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Frequently Asked Questions
What do discs and shapes mask?
Flat areas that neither a cap nor a plug suits.
Sealing faces, bearing lands and machined pads are typical.
So are earthing points and label positions.
The surface is flat and open rather than a hole or projection.
Caps go over features and plugs go into bores.
Shapes cover what is left.
Why not just use tape?
Tape is slow, hard to position accurately and leaves residue.
Adhesive residue is itself a contaminant.
A pre-cut shape goes on in one movement.
It sits in the same place every time.
And it comes off in one piece.
Tape still has a role for genuinely irregular one-off areas.
What is the production argument?
Repeatability across a run of identical parts.
Cutting tape a hundred times gives a hundred chances to be out.
A pre-cut disc removes that variation entirely.
Consistent masking is what makes finished parts consistent.
It also removes the skill element from the task.
Application time per part falls noticeably as well.
How are flat shapes held in place?
By light adhesive, a locating spigot, or being trapped under another part.
A flat shape has no bore or feature to grip on.
Adhesive-retained shapes must release cleanly at process temperature.
That is a real constraint on the adhesive used.
Spigot-located shapes use a nearby hole to position.
Retention is the main design problem this format presents.
Are custom shapes practical?
Ordinary rather than exotic, where the run justifies the tooling.
Dies are cut for the specific geometry.
The result masks awkward areas faster than any tape arrangement.
Consistency improves at the same time.
Tooling cost is set against labour saved per part.
On a long-running product the payback is frequently quick.
Does material selection differ?
No - it follows the process exactly as for caps and plugs.
Silicone for high-temperature cure cycles.
Vinyl and rubber for lower-temperature work.
Compounds chosen for the chemistry where plating is involved.
A shape that softens contaminates the surface it was protecting.
Thickness also affects how well it conforms to a slightly uneven face.
How do you check they have all been removed?
Bright colours and a counting discipline, as with caps and plugs.
A shape left on a finished part is a defect.
Contrasting colours make it visible at inspection.
Counting out and back in is used on critical work.
Flat shapes can be less obvious than a protruding cap.
That makes the colour choice more important rather than less.