3M ControlTac, screen printed with liquid lam?

[bayviewsignworks]

This was an install job for a customer. We had a hellofa time installing this stuff. It wasn't air-release and the first panel we laid down had a bunch of bubbles. Ended up using water as we saw no other way. Came to us masked, which we removed. Anyone have any experience with this stuff?

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

If you don't use the right lam on a air release material the air has no where to go except get stuck in bubbles if you don't lay it down right. I believe you have to also use a air release laminate. I doubt any liquid lam is air release since it seals completely.

 

[J Hill Designs]

If you don't use the right lam on a air release material the air has no where to go except get stuck in bubbles if you don't lay it down right. I believe you have to also use a air release laminate. I doubt any liquid lam is air release since it seals completely.

um not correct at all

 

[bayviewsignworks]

Well the lam has more to do with being cast or cal but I'm not familiar with liquid lam at all. The stuff sent to us doesn't have air channels in it, least if I campare our #m air reaease stuff the backlooks different, no air channels. The people that produce it say "50 vehicles" are lettered up with the stuff.If is letters I can see it but not a big graphic like this.

 

[Bly]

And this is why I stopped doing installs for other companies.
Or if we do, charge a premium.
They invariably send us the cheapest crap possible to install for next to nothing.
Then if we screw up it's our fault.

 

[eahicks]

It isn't Controltac if it isn't air release. And the laminate makes no difference in installation...liquid will be thinner and harder to apply the vinyl, but it is possible. I installed many Safety Kleen vans where they provided the graphics and it was Controltac with liquid lam. Albeit it was V1, which is not as easy as V3, but was doable. AND it was masked, which made it harder actually.

 

[reQ]

Air release overlam....? Am i missing something or what

 

[SightLine]

It isn't Controltac if it isn't air release. And the laminate makes no difference in installation...liquid will be thinner and harder to apply the vinyl, but it is possible. I installed many Safety Kleen vans where they provided the graphics and it was Controltac with liquid lam. Albeit it was V1, which is not as easy as V3, but was doable. AND it was masked, which made it harder actually.

Actually Controltac is 3M's term for repositionable adhesive. Comply is their term for the air release. You can get 170C (which is non-Controltac) which has air release channels, its the Comply adhesive only version of 180C.

Air release overlam....? Am i missing something or what

Not something I've heard of either......

 

[eahicks]

Actually Controltac is 3M's term for repositionable adhesive. Comply is their term for the air release. You can get 170C (which is non-Controltac) which has air release channels, its the Comply adhesive only version of 180C.

You are correct...I always confuse the 2.

 

[mgieske]

you likely have straight 3M180.
This has neither controltac nor comply. They used to sneak this in at UASG testing for an extra challenge on skip corrugated aluminum (dry app.)
Bad selection for the job. Some printers will never understand the importance of material selection until we all charge way more in these situations. I touched on this in the Feb SDG mag.

 

[Bill Modzel]

Was this just a door or panel decal or some sort of wrap job? If it was just a printed logo of sorts, what did you remove the premask before installation? It was there for a reason. A thin cast vinyl with liquid laminate is way to flexible to install if its not air release.
A picture would help you get some more of a fined tuned answer to your problem as you can see, our answers are all over the spectrum.

 

[heyskull]

We do a lot of repairs for a national company here in the UK (British Gas).
Their whole vans are wrapped in this type of material liquid laminated 3M controltac with no air release then covered in paper application tape!
It is an absolute ball ache to fit and kind of defeats the idea of a wrap which has to go round corners/curves and into recesses and cover it in unconformable paper tape.
If you remove the application tape the material is so thin and rips really easy.
This is just a cheap *** thing to do and obviously the job is priced down to make it competitive and with no regard for the fitter which takes 3 times longer than proper laminated air release.

SC

 

[Desert_Signs]

If you don't use the right lam on a air release material the air has no where to go except get stuck in bubbles if you don't lay it down right. I believe you have to also use a air release laminate. I doubt any liquid lam is air release since it seals completely.

I once worked with an installer who thought the same thing. Air is NOT released through the face of the vinyl, it is actually not really released at all, unless you push it all the way past the sealed edge. It is just 'redistributed' through the air channels on the adhesive side.