new acrylics cracking wtf

[Zambookajoe]

Did 2 signs for 1 customer, both new acrylics, weve installed cut viny to both of them , both full backgrounds.

we installed part of the backgrounds with alcohol/water mix, both acrylics crack after installation of the vinyl.

would the alcohol make the acrylics crack

is that possible?

 

[jfiscus]

We always clean everything with alcohol, never seen any ill effects.
I would assume you're using the alcohol/water mixture to aid in drying (do that it evaporates faster. I couldn't see how after it evaporates that it causes it to crack.

How thin of acrylic?

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

In my experience alcohol will cause laser cut acrylic to crack....

 

[Gino]

Were you using a hammer for a squeegee ??

C'mon, no matter what kinda anything..... nothing you did could cause acrylic to crack, unless the acrylic was mishandled. Short and simple. Someone did something and ain't fessin' up.

If you wanna hold onto your story, post up the pictures and get some closeups and full shots.

 

[Zambookajoe]

I called proveer they told me its because I kept it rolled for a month waiting for the customers art work.

I can beleive it to some extent, but you should see this its cracking on the bottom edge, we took off an inch or so on the top edge and it was fine

the sign is 51inch by 16ft

we laminated the background with our laminator but we had only 48 vinyl so my employee installed the bottom 4 inch by hand with alcohol, its cracking everywhere, I can even hear it cracking as I type this

 

[Zambookajoe]

its 3/16

ill bet you ill come in the morning it will have cracked in 2 haha

 

[Zambookajoe]

never had any problems before, but i never had to wait a month for a customer to send me there artwork

but I learned a few things today lol

 

[Gino]

Okay, maybe I read this wrong in your post..................

Were these panels ever installed at your customers site ??

OR​

Did these crack immediately while you're working on them.... in your shop before ever going out ??

Also, it looks like you're removing vinyl. Why ??​

 

[FS-Keith]

since when can you roll 3/16 acrylic?. Looks like polycarb to me and it comes from the factory rolled so proveer doesn't have a leg to stand on with that argument.

 

[Zambookajoe]

nope they were never installed on site, weve unrolled them a few days ago so they would lay flat, today we proceeded to produce the signs

they were fine till about half an hour after they were done, you could hear them cracking,and see they are cracking like that pic but at 4-5 places along the bottom, well now its almost down the middle

Im taking the vinyl off, to save pieces of the acrylics for smaller jobs cause the sign is useless its cracked to hell.

 

[Zambookajoe]

by the invoice its plaskolite 4.5mm x 51 inch

 

[miker]

acrylic can crack if you clean it with alcohol after it has been flame polished also

 

[FS-Keith]

by the invoice its plaskolite 4.5mm x 51 inch

In that case it must be the impact modified acrylic that they sell. It comes on a roll just like polycarb. Its breaks just like any other acrylic due to stress. Not sure why you ordered that as opposed to polycarb though. Only thing good about acrylic over polycarb for large panels is if you are vacuum forming you don't have to dry the plastic before you form it like you do with polycarb. And again if it is impact modified it does come on a roll so having it rolled up shouldn't have been an issue unless your supplier rolled it too tight and started the stress cracks for you.

 

[gabagoo]

How can leaving it rolled up cause cracking when the stuff comes from tim-buck-2 rolled up and sits in a warehouse rolled up...I don't get it.

Who at Proveer told you this? Gary? I have left roll stock rolled up for a few weeks and never had any issues with cracking. I use methyl hydrate to clean new acrylic, old acrylic and I have never had a cracking issue.

Like Gino said, something else is going on here

 

[TammieH]

Cast or extruded?

 

[Zambookajoe]

a Girll named Bonnie told me this at proveer, I received the roll on july 12 th
she offered me free freight for a new roll so I went ahead and order it

Im baffled its the first time this has ever happened to me and weve been doing signs for 13 years

 

[Techman]

Poor saw cuts will make cracks for sure. You can the start of them along the cut edges. Looks like little scallop shells. Add some alcohol with a poor saw cut and you will have cracks. Rolled up or otherwise..

Poor cuts? using a rough tooth saw blade. moving too fast.. OR both.

 

[Zambookajoe]

Techman

its on the uncut side...

the side we cut never cracked, figure that one out

 

[AzGene]

Any product containing alcohol can produce cracks. All it takes is a tiny point of entry into the material. Problem is worse with extruded acrylic.

 

[Bigdawg]

Any product containing alcohol can produce cracks. All it takes is a tiny point of entry into the material. Problem is worse with extruded acrylic.

+1

We just went through this. Not a big piece like this, but clear laser-cut acrylic with flamed edges. Our guy was using alcohol to clean them.... cracked most of them that he used it on.... and that was the ONLY difference between the ones that cracked and the ones that didn't.

After talking to our acrylic guy, he said the same thing you just did. Never, ever use anything w/alcohol to clean acrylic.

 

[anotherdog]

So what is safe for acrylic?
I have always started and finished by degreasing with alcohol.

All my acrylic is laser cut and flame polished, 1/8 or 1/4.

I'm sitting here now listening for a crack.

 

[Zambookajoe]

oh well learned something the hardway today, the hardway but lesson learned