Afera Tape College

Afera’s Tape College is our biennial technical learning event, providing a structured introduction to adhesive tape technology and the complete system behind finished tape products. It makes a complex, multidisciplinary industry easier to understand by connecting materials, formulation, production, conversion, testing, regulation, sustainability, performance and end use.

Launched in Brussels in 2004, the Tape College has developed into a regular fixture in Afera’s technical-event calendar, held every two years in alternation with the Afera Technical Seminar. Most editions have taken place in Brussels, while the 11th Tape College was held in Munich in 2024. Its multi-day, classroom-style format combines lectures from industry experts with panel discussions, audience questions, shared meals and informal networking.

A new programme is developed for each edition by Afera Technical Committee Members and specialists from across the adhesive tape value chain. The curriculum begins with the fundamentals of why tapes work and how pressure-sensitive adhesive technology is constructed, then follows the tape system through adhesive chemistries, polymers, backing and release materials, coating, drying, converting, surface treatment, application and testing. Sustainability, recyclability and E.U. regulation are integrated into the programme as technical considerations affecting product and process decisions.

The Tape College is designed especially for professionals who are new to adhesive tape technology, have recently entered the industry or are moving into a tape-related role. It also serves experienced participants seeking to refresh their knowledge, understand parts of the value chain beyond their own specialism or gain a more complete view of how materials and processes determine finished-product performance.

Participants include professionals working in R&D, customer and technical service, engineering, production, processing, quality assurance, procurement, sales, marketing, business development and general management. They come from tape manufacturers, raw-materials and equipment suppliers, release-liner and film producers, converters, distributors, end users, research institutions, universities and industry associations. The Tape College is open to Afera Members and non-Members from across the European and international adhesive tape value chain.

Its value extends beyond the formal curriculum. Direct access to experienced lecturers and participants from different parts of the value chain allows attendees to ask practical questions, place their own work within the wider tape system and build a network of people they can approach after the event. Spending several concentrated days together in and outside the lecture room also gives newcomers a direct route into the close professional community surrounding Afera.

The sold-out 11th Tape College took place at Le Méridien in Munich in March 2024. Its three-day programme comprised 21 lectures on the selection, manufacture, conversion, application, testing, sustainability and E.U. regulation of tapes, attracting more than 120 delegates from 69 companies in 15 European countries and the U.A.E. The programme was organised into four sessions: “Why tapes?”, “Tapes deconstructed”, “Tape production” and “Tape use & testing”, with a panel discussion concluding each session.

The 12th Afera Tape College will take place from 21 to 23 September 2026 at the Pestana Douro Riverside in Porto, Portugal, opening the 2nd Afera European Tape Week. The week comprises four connected events: the Tape College, 69th Annual Conference, Afera Committee Meetings and the new Tabletop Exhibition. For 2026, the programming committee has made a particular effort to modernise every aspect of the programme, updating its content, structure and delivery while preserving the clear progression from fundamentals to finished tape systems. Under the wider theme “Resilience and competitiveness in the global tape business”, the College follows the tape system from PSA fundamentals, adhesive technologies, polymers, backings and release systems through production, converting, surface treatment, regulation, sustainability, use and testing.

The 2026 Tape College opens on Monday with a shared business luncheon, its first technical sessions and an informal dinner exclusively for participants. The working programme continues throughout Tuesday and concludes on Wednesday before participants, Committee Members, Annual Conference delegates and exhibitors come together for a shared luncheon and the Tabletop Exhibition. This places technical learning within a wider week of Association work, industry visibility, strategic discussion and networking.

Afera European Tape Week 2026 website
View the 2026 Tape College programme
Read more about our last Tape College in Munich

Afera’s past Tape Colleges

2024
Adhesive tape industry reacts to successful 11th Afera Tape College
11th Afera Tape College organised and chaired by field experts from tesa, Lohmann, Nitto, Organik Kimya, Coroplast Fritz Müller, DRT and artimelt
Afera launches 11th Tape College

2022
Afera holds 10th successful Tape College in Brussels 

2019
9th Tape College highlight: an introduction to PSA tape technology
Looking back on a successful 9th Afera Tape College
Afera 9th Tape College countdown is running: 4 speakers spotlighted

2017
Editorial with testimonials
Presenters talk about the unique take-away from their session at Afera's Tape College 2017
2017 Programme
Press Release
Sponsor Afera's Tape College in 2017

2016
Afera's 2016 event (Testimonials) 
Afera Tape College 2016 Event Editorial by Dr. Michael Gerstenberger

Previous editions