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3m 8508 laminate - a review of sorts.

petesign

petesign

New Member
So, we were looking for a new cast(ish) laminate to use for outdoor mid-term signage... called my supplier and they told me about 8508. Got it in today, saw how nice it looked in the box with its cover, and a sporty green 3M logo repeated on the backing paper, thought "cool" -- and started to use it.

This stuff lays down nice, it seems to be pretty firm compared to their 8518 which is ultra conformable for vehicles and is more like saran wrap. 3M says this is a "intermediate cast" - it does give me some peace of mind for things that will be out longer than a coroplast sign :)

Here's the only problem. That sporty green 3M logo on the backing? It's rubbed off all over the front of the laminate. I have reversed ghosted green 3M logos all over my print. They come off with a little alcohol, so this job isn't hosed. 3M has also offered to replace this roll of laminate for me, so let's hope this is a one time thing related to the EXTREME FREAKING HEAT we are experiencing right now.

I look forward to seeing how this stuff performs in the field over the next few years. It seems pretty easy to use (and for us with a Daige laminator, that's a good thing). Paired with the IJ35-c vinyl it fits my bill for a good mid-term vinyl and lam combination.

I switched to a cheap 3 year calendared vinyl and lam for half the cost to use on coroplast signs or anything really temporary. I used to try to get by without any laminate at all on really temporary stuff, but my eco solvent inks and this heat aren't a good combination if you stack signs on top of each other :)

So, there you have it. Pics coming soon of little watermark 3m's.
 
petesign

petesign

New Member
Here is a pic of the transferred 3M marks.
 

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sghobbies

sghobbies

New Member
We've used the 8508 without any issues. We didn't have the ink transfer problem you mentioned either, so maybe it was just the heat. I normally just keep 8518 and use it on eberything now because it is such a PITA to change laminates out.
 
B Snyder

B Snyder

New Member
I tried a roll of this laminate and I also noticed that the green 3M logo transferred to the laminate face. This only appeared in a few spots over the course of the entire 54x150 roll. My roll came from Fellers.
 
GAC05

GAC05

Quit buggin' me
I've seen the same thing on other 3M products.
We had a series of rolls of commercial window tint that did this.
Nice neat lines of tiny 3M logos all through the finished windows. They looked so clean at first we figured 3M had started to brand their film for warranty purposes.
When we called our rep to see if we could get unbranded film they let us know it was a problem and not a feature.

We had a similar problem with the blue ink they used on their prespacing tape.
It would build up on the squeegees during install and end up smearing onto the unmasked vinyl causing blue stains that were hard to remove.

Makes you wonder about the quality control they have in place these days...

wayne k
guam usa
 
MikePro

MikePro

New Member
only thing that concerns me about this is that, even though its a cast product, fellers lists it as "up to 1yr outdoor durability". AND only comes in gloss/luster, whereas I go through twice as much matte overlaminates that both combined.

oraguard 210, calendared, is listed at the same price for 4year outdoor
even MacTac's economy grade overlam is listed at 3yrs outdoor and 5yr indoor.

what's the deal? am i just being paranoid? Is it just because this stuff is new and they don't know how its going to perform? I've always put faith in cast products and have never seen them fail.
 
petesign

petesign

New Member
I don;t understand that either. Why go with a cast laminate that would last 1/3 as long as calendared?
 
B Snyder

B Snyder

New Member
MikePro - The Fellers catalog is incorrect. Unfortunately, I've found wrong info on a few products in their catalog so I just refer to the manufacturer for info.
 
MikePro

MikePro

New Member
heck, even if someone were to tell me that it will last "up to 3 years", i'd most likely start using it to laminate my economy prints. Price is right on par with economy calendared overlaminates.
 
A

andy

New Member
If you want a cast full matte laminate why bother paying waaayy over the odds for the tat that 3m offers?

I've just bought a 50m roll of cast, matte laminate from Hexis... it cost all of £85. I appreciate that Americans really do buy into the 3m b0llocks but honestly.... 3M really is nothing special.... I've used 3m vinyls in the past and found them to be VERY, VERY ordinary.
 
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