small defects after laminating

[demandattention]

Looks like dust due to static. It happens to me from time to time. sometimes it comes from the laminate backer.

 

[jaybeeb]

Ok, so I've been laminating with the heat assist off and wiping down the prints with the tac cloths while they are entering the laminator. But still I get the flaws..

Is this just a fact of life with wide format? I can see for big stuff this would not be a problem, but for decals that customers look closely at, it's bad.

I don't get it, I'm being super careful, wiping everything down, using a top-of the-line laminator and I still get so may of these flaws.

 

[gabagoo]

Ok, so I've been laminating with the heat assist off and wiping down the prints with the tac cloths while they are entering the laminator. But still I get the flaws..

Is this just a fact of life with wide format? I can see for big stuff this would not be a problem, but for decals that customers look closely at, it's bad.

I don't get it, I'm being super careful, wiping everything down, using a top-of the-line laminator and I still get so may of these flaws.

Just to confirm if it is a static problem or debris casually getting on the prints, switch up the lam and see if you get it with a competitors brand.
I am done with GF laminates just because i dont think it is really laminate but a basic clear vinyl based on how it differs from other laminates in static charge and the way it lays down

 

[jaybeeb]

switch up the lam and see if you get it with a competitors brand.

Thanks for the advice. I just got some GBC Arctic that I tested a little last week. It looks good far, so I will use it on some more jobs and compare the results.

 

[jaybeeb]

So after trying out a few different brands and coming back to Oracal we've found that only Oracal gives us the small flaws.

Other brands had their own problems like mottling, silvering that doesn't seem to go away. Optima, advertised as eliminating mottling and silvering, was one of the worst for these problems.

There are still a couple options to try, but at this point I have to decide which product's flaws we can live with.

jtrube, did you ever find a laminate that worked well for you?

 

[Gino]

I don't know what the climate conditions are in your area, but would venture to say, as the weather gets warmer and more humid, the static which is very high with OraCal products will reduce. I believe because of the thick liner, it creates more static than other brands and you're attracting more dust bunnies and particles with that brand.

 

[HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX]

I don't know what the climate conditions are in your area, but would venture to say, as the weather gets warmer and more humid, the static which is very high with OraCal products will reduce. I believe because of the thick liner, it creates more static than other brands and you're attracting more dust bunnies and particles with that brand.

Yeah I agree in the winter, static electricty is high, because the humidity is very low. get the humidity up to at least 25 - 30%, you can get a little temp/humidity gauge. from radio shack. this will help control the dust.

 

[HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX]

In the winter I've see it get down to 10 percent.

 

[Gino]

Probably depends greatly on the kind of heat you have in your facility.

We have gas/steam which creates quite a bit of humidity, while it still throws hot air from the fans. Many people in their homes have hot air and that contributes to the high static and low humidity. Right now, we have about 55% humidity and we still do things to prevent static while printing and laminating. I hate those little shocks when touching something.

 

[gabagoo]

I just recently switched over to the oracal laminate and absoulutely love it as i can laminate and go straight to cut with little or no silvering.... GF and proveer house brand absoulutley suck unless you have a week or two to allow for settling of the adhesive.

I had a rep in here last week who explained that the silvering is caused by a very thin coat of adhesive on the laminate sticking to the raised ink levels but not covering fully in the white or lighter ink areas creating the silvering. Sounded OK to me so I will believe him, although on coller days I have seen complete prints covered in silvering.

 

[anotherdog]

Been using mainly oracal 210 matt and gloss for the last 5 years. I do see the occasional bump and ...pock mark in the lam. Though I can get dust tenting...and the occasional eyelash dammit, usually it's passable for signage. These bumps and pocks are in the lam and nothing to do with the ink on the vinyl.

Any silvering fades before the customer sees it. Oracal 210 is about the best for using on a laminating machine, it has tiny surface issues that I haven't seen in some of the competitors, but it goes on well and lasts well. That said, it is terrible for hand application with the big Squeegee.

 

[jaybeeb]

We have a humidifier going all day to keep the humidity over 30%. Like anotherdog said, I think these pock marks have to be in the lam too. Sometimes they're not as common as other times.

Unfortunately, besides the pock marks Oracal does seem to be the best choice right now. When the marks are absent it's the best looking glossy finish.

But we don't ship decals with these marks so we are tossing theses defects. It's a waste and I wish I could solve it.

 

[splizaat]

Try Arlon 3420G Lam if you don't like Oracal 210....see if that helps?

 

[jaybeeb]

Thanks for that suggestion splizaat, I will try that. I wrote to Oracal (probably should have done that in the 1st place). I sent them the 2 photos of the problem. They said that one pock mark was a 'rash' and defect in the film. The other was a 'small bubble' and considered a limitation of the calendaring process, not a flaw. Just thought I'd post this info in case anyone else is trying to solve this.