Partial wrap on fresh paint...?

[JimmyG]

How much cure time for fresh paint do y'all recommend before installing digital print with laminate? or vinyl for that matter?

I plan to use 3M IJ 180 controltac with gloss laminate for digital prints, and maybe a combination of vinyl and print with laminate.
I'm not sure (yet) the exact type paint to be used but expect it to be industrial epoxy or something like Imron polyurethane for commercial fleet. This job is graphics on the large outriggers and control box covers of a concrete pump truck...will use plotter cut Oracal 751 on the cab doors.

What brand vinyl would you recommend for this long application covering @ 3'h x 27'w...? Oracal 751 2 mil, Oracal 970RA 4 mil wrapping cast or another brand?

I hope tomorrow to find out the exact paint to be used...

 

[heyskull]

Oh dear Imron polyurethanes State 7 days cure but in my experience it takes a lot longer and based on how much paint is applied in one go. I have found polyurethanes can still be soft 6 months later!! As for the industrial epoxy this is also manufactured for staying to a degree soft and flexible. So a big no for both these finishes as they are made as a protective covering more than a finish to apply vinyl graphics. I have had vehicles painted in 2k and not been properly baked having issues. My rule of thumb as far as fresh paint is "if you can smell the paint and it smells of anything it has not cured yet" also if you can still mark it with your finger nail and it heals the paint is still soft. Be very wary of customers trying to kid you that it was painted weeks/months ago when it has just came out of the paint shop just this morning! SC

 

[visual800]

I would wait 2-3 weeks after paint. Keep in mind Im in Alabama where its hot as h@ll. When I basecoat clearcoat signs I wait about 1 week as I dont lay a clear as thick as autos would and when drying they are always facing sun

 

[signbrad]

Our standard procedure is to tell the client to ask their body shop how long to wait. A typical answer will be three weeks. If the client wants it done quicker we will do it as long as he knows there's no guarantee of success.

Our in-house painting is with Matthews Acrylic Polyurethane. If we use Matthews accelerator in the paint we safely lay vinyl next day without problems. Without accelerator, the safe cure time is more like 72 hours. However, if we lay panels in the sun, we can shorten both these times. We have sprayed in the morning and successfully laid vinyl at the end of the day by using accelerator and sun drying (this is for vinyl graphics, not full wraps).

With Matthews paint, the mixing must be precise. You must use the exact amount of catalyst called for, though the quantity of reducer does not have to be perfect. Too much or too little catalyst lengthens dry time. Same with accelerator. Use exactly the amount called for. Using extra catalyst or accelerator is self-defeating.

In Arkansas I used to do lettering and stripes for a trolley car company. They built two trolleys a month and painted them with Dupont Imron. The finishes typically cured for a week or two before I applied graphics. The only time I had an off gassing problem was on a rush job they wanted lettered the next day. The graphics orange-peeled terribly, but they shipped the vehicle anyway.

Imron definitely requires a longer cure time than Matthews. Matthews is made specifically for sign work in a production setting. They've engineered a dry time that seems shorter than a typical automotive polyurethane. We don't use the high gloss version, but the Nuance version, which is ADA-compliant satin. I suspect the gloss version requires a little more cure time.

Brad in Kansas City