Dust under laminate tips?

[DL Signs]

We don't have a flatbed laminator, but use sticky rollers like this for dust removal from just about everything, cleaning substrates before they get vinyl, even just cleaning table tops. They're reusable, we use the 12" wide, and just use scrap pieces of vinyl to clean the roller, peel backing, roll it across the adhesive, and they're ready for re-use, or you can wash them. They leave no residue, and they're cheap too, think we pay around $30-40 each, and they last for years. They even work for applying vinyl. Would probably work like a dream for flatbed laminating to get rid of dust just before you lay it.

 

[BigNate]

working dust free on a table like surface:.... when burning printing plates you need to make sure there is no dust between the negative and the plate - long arm hairs seem to be the best as you can brush your hairs across the plate (or sign here, should be the same) and the dust will jump to your arm... works great and removes all the few stubborn specs that cause the dreaded hot spots on printing (silvered bubbles when laminating....)

 

[ikarasu]

Reflective vinyl is the hardest. It's very staticky... And the I eoverlam and vinyl is hard, so little specs of dust stick out easy.

Your best bet is a roll laminator - you'll never be dust free with a table laminator, no matter how clean your shop is.... We've tried moving our table to a different area, wetting it down.... Nothing is cool proof.


We wipe it down first, then blow it with an air gun and usually it gets most of it clean, but not all of it. On our roll laminator only the first 2 ft has dust ... And that gets wiped off with your hand as it feeds through, then every sign is perfect

 

[MikePro]

dust dust EVERYWHERE! we only use the roller table to laminate small stuff we don't want to waste time webbing our laminator in the cleaner office room.
the ceiling is usually the culprit in the shop, constantly raining dust when air disturbs it. Releasing liners from laminate generates a LOT of static and pulls whatever is in the air/surfaces/ON-YOUR-SHIRT nearby towards it.

if I HAD to do longer runs on the roller table, and keep dust-free, I would be attempting to drag the clean-released liner of the laminate across my soon2blaminated print as i go.
Kind of line a last-second "wipe" after I've already cleaned everything else best I can.

 

[JamesLam]

We use tack clothes and Swiffers. We have found that Swiffers have an extremely small window of effectiveness before they just move dust around. Tack clothes on the other hand can be unfolded and refolded to a new surface giving it lots of life. If appropriate and safe for the outputs we also make sure our staff feel for dirt with their hands as there's no substitute for finger tips.

Regardless the work area has to be clean. Exterior doors must be closed so wind doesn't stir up more dust. And if working with client's material make sure it's not contaminated. We get so much stuff with pet hair or glitter from our customers...brutal.

 

[Humble PM]

We get so much stuff with pet hair or glitter from our customers...brutal.

When the ex took the pets, I was a somewhat gutted, but now they're only with her, I spend less time "defluffing" my clothes with sections of old selfwound adhesive. These days, it seems to be bits of beard and eyebrows that leap onto the substrate or adhesive at the last moment.

 

[JamesLam]

I have to also say that often there are contaminants in the laminate and adhesives already. Some of our laminates come from the UK and every now and again they are peppered with fruit flies and gnats. Of course they are not noticed until it's too late.

 

[bob]

Dust and crud is everywhere and not special to you or anyone else. If you're experiencing this problem and only a few others are doing so as well then the cause most likely is not dust. Is what you're laminating cut with square corners? Vinyl, as well as most anything with an adhesive backing, abhors square corners. With a square corner there necessarily exists a point, however minute, where the material is thicker than it is wide. It's here that adhesive will start to fail.