Road Sign laminate coming off

[binki]

I see this all over Southern California. These are just starting. Some I see are flapping in the wind. And yes, the traffic is like this all over as well.

 

[BigfishDM]

I see that all the time here also, I thought maybe it was just a liner that was never peeled off or something like that.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

No no no. This is almost positively unmatched materials. Someone using avery or hexis overlaminate on top of 3M reflective. The inspectors can tell if you use 3M reflective or not but they have no idea if you use the appropriate over laminate. There is a large shop in California that is not giving customers what they think they are getting.

 

[unclebun]

Does California buy signs from sign shops? Here in Missouri the Dept of Transportation makes their own signs.

 

[jman]

I know here in Maryland they do their own.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Does California buy signs from sign shops? Here in Missouri the Dept of Transportation makes their own signs.

Here in Colorado it's up to the municipalities. Some make their own and some buy from Sign Shops. Colorado Barricade is a private business who does very well serving these needs for local governments.

 

[unclebun]

Here in Colorado it's up to the municipalities. Some make their own and some buy from Sign Shops. Colorado Barricade is a private business who does very well serving these needs for local governments.

That's the way it is here too. Towns and counties get them elsewhere. But the signs in the OP are state signs.

 

[Solventinkjet]

That's the way it is here too. Towns and counties get them elsewhere. But the signs in the OP are state signs.

Oh for sure. State signs come from CDOT.

 

[binki]

Not sure here, a lot of stuff is contracted out. The temporary road signs are contracted out but not sure about the permanent ones. A couple years ago we had signs that all the lettering came off. They were for the HOV lanes.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Why are they laminating cut vinyl reflective? Is it printed?

 

[henryz]

I've seen specs. is silk screened on reflective but they might be doing digital with lamination and that's why we might be seeing this.

 

[MikePro]

that's trippy. shouldn't be doing that even if it's printed, or even mix/match brand vinyls.
those sign panels are made via 12" extrusions with reflective overlay. looks like whomever did it, cut the printed reflective square-off at the top of the panels rather than wrapping the printed tiles around the sides of the extrusions like you're supposed to before stacking/installing.

if it was printed, then it was bad overlaminate & bad application. someone proly went cheap-o with calendared overlaminate, or possibly even a liquid lam that's not bonding well to the surface.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

The laminate goes on these signs regardless if it's digital or cut ec film. You still need laminate over EC film because the State specs call for Anti-Graffiti coating. Usually this would be 3M 1160 but that doesn't get used all the time. Instead sometimes a cheaper alternative is used.

 

[bannertime]

The laminate goes on these signs regardless if it's digital or cut ec film. You still need laminate over EC film because the State specs call for Anti-Graffiti coating. Usually this would be 3M 1160 but that doesn't get used all the time. Instead sometimes a cheaper alternative is used.

Laminating over something like 1170 seems like a bad idea to me. If someone requested anti-graffiti I guess we'd just print/lam then.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Laminating 1160 overtop of cut vinyl is 3M recommended and warrantied if done correct with matching materials. But your right it doesn't look as good as a digital print. Digital Print was not an option with 3M a year+ ago though and many larger freeway signs like this they specifically ask for CUT ec film and will not take digital print.

 

[StarSign]

That looks like a slow day headed to the 91

 

[binki]

You should see it when it rains here. Then it really gets busy.