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Thinnest, Most Conformable Over-Laminate?

upandup

New Member
I have a very complex project that requires the highest amount of conformability during application. I have been using Avery 1460 and it is working well overall. I have been doing some research to see what else is available, but there are a ton of options to sift through. I was hoping someone can give me some real life comparison to see what is the most conformable laminate.

Anybody have any input on the most conformable/thinnest laminate? Would especially love to hear from someone that has used 1460.
 

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
The thinnest and, concomitantly then most conformable, is liquid laminate. It leaves an ~.001" thick acrylic coating. It's more UV resistant than most common vinyl laminates and will not discolor over time. Liquid laminate is tough but it does not provide the same level of abrasion resistance that a vinyl laminate does. That would seem primarily to be a function of thickness.
 

upandup

New Member
The thinnest and, concomitantly then most conformable, is liquid laminate. It leaves an ~.001" thick acrylic coating. It's more UV resistant than most common vinyl laminates and will not discolor over time. Liquid laminate is tough but it does not provide the same level of abrasion resistance that a vinyl laminate does. That would seem primarily to be a function of thickness.

That's what I forgot to mention - not only is my application complex, but it is also a highly abrasive environment. I've never tried the liquid, but even the vinyl laminate takes a beating, so I'm assuming it probably won't work. I do appreciate the suggestion though as this would be ideal as far as application goes.
 

upandup

New Member
3M lists 8528 as their thinnest most conformable.
It's 1mil cast.
http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/443279O/inkjet-catalog-lowres.pdf
I have not used it but someone here must have.
Most likely they have priced it as if they use 24k gold dust in the adhesive.


wayne k
guam usa

Yeah, I use 3M for my print vinyl, so I can attest to that... I came across that one and since I use 3M print it may be a good option. BTW, does it really matter if I combine different manufacturers, or is it just a way for them to force their customers to stick with them for print and lam?

I actually came across Arlon 3310 and Mactac Horizon which are both interesting to me since they are Poly vs PVC. The marketing makes it sounds like it is far more conformable than PVC, but real life is a different story. Anyone used either of these and have a comparison to a PVC film?
 
Yeah, I use 3M for my print vinyl, so I can attest to that... I came across that one and since I use 3M print it may be a good option. BTW, does it really matter if I combine different manufacturers, or is it just a way for them to force their customers to stick with them for print and lam?

I actually came across Arlon 3310 and Mactac Horizon which are both interesting to me since they are Poly vs PVC. The marketing makes it sounds like it is far more conformable than PVC, but real life is a different story. Anyone used either of these and have a comparison to a PVC film?


As for the life of the film, I don't think it matters if you mix brands, as long as you don't use a calendar lam with a cast film or something like that. As far as I know they only reason to use the same brand lam and film is for warranty. There's no way 3M would warranty their lam on Avery film. But if you're not worried about warranty then I don't think it matters.
 
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