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Need a floor graphic for indoors that will hold up to automated robotic forklift traffic?!

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Nicholedene

New Member
I'm stumped. I laminated floor graphics with 3M 3645 knowing full well there would be forklift traffic but not being aware that these are actually robotic forklifts on a regular path. Within two days the robots had torn holes in the laminate. I don't necessarily need a non-skid or a laminated product, but definitely something rugged as hell. Any suggestions? Floor is concrete and my customer is hoping for 2 year lifespan.
 
JBurton

JBurton

Signtologist
I'm perplexed why they'd want to decorate an area that is presumably not intended for human foot traffic.
Stencils and paint would probably be your best bet.
 
DL Signs

DL Signs

Never go against the family
Holding up to forklift traffic is a pretty tall order. Polycarb laminates are the most durable, I've used them in car dealerships in the past in areas where they get driven over (don't remember off hand what brand), and they held up as long as they needed them to (month or so long promo stuff), but forklifts are just crazy destructive. About the only way a vinyl graphic might hold up I can think of is with a coating of pour over clear urethane epoxy, and with heavy daily forklift traffic, I'm not sure even that would last 2 years. I did that in the entry to a ballpark once, handled heavy foot traffic, golf carts and maintenance vehicles for a couple years. JBurton's suggestion to paint (traffic marking paint) would outlast vinyl by a long shot, but depending on just how much traffic it gets, that might be pretty short term too. Forklifts are like kryptonite to floor graphics in my book.
 
SightLine

SightLine

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Pretty much nothing is going to hold up to solid tire forklift traffic if ANY turning is done on it. Only driving straight over it, maybe will last a while. We did some once using alumigraphics material and while it did hold up pretty good for a few years the image did start looking pretty rough after about 6 months with vehicle traffic running over it.
 
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netsol

Active Member
DL Signs said:
Holding up to forklift traffic is a pretty tall order. Polycarb laminates are the most durable, I've used them in car dealerships in the past in areas where they get driven over (don't remember off hand what brand), and they held up as long as they needed them to (month or so long promo stuff), but forklifts are just crazy destructive. About the only way a vinyl graphic might hold up I can think of is with a coating of pour over clear urethane epoxy, and with heavy daily forklift traffic, I'm not sure even that would last 2 years. I did that in the entry to a ballpark once, handled heavy foot traffic, golf carts and maintenance vehicles for a couple years. JBurton's suggestion to paint (traffic marking paint) would outlast vinyl by a long shot, but depending on just how much traffic it gets, that might be pretty short term too. Forklifts are like kryptonite to floor graphics in my book.
Click to expand...
 
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netsol

Active Member
probably the only thing that will hold up to that type of traffic LONG TERM is to coat with EUCLID CHEMICAL SUPER DIAMOND CLEAR (part of the DIAMOND HARD product family (youare familiar with it, LOWES, WALMART & HOME DEPOT all use it for floors that need to hold up to that sort of traffic.)

EUCLID was a client, & we have had them quote on another client's floor. IT AIN'T CHEAP!
an 80,000 sq. ft. section of warehouse floor was over $500,000 12 years ago. it can only be installed by certified installers (they will NOT sell for self install)

i have lost contact (all our local people aged out & retired) with euclid, (the own rustoleum and a bunch of other major, recognizable brands)
IF I REMEMBER NOTAREALSIGNGUY had some experience with this type of product as well.

there may be other products made for this type of traffic but, as far as i know, diamond hard is the gold standard.

i was never affiliated with euclid in that capacity, but was a NJ IT tech support vendor & got very friendly with their local product support staff, ever since the 1990's
​
 
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netsol

Active Member

Super Diamond Clear - Euclid Chemical

SUPER DIAMOND CLEAR is a solvent-based curing and sealing compound specially designed to cure new concrete, assuring proper cement hydration and strength gain, while providing a non-yellowing seal to protect and enhance the appearance of concrete. SUPER DIAMOND CLEAR is particularly suited for...
www.euclidchemical.com
 
DL Signs

DL Signs

Never go against the family
netsol said:

Super Diamond Clear - Euclid Chemical

SUPER DIAMOND CLEAR is a solvent-based curing and sealing compound specially designed to cure new concrete, assuring proper cement hydration and strength gain, while providing a non-yellowing seal to protect and enhance the appearance of concrete. SUPER DIAMOND CLEAR is particularly suited for...
www.euclidchemical.com
Click to expand...
That's interesting... I always thought that was more of a "penetrating/ soak in" type product, rather than an overcoat. Learn something new every day :)
 
MarkSnelling

MarkSnelling

Mark Snelling - Hasco Graphics
Two products should work:
1) If you have a UV printer, then printing 2nd surface on clear BILD material will work. You need to print colors then flood white. The film comes 50 and 75mils thick so there is a ton of protection.
2) Continental has a new laminate which is 24mils thick and non slip. I'd be surprised if this isn't better than what you used knowing it is about 6 times thicker than the 3M product.
 
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netsol

Active Member
MarkSnelling said:
Two products should work:
1) If you have a UV printer, then printing 2nd surface on clear BILD material will work. You need to print colors then flood white. The film comes 50 and 75mils thick so there is a ton of protection.
2) Continental has a new laminate which is 24mils thick and non slip. I'd be surprised if this isn't better than what you used knowing it is about 6 times thicker than the 3M product.
Click to expand...
you know a forklift can weigh as much as your bucket truck, with hard tires, right?
 
gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
Maybe they saw the cost of the heavy duty floor material (Bootprints) and fainted...which must be what happened to my customer. Sent them a quote for parking garage floor decals and all my follow ups were ignored.
 
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Nicholedene

New Member
garyroy said:
What do the graphics look like and how many are there?
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These are giant red blocks with "DO NOT STAND" written on them in white. 60"x36" size. It's a legal/insurance requirement. They literally have to be where the robot-path is in order to comply with the requirement.
 
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garyroy

New Member
There may be no floor graphic that can hold up. They created a problem that a simple floor graphic might not be able to solve.
How about this: a color metal sign with a super hard clear epoxy surface, about 1/16th of an inch thick.
You can grind out an area on the floor the size of the sign and epoxy the metal sign it onto the floor and make it level with the surface of the floor.
This is a very expensive alternative but they have to pay the freight. If they want robots, and they want to save $$$ on labor, they have to pay
something to do that. Embedded floor signs, permanent.
 
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