Need Help Laminated stickers peeled and warped/shriked

[MiguelGonzalez]

Hello guys, so last month i printed a bunck of stickers for a friend with solid black background, i used 3M ij 15 series and laminated it with the same vinyl series but transparent (vendor says it works the same as overlaminate in this entry level vinyl). So yesterday i visited my friend and he shows me the stickers i made for him applied on to a cement mixer 15-20 days ago, machines were all placed outdoor under the sun. The sickers were peeled off along the edges, it doesn't just peeled off it was even deformed/shrinked/ warped, you can see from the pic. Even tho they were outdoor it wasnt that sunny (older stickers i made for him with other printer are still ok). Back to the machine i used sc4670printer with the profile made by EPSON on the Epson edge, there are no professionals for custom profile so we used whatever the machine installer recommends. ij180 cv3 (6pass and 8 pass, red on 4pass is too dull thats why i went for the higher passes) is the profile that i used for this stickers. Could it be caused by too high density ink or adhesion fault? (Yes, I let them outgassed 7+ hours). The same sticker i applied on my machine (indoor) still sticks/adheres perfectly (picture attched for this as well).

 

[jharler]

Is it possible the surface wasn't properly cleaned before the sticker was applied?

 

[gabagoo]

I bet you they were applied using ones hand as a squeegee...

 

[MarkSnelling]

I can't quite make out the middle parts of your sticker....but usually when the top and bottom of a print are peeling but not the sides then it can be a result of too much tension on the laminator. The sides of the stickers look well adhered. We're the stickers laying flat before installation or were they curling up?

 

[White Haus]

I would think it's a combination of using calendared/economy vinyl/laminate and heavy ink load to the edge of the print. Your sample isn't failing (yet) because it isn't exposed to sun/heat.

For vehicle decals we always use 3M IJ180cv3 / 8518 - we've never had an issue with it.

For small equipment decals, we'll use General Formulations 201HTAP (High tac) with something like Arlon 3220 gloss, no issues here either.

I don't trust lower end calendared films, even 3M.

 

[Jim Hancock]

First, it is best to use the correct type of laminate, as opposed to clear vinyl as an overlaminate.

Second, when doing contour cutting, if you are doing a bleed cut, i.e., no white border, you need to give it 24 hours before cutting. This allows all the solvent to dry and outgas. If you do a bleed cut right away, or laminate and cut right away, the cutter blade can drive ink that still has solvent in it, into the cut. This ink can likely attack the adhesive at the edge of your cut, resulting in lack of adhesion and edge lifting.

Third, even with a white border cut, depending upon the quality of the vinyl, the solvent in the ink softens the vinyl, and until it has outgassed, there can be slight dimensional changes. If it is laminated right away, you have all this vinyl/solvent reaction stuff going on between the vinyl and laminate, or in your case, the two vinyls.

 

[CanuckSigns]

Cheap vinyl curls and shrinks, just the way it is, use a higher quality material and a matching laminate

 

[Stacey K]

I would reprint these on decent vinyl. That vinyl is short term vinyl so they aren't going to last on his tractors regardless of the laminate you used. Get some IJ35 or IJ40 and use 8515 or Arlon laminate.

 

[signheremd]

I think using that as laminate was bad advice. Also think you should use better quality vinyl and laminate combination. They need to shrink at the same rate or you will get edges curling away. At the least, I would use a polymetric intermediate vinyl if not a cast premium. Over either I would put a cast laminate to give UV protection - these are not throw away decals... We use Oracal 3551RA or Avery 1105MPI for base vinyl, both are air release so easier for customers to apply, and over them we use OraGuard 290 Gloss 10 year UV laminate. Never had an issue.

 

[Jim Hancock]

Just remember to use calendared with calendared and cast with cast. They have different physical characteristics that can cause issues when mixed. Due to how they are made - calendared has a memory characteristic that can cause minor dimensional changes depending on temperature, as well as other factors, while cast does not have this "memory" characteristic.

 

[ikarasu]

Ij-15 is a monomeric vinyl.... Your dealer probably said anything works for overlam because the vinyl is so bad that it didn't matter. I wasn't even aware 3m made monomeric, that's equivlant to buying a $100 Chinese roll of vinyl... Not good for anything except extremely short term.

It's also a removable, and meant for short term applications.

Ij35 is almost as cheap, a more aggressive adhesive so it should last longer.... But if I were you I'd goto ij40.

 

[MiguelGonzalez]

Thanks guys, ill try to use a better vinyl.

 

[MiguelGonzalez]

I can't quite make out the middle parts of your sticker....but usually when the top and bottom of a print are peeling but not the sides then it can be a result of too much tension on the laminator. The sides of the stickers look well adhered. We're the stickers laying flat before installation or were they curling up?

I used a manual laminator so this can be the reason too, the side is also peeling but not as much as top and bottom

 

[MiguelGonzalez]

What bout the profile, how hard is it to make a custom profile, if i get the equipments

 

[dweavers]

looks to me as they never cleaned/prepped the surface properly, look at all the crap/dust etc on the adheasive side of the curled sticker

 

[MiguelGonzalez]

dust and dirt are there after the sticker peeled off, the place is dusty and windy

 

[somcalmetim]

What bout the profile, how hard is it to make a custom profile, if i get the equipments

This has nothing to do with profile, I never use the "correct" profile and my vinyl doesn't fall off even with full bleed black...this is mis-matched laminate shrinking at different rate and overpowering the cheap low-tack vinyl...
Like others have said, get some 3M IJ-40 with some 8509 lam...let it gas off overnight before lam...IJ40 is cheap but has air release and removable for 4+ years...if you need to wrap rivets/curves use 3M IJ180 w 8519