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cleaning UV ink off acrylic

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Almengel65

New Member
Hello all, I am running some acrylic pieces on my Mimaki JFX 200 flatbed printer. I was wondering if anyone knew of a solvent that would eat the UV ink off of the acrylic without damaging the acrylic. With using Goof Off graffiti remover I was able to get it off on parts that were freshly run, but now I have parts that the ink has cured on and the ink is very very tough to get off. I've attempted to get it off with some of the Goof off products but no luck. Its a long shot i know to get this cured ink off, I was just wondering if anyone has found something that worked or have been in the same position.

Thank you
 
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Craig Malmberg

New Member
Sometimes you can use 99% Alcohol. Saturate it and cover it up with paper towels and saturate the paper towels. Let it sit for five minutes or so. Use a plastic razor blade. Works most of the time for me. HP UV inks come off most substraights with alcohol. Not sure if this will work for Mimaki UV ink. It does not work that well for Gerber UV ink. Try a piece of laminate and ripe it off. This works for some acrylics but not polycarbonates. Not much luck with getting any UV inks off of polycarbonates. Good luck.
 
signcrafters london

signcrafters london

New Member
Craig Malmberg said:
Sometimes you can use 99% Alcohol. Saturate it and cover it up with paper towels and saturate the paper towels. Let it sit for five minutes or so. Use a plastic razor blade. Works most of the time for me. HP UV inks come off most substraights with alcohol. Not sure if this will work for Mimaki UV ink. It does not work that well for Gerber UV ink. Try a piece of laminate and ripe it off. This works for some acrylics but not polycarbonates. Not much luck with getting any UV inks off of polycarbonates. Good luck.
Click to expand...
You don't have problems with alcohol crazing/cracking acrylic? I thought that was a no-no.
 
Fares Bayazeed

Fares Bayazeed

New Member
Do you have a UV Curable wash solution that you currently use? This may have the characteristics you are looking for. Your rep with SABICPolymershapes handles acrylic and of course they have the patent on Lexan. Your rep in Wisconson Matt Weber (See his information below). He is a distributor for our Solaris line of inks and also ink washes. He has access to chemists who work with clear substrates on the developmental and chemical formula level. If you have not found a solution I would be happy to send him a sample of our UV Curable Ink wash for you to do a test with, or he may have another solution.
+1 262 2511200Rich
 Sabic Polymershapes Menomonee Falls WI

Contact name changed from earlier. Talked to Rich who handles your teritory. If the Everclear does not work I will send the sample wash to Rich and he will get it to you to test.
 
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Signfox

Sign Of Excellence
I often use Methyl Hydrate and treat as Malcom Malmberg recommends. Don't let it soak for more than about 10-15 minutes otherwise it will craze or discolor the acrylic. I scrape it with another piece of acrylic -- I don't like to use a material harder than the substrate -- and clean up with a methyl-soaked paper towel and eventually alcohol. I've managed to clean the same piece twice but three times is asking for trouble. I don't make mistakes, just samples for the next customer.
 
Print1

Print1

Tech for your cutter, printer & logistics needs
Brand new razor blade at a 33 degree angle with a little bit of 99% will get most of without scratching. Especially if you have white down
 
brdesign

brdesign

New Member
Let it soak for a few minutes in isopropyl or denatured alcohol, but if the acrylic has flame polished edges DO NOT LET THE ALCOHOL CONTACT THE EDGE or the acrylic will crack. Another trick is to run it through the laminator to laminate the ink side, then pull the laminate off, it should take most of the ink off with it. If you used any kind of adhesion promotor on the acrylic before printing that makes it more difficult to remove.
 
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Pica Grove

New Member
Isopropyl alcohol soak for no longer than a few minutes, you can watch it curl the ink off. Only apply to the ink you want removed. Laser cut/clear/acrylic edges will crack if alcohol touches the edge and starts to penetrate. Immediately remove if it touches the edges. If you blow on it to try and dry it off too fast this will also cause edge cracks.
Some ink will de-laminate if soaked in soapy/simple green water for a day or two but that is a lengthy process, I typically reserve that for salvage after a job is done if I can reuse the pieces. Plastic razor blade or fingernail helps get it started.
Flame torch the surface if any scratches (minor) occur, they will completely disappear.
I have yet to try Franmar UV Ink Remover. Its made for cleaning UV ink from screens and I think it'll be too aggressive for acrylics, we'll see.
 
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