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Opinion on Arlon Wrap Material

heyskull

New Member
Has anyone used Arlon DPF 6000 series films for wraps.
I am just trying to compare it to 3m IJ180 materials.
Their is almost a third in price saving between both materials, and every saving counts.
But not at the risk of failures!

SC
 

rjssigns

Active Member
No full wraps with it(just partials), but it's all we use for anything that has to last. Outdoor signage, truck lettering, crane booms etc... We print for another shop in town and their installer really likes it.
Love the way the 3220 laminate lays down and it's high gloss level.(plus it's crystal clear)
 

Bly

New Member
The print film might be alright but steer clear of their carbon fibre.
It sticks hard without pressure then rips when you try and snap it off.

I have to say we hesitate to use any of their stuff after that experience.
 

peavey123

New Member
I can't really vouch for Alron wrap vinyl, but I can tell you that the difference between the two is the adhesive. The IJ180cv3's adhesive doesn't adhere until squeegeed whereas other wrap vinyl adhesive is much more aggressive which can mean longer install times. Our installer even went as far to say that IJ180 saves him 2-3 hours per wrap and also saves his body from extra wear and tear. Just some food for thought.
 

fresh

New Member
I can't really vouch for Alron wrap vinyl, but I can tell you that the difference between the two is the adhesive. The IJ180cv3's adhesive doesn't adhere until squeegeed whereas other wrap vinyl adhesive is much more aggressive which can mean longer install times. Our installer even went as far to say that IJ180 saves him 2-3 hours per wrap and also saves his body from extra wear and tear. Just some food for thought.

Arlon 6000 is the same thing, its very easy to reposition and work with.
 

jmcnicoll

New Member
I had an issue with the adhesive about 4 years ago. Tried to reposition a graphic and the adhesive came off the vinyl and stuck to the camper. Always printed great!
 

heyskull

New Member
Well we have just finished our first full truck wrap with Arlon DPF 6000.
The material is great and sticks really well (read too well sometimes!).
But comparing it with 3Ms IJ180, it is an inferior product.
Yes it is cheaper and maybe a glossy finish than 3Ms product but to say this product is repositionable is a joke.
Once it touches the panel it grabs like nothing you have come across before and takes an excessive amount of tugging and pulling to remove.
Also allowing the material to stick to its self is verging on disaster and if adhesive side sticks to adhesive side you have a very high chance of pulling the laminate of one of the layers. Which is as we all know disasterous.

Due to the amount of more work involved in applying this material and having to reprint a couple of panels.
I would say this actually cost us more than if we had used the 3m IJ180!

When I originally purchased the Arlon material I was won over on price difference and was told it was comparable to 3Ms material, but to advertise this as repositionable is not a claim I feel I would use for this material.
Both materials feel very similar but that is were the similarities end.
Probably the only area I would feel comfortable fitting this material is on a flat panel, which kind of defeats the use of a so called wrap material.
Also I pity the poor bugger who has to remove this material when the vehicle is finished with as I reckon after a short while it will remove paintwork when removed, due to the aggressive adhesive used.

All in all this was not a very nice experience and after receiving the said vehicle nearly two weeks late and having a 3 day window to complete the job from stripping down, cleaning, applying and rebuild.
We only made it due to having an extra 4 hours on Saturday morning.

This is only my personal experience with this material and probably we have become accustomed to how the 3M material can be repositioned. But their is no benefit to using the Arlon material unless it was a third the price of 3Ms.


SC
 

Desert_Signs

New Member
Mirrors my experience with Arlon pretty much to a T.

It's also the only material that the laminate consistently fails, in the same way (cracking/browning) within about 11-13 months. In fact, one of my employees has some of it on the roof of his truck. He parked it in the garage at the shop about a month ago, roof looked fine. It hasn't been exposed to the elements AT ALL for at least 30 days. The other day we noticed the laminate is cracking and hazed over. Like it just dried out or something.
 

Kentucky Wraps

Kentucky Wraps
I can't really vouch for Alron wrap vinyl, but I can tell you that the difference between the two is the adhesive. The IJ180cv3's adhesive doesn't adhere until squeegeed whereas other wrap vinyl adhesive is much more aggressive which can mean longer install times. Our installer even went as far to say that IJ180 saves him 2-3 hours per wrap and also saves his body from extra wear and tear. Just some food for thought.

And then there is Avery which has even LESS initial tack as 3M.
 

FTG

New Member
Just finished up a partial pickup wrap with it and worked great. I'm with the majority here though, great for partials, trailers and other flat surfaces but way too much initial tack for full wraps.
 
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