom width tape roll is as simple as inputting any other width like 1", 2", etc. 

Eliminating Edge Build Up and Bleed

Using a tape that is too wide often leads to powder that builds up where the tape extands past the edge of a part. Overlapping creates a thicker edge that can cause uneven coating buildup or even "bleeding," where the powder creeps under the seam. By using a single piece of tape slit to the exact width of your mask, you get a cleaner, sharper line every single time.

The Viadon Advantage: Custom Without the Custom Price

In the past, custom slitting was reserved for the "big guys"—OEMs ordering thousands of rolls. Many large suppliers are built for high-volume catalog orders, and custom requests there often come with hefty setup fees or long lead times. At Viadon, we’ve built our business on agility. We offer in-house custom slitting with no upcharge, even for a single roll. Whether you need 1.125” or 3.75”, we slit it to order and get it out the door, usually shipping it the same day

Freshness That Makes a Difference

When you buy bulk "off-the-shelf" tape from overseas, that roll might have sat in a shipping container for months before it reached a warehouse. Adhesives degrade over time, especially in heat. Because Viadon gets man tapes from Midwest-USA tape manufacturers and slits our green polyester, polyimide, glass cloth and other American-made tapes to order, you are getting the "freshest" adhesive possible, ensuring it stays down in the oven and peels off clean when the job is done.

Precision is the New Standard

As industries like advanced coatings demand tighter tolerances, "close enough" masking doesn't cut it anymore. Custom slitting isn't just a convenience; it's a quality control necessity. As organizations like the Powder Coating Institute emphasize, the right tools are the foundation of a perfect finish. Viadon can provide that custom-slit width tape "tool" to you with no added fees or upcharges. 

Ready to see the difference on your shop floor?

Don't settle for "standard" when your work is anything but. Contact Viadon today to request a quote for custom-slit rolls - or browse our full line of high temperature masking tapes, low temperature masking tapes, foil tapes and thermal spray tapes. We respond to most inquiries in minutes—because we know your production line can’t wait.

Viadon. A Cut Above.