3M problem or install problem.

[Mike Paul]

Looking at your close-up pic...
Not only does your Laminate look like it was pressured up, Your White edges are very uneven and looked chipped or melted.

I believe your customer is fibbing...

 

[jasonx]

can this be done.. how do you cut the lamination after the graphic has been weeded ... no registration marks?

You put a rectangle that is your lamination cut outside the graphic. You have a rectangle which is your graphic cut. You then put another rectangle outside the lamination rectangle.

Now you add your reg marks.

When you go to cut the vinyl cut the rectangle around the graphic and the outter most rectangle before you laminate and weed the vinyl in between. Then laminate. Then recut just the lamination cut rectangle and you will have an overlapping over laminate.

Doesn't have to be a rectangle cant be any shape thats offset.

 

[daveb]

Sounds like you're satisfied it's not something the customers done. Had the same thing happen a few years ago, the customer changed to stainless tanks which we had never done before and weren't aware of the special treatment stainless can need. We finally ended up wiping the surface down with acetone and using cast vinyl, it stayed that time. On a different note, in my most humble newbie opinion... I've had to replace quite a bit of vinyl that wasn't allowed to outgas, after the first few times the graphics dept. listened to me and you know what? Haven't had to replace any since... goin' on four years now. Forgive me for asking such a stupid question.... when it's heated by the sun could gas travel "up" thus causing curling only on the top? Just some of the things that go around in this shriveled old head of mine.

 

[GAC05]

I think the problem is, from the photos posted it looks more like abrasion over some kind of reaction to the solvent by the lamination film.
I've done 4 of those polished aluminum fuel tankers with solvent printed 180c/8519 and they look fine after 3 or 4 years. They are full coverage panels but the edges are exposed at the top and bottom of the graphic. I used a one-shot sealer pen to protect those edges as some butted up against the welds.

Some more photos put up if you have them might help find the cause for this.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[johnnysigns]

They're powerwashing the trailers and it screwed up the lam. It's pretty common problem w/ the fleet I worked on.

 

[Techman]

There is plenty of denial going on. Plenty of speculating going on. And plenty of blame dodging going on.

Almost all of it is dodging the facts.

The facts are....
Only the top edge is ruined.
Both the lam and the vinyl is buggered. Only on the top edge.
None of the vertical edges are messed up.

IT has nothing to do with the metal of the tank.
It has nothing to do with the biggest lie of the fantasy outgassing.
It has nothing to do with the dry times.
It has nothing to do with the tank product leaking down onto the vinyl.
It is not abuse either.

The chipped up top edge tells it all. And the perfect vertical edges confirm it.

It is from a truck washer tunnel.

If I have seen this once I have seen it at least 100 times.
If any of you have been through a truck washer you will know it is a pressure washer on steroids. Almost all of the blast is directed downwards. It is a 5 billion gallon deluge.

The top chipped edges and rolled back lam only on the top edge has every thing to do with some kind of pressure coming down from above.

IF one looks we will see that more than a few EXPERIENCED installers are saying the same thing.

 

[rjpjr]

I installed these 36" decals a few months ago. Within a month they were peeling off the tankers. They were applied to brand new polished aluminum fuel tankers.

If the tankers are stainless steel then the following information may be of some use...

Controltac Graphic Film Series 180
Unsuitable End Uses
for This Film
• Graphics applied to:
- stainless steel
- non-3M films (see Removal Warranty)
- painted substrates with poor paint to substrate, or paint-to-paint bond
- substrate surfaces that are not clean and smooth (little or no variation in texture)
• Film without graphic protection under these conditions:
- vehicle graphics
- exposure to abrasive conditions, harsh cleaners or chemicals
• Graphic removal from:
- applications with poor paint-to-substrate adhesion
- existing graphics that must remain intact; damage may occur during removal of film
- outdoor, horizontal applications
• Graphics subjected to gasoline vapors or spills, including those at or on gas pumps, automobile fuel-tank ports, or top-feeding, petroleum tankers

3M™ Controltac™ Graphic Film 181-10
Use this 2 mil, opaque white film for long-term, interior or exterior graphics on stainless steel and other standard vehicle surfaces for a wide variety of applications. The film is compatible with screen printing or electrostatic imaging methods. The positionable, pressure-activated adhesive makes installation easy

Click on the 180 or 181 for .pdf documents from 3M.