Brushed metal film without "orange peel" look

[laserfred]

Hello

Does anyone know of a replacement for brushed metal polyester film such as Oracal 352, that won't have that orange peel bumpiness once applied ?? Also, it needs to be printable.

thanks!!

 

[J Hill Designs]

Hello

Does anyone know of a replacement for brushed metal polyester film such as Oracal 352, that won't have that orange peel bumpiness once applied ?? Also, it needs to be printable.

thanks!!

'orange peel bumpiness' sounds to me like 'bubbles during failed application'

 

[laserfred]

Here is a photo of what I mean. It was applied with a cold laminator. Same results with squeegee, water, etc..
1st photo from top, 2nd is from underneath clear acrylic.

I was told it is the glue used for the polyester. It does the same with the chrome effect film.

 

[shoresigns]

Here is a photo of what I mean. It was applied with a cold laminator. Same results with squeegee, water, etc..
1st photo from top, 2nd is from underneath clear acrylic.

I was told it is the glue used for the polyester. It does the same with the chrome effect film.

If it's the glue, then it might settle and disappear in a day or two. Similar to the glue texture you see after you apply laminate to a print, which also goes away on its own.

Or, maybe there's some sort of plastic film on the top layer of the metallic vinyl? I had a customer bring in a metal film today that was aluminum with a layer of PET film on top of it, and the PET side was chrome but had a similar texture to what's in the picture you posted. The other side was perfectly mirrored.

 

[CES020]

A couple years ago I had a customer bring in some acrylic with a chrome on it that was slick as glass. I ordered 3 or 4 different chromes and tried to replicate it and couldn't. It all had that same orange peel on it shown in that photo. A plastic supplier came in and i was in the middle of working on it and he told me he knew exactly what it was. A week later, a sample showed up from him and the chrome was smooth as glass. He told me it's put on at the factory and that's the only way he knew to get it. He was very familiar with it and said he'd been in the plant that did it a couple months before he stopped in our place.

If if that helps you any, I can look for his information. We missed the deadline on the quote because we couldn't figure it out in time, so we never ordered it, but I still have his card if you need it.

 

[laserfred]

mmmm..I suspect it might be hot laminated.

 

[CES020]

mmmm..I suspect it might be hot laminated.

It's more to it than that. I took my stuff to a local guy with a hot laminator and it didn't give any different results. I just couldn't replicate that smooth look.

I'll find the sample and take a photo and post it. I saw it a couple weeks ago during a clean up. Let me see if I can figure out where it got put.

 

[J Hill Designs]

if you want the thickness of acrylic but the 'niceness' of brushed, laminate .030 brushed alum to acrylic

 

[GMS Product Manager]

Hello

Does anyone know of a replacement for brushed metal polyester film such as Oracal 352, that won't have that orange peel bumpiness once applied ?? Also, it needs to be printable.

thanks!!

Are you printing with the Edge? Do you have heat assist with that cold laminator? Laminating slow and Laminating with 100F temp on the roller that is applying it will both help eliminate orange peel. But I'm guessing at what you have. We have a brushed silver 2 mil High-Bond poly made for thermal printing.

 

[laserfred]

I don't have a Gerber printer. I have my material printed outside on a Vutek. Haven't tryed laminating with low heat yet. Sounds like a good idea..

Are you printing with the Edge? Do you have heat assist with that cold laminator? Laminating slow and Laminating with 100F temp on the roller that is applying it will both help eliminate orange peel. But I'm guessing at what you have. We have a brushed silver 2 mil High-Bond poly made for thermal printing.

 

[CES020]

Haven't tryed laminating with low heat yet. Sounds like a good idea..

I didn't find that to be the solution.

 

[CES020]

Here's the sample piece I spoke about. The little bit of "texture" you might be able to see it just adhesive from the protective plastic. I just peeled it up and took the photo, I didn't clean it.

I've not seen any "self application" vinyl ever get this smooth. Maybe it's doable, but I haven't been able to reproduce it myself, which doesn't mean much, but it's all I have to go by.

 

[laserfred]

Wow, the reflection is so clean, it looks like miror acrylic! does it say "Plaskolite" somewhere on it ? My project has to have the brushed metal finish.

Here's the sample piece I spoke about. The little bit of "texture" you might be able to see it just adhesive from the protective plastic. I just peeled it up and took the photo, I didn't clean it.

I've not seen any "self application" vinyl ever get this smooth. Maybe it's doable, but I haven't been able to reproduce it myself, which doesn't mean much, but it's all I have to go by.

 

[CES020]

No, no Plaskolite It's chrome vinyl laminated to a piece of 1/4" PVC that's smooth. The guy told me that the plant does it all themselves, I think in North Carolina. I suspect they have brushed film too. It seemed their place in the market was making special things like this.

It was Curbell Plastic that came by. You might seek out one close by you, tell them this story, tell them Randy from the Richmond, VA branch knows where to get it, and it came out of North Carolina. I imagine by the end of the day, you'll have your source. I haven't bought anything from the guy here, so I don't have much pull with him. I can provide better photos if someone needs to see it better to understand it during the searching. Just let me know.

 

[CES020]

Correction, I think it mounted to a piece of ABS not PVC.