Vinyl material recommendation on recycled rubber

[Kemble]

A customer of ours is looking to have decals of their company logo put on their molded rubber barriers ( a few thousand of them). Problem is, we can't get anything to stick to them. We've tried IJ39, 3M's most aggressive material, and while it does stick to it, a high wind or some heavy rain and it will fall right off. Squeegee install, roller install, pre-heat, post-heat, we have tried prepping the barrier with 70/30 Alcohol, Rapid Tac, and just a plain old good power washing with & without soap. Nothing has proved to change the adhesion. The rubber material made out of recycled tires, very similar to the rubber you see on kids playgrounds in a park or a day care.

Has anyone had any experience putting decals on recycled rubber? What did you use?

Thanks

 

[MikePro]

gross. i haven't tried it, but if my go-to Arlon DPF8000 wouldn't stick I'd be tempted to see if the thermal-set Tshirt print material might work as it essentially would melt-into the texture of the rubber surface.

else, this sounds like a job for a stencil set & spraypaint solution

 

[Creative Sign Guy(s)]

Have you tried sanding prior to installation?

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Get a hot stamp made, heat it with a torch and brand the name into them

 

[Kemble]

Have you tried sanding prior to installation?

Winner Winner !!!

Just took some 80 grit to it and got the coating off, blew off the rubber debris and the IJ39 stuck like a champ !

Sometime you just need a break to reset and think of the obvious because we were trying so hard to come up with a solution. Thanks !!

 

[Kemble]

Get a hot stamp made, heat it with a torch and brand the name into them

LOL !!

 

[Kemble]

gross. i haven't tried it, but if my go-to Arlon DPF8000 wouldn't stick I'd be tempted to see if the thermal-set Tshirt print material might work as it essentially would melt-into the texture of the rubber surface.

else, this sounds like a job for a stencil set & spraypaint solution

We definitely thought about if the thermal method would work. Didn't try it though.

 

[Creative Sign Guy(s)]

Winner Winner !!!

Just took some 80 grit to it and got the coating off, blew off the rubber debris and the IJ39 stuck like a champ !

Sometime you just need a break to reset and think of the obvious because we were trying so hard to come up with a solution. Thanks !!

Glad I could help.

 

[MikePro]

niiiice. is it really even a "coating" or did you just give the adhesive some tooth to grab-onto?

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Winner Winner !!!

Just took some 80 grit to it and got the coating off, blew off the rubber debris and the IJ39 stuck like a champ !

Sometime you just need a break to reset and think of the obvious because we were trying so hard to come up with a solution. Thanks !!

For now. Aren't there oils in rubber? I was being serious about branding them, we use the same recycled rubber for things here and that is how they are marked. Other option is to tell the customer to have them put the marking in the mold before they make them next time.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

niiiice. is it really even a "coating" or did you just give the adhesive some tooth to grab-onto?

It's already porous without sanding. It's just ground and screened rubber mixed into a binder then poured into a mold.