TAPE GUIDE

PURPOSE:To drive a magnetic tape vapor-deposited with metal with small frictional resistance and high stability without giving tape damage, by finishing the guide surface of austenitic stainless steel to a mirror surface and also the hardness of the mirror finished surface at a level higher than the fixed value. CONSTITUTION:A tape guide contains tape guides 3a-3s and a head drum 4, and SF30V containing an intermetallic compound is used to a tape guide material which can drive a metal vapor-deposited magnetic tape without giving any tape damage and with small frictional resistance and high stability. The surface roughness of the tape guide is set at =300Hv respectively. Furthermore such characteristics are extremely improved as nonmagnetic properties, machinability (workability), wear resistance, etc. The intermetallic compound can use not only Mn-S but various types of effective components. That is, the effective component can reduce the relative frictional coefficient with high stability and minimizes the tape damage.