Air Bubbles AFTER install - (several days after)

[toucan_graphics]

Can anyone explain why I would have air bubbles showing up several days AFTER an install? I installed an 8'x8' sign made from printed vinyl applied to two 4'x8' sheets of .040 Aluminum. The vinyl looked great when I finished, looked great after I hung the sign and when I stopped out to see the customer almost 2 weeks later for another job, I noticed several air bubbles in the sign - some of which are as big as nickels and quarters. My customer told me they saw the bubbles for the first time about 4 days after the install.

Before anyone asks, YES I removed the protective film from the aluminum lol :Big Laugh.

I have never had this problem before - if I get air bubbles they always show up immediately after application and I get rid of them. This time they appeared several days later.

Materials used:
Standard .040 aluminum
OraJet 3651 with overlaminate

I am attaching some photos that try to show some of the larger bubbles. One sheet had approximately 5 or 6 small air bubbles, while the other sheet had well over 20 bubbles. Most were small but a few were rather large.

Any ideas?

 

[reQ]

Wet ir dry application? if wet - good possibility that you did not squeegee all water out & after few days it formed few bubbles here and there.

 

[Gino]

You're probably gonna be told it's outgassing. Rest assured, you did nothing wrong. The substrates are being filled with gasses that hide and will only come out after vinyl is adhered to it. Masking will not do this, but most vinyls will.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

You're probably gonna be told it's outgassing. Rest assured, you did nothing wrong. The substrates are being filled with gasses that hide and will only come out after vinyl is adhered to it. Masking will not do this, but most vinyls will.

I thought you were serious. This looks like complete outgassing of the vinyl to me.

Printer?
Dry/Cure time before Lam?

 

[toucan_graphics]

Wet ir dry application?

Dry application.



I thought about out-gassing but didn't give it much credence since it is aluminum. :Big Laugh

You might be onto something with the cure time... I outsourced the printing so I don't know how long before it was laminated.