Magnetic tape is not a particularly stable medium, and many tapes recorded years ago are now showing signs of deterioration, a condition commonly referred to as stiction. The most common cause of “stiction” is a chemical reaction between the magnetic oxide and the binding agent which binds the oxide to the polyester backing tape. The conditions under which tapes have been stored are also a factor which affects tape deterioration.

DPTS have researched extensively into detecting and recovering data from sticky tapes, and we are now the recognised industry leaders in this respect. Our Operators are experienced in detecting signs of stiction. We clean tapes carefully using tissue tape cleaners to avoid causing further damage to the tape. We also pioneered heat treatment to “dry” sticky tapes in a temperature-controlled environment for a period of at least 24 hours.

DPTS design and manufacture our own heat treatment ovens; a standard oven contains 50 tapes. The units are built with a variable temperature control, thermal cut-out protection, air circulation fan and external temperature gauge to maintain this temperature range.

Data is then recovered from these treated tapes using variable speed, tension-arm tape drives and our renowned Diplomat™ interactive transcription software. This allows the Operator to read the tape a few records at a time, regularly cleaning the heads when necessary.