Wondering if you might have a suggestion for static cling for unique application

[Zoogee World]

Hello everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone here has used or heard of a static cling vinyl or non adhesive media (with backer liner) that epoxy resin will bond to and is eco-solvent printable. We used to use a static cling from Flexcon, however a few years back, they discontinued their line, unless you can afford a ridiculous amount from a custom run (unfeasible for our small business). Since then, we've been struggling to find a decent static cling that will work. I've tested all the ones I can find in a google search and it's not a problem of getting a nice print on our eco-solvent printers, the problem is that the epoxy won't bond to it and peels off with little to no effort. We are also in the process of testing polyurethane resins for our application, however we haven't found one that is as rigid as the epoxy, which is essential for our products we make. We currently use a product that works, however is has a thin backer liner which causes us a little bit of headache and a good amount of waste.

I know this is a niche market and not something most people would have experience with, but I'm at a lose, we can continue as is, but would like to see if anyone else has experience and might be able to help make our process work with less waste and aggravation. Thanks in advance.

 

[Billct2]

Yeah, that sounds really odd, what are these used for? You apply epoxy resin to the face?!

 

[Boudica]

I can't quite picture what you are doing, but it sounds like a product called glass apeel would work. It's removable and repositionable. Instead of adhesive, it has microscopic suction cups. It's also fairly rigid.

 

[Zoogee World]

Yeah, that sounds really odd, what are these used for? You apply epoxy resin to the face?!

Although I cannot give exact specifics, due to not giving away our production methods entirely, we do apply the epoxy to the face. We make promotional products like key chains, lapel pins, badges and things of that nature. I understand that most likely if someone has any suggestions, it is probably done for a different application. I'm just putting it out there to see if anyone has put epoxy on a static cling and it bonded together, that's the issue we've struggled with.

 

[Zoogee World]

I can't quite picture what you are doing, but it sounds like a product called glass apeel would work. It's removable and repositionable. Instead of adhesive, it has microscopic suction cups. It's also fairly rigid.

Thanks for the suggestion. That's actually a product we currently use, however it's backer liner is very thin compared to the media itself which causes issues for our process. I know it's a long shot, but it never hurts to ask. As the saying goes if you don't ask, you don't know.

Don't really need a rigid material, just something that the epoxy bonds to.

 

[Billct2]

ok, now I get it, should have got a clue from your name. I use Gerber lexedge which is thin polycarbonate that is on a backer, maybe something like that is available for ecosolvent. .

 

[Zoogee World]

ok, now I get it, should have got a clue from your name. I use Gerber lexedge which is thin polycarbonate that is on a backer, maybe something like that is available for ecosolvent. .

Thanks, I will explore that avenue. Just to confirm, that media doesn't have any adhesive?

 

[unclebun]

So to be clear, you weren't using static cling film to be able to static cling it, just that it had no adhesive and came on a carrier paper for cutting?

 

[Zoogee World]

So to be clear, you weren't using static cling film to be able to static cling it, just that it had no adhesive and came on a carrier paper for cutting?

Correct. We don't want an adhesive back, due to what we use it for. But we do need the backer liner for the production process.

 

[unclebun]

It's more expensive but maybe HTV vinyl would work. Something like Siser Colorprint. It does have a heat-activated (dry) adhesive on it, but as long as you're never heating the product to 275 degrees it wouldn't activate.

 

[RabidOne]

Used to use something called ClingZ, but it has no backer.

 

[Zoogee World]

It's more expensive but maybe HTV vinyl would work. Something like Siser Colorprint. It does have a heat-activated (dry) adhesive on it, but as long as you're never heating the product to 275 degrees it wouldn't activate.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will look into this.

 

[JBurton]

Nekoosa has hi-stat, they'll send you a sample for free, I think it has a liner, but I haven't pulled it out in a while and can't recall.

Just a thought, could you mount the glass apeel onto something more rigid to use in your processing? Aside from laminate backer, 7725 synthetic liner is nice and stiff and has a nonstick property to it. Or even perhaps a sheet of prepainted aluminum with a pfte coating. Kinda hard to say with a process you don't want to reveal too much of, understandably.

 

[Zoogee World]

Nekoosa has hi-stat, they'll send you a sample for free, I think it has a liner, but I haven't pulled it out in a while and can't recall.

Just a thought, could you mount the glass apeel onto something more rigid to use in your processing? Aside from laminate backer, 7725 synthetic liner is nice and stiff and has a nonstick property to it. Or even perhaps a sheet of prepainted aluminum with a pfte coating. Kinda hard to say with a process you don't want to reveal too much of, understandably.

Thanks, I actually just got in one of their samples to test. Fingers crossed.

 

[Billct2]

Gerber lexedge has a backer but is not adhesive back. There may be other manufacturers making something similar

 

[Zoogee World]

Thanks, I will look into it.