Air Bubbles when Facemounting onto Acrylic Sheet

Create a Post
W

WRAPPED

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Nov 19, 2024
Posts
7
Loc
Venice,CA
Business
Fine/Commercial Art
I recently started facemounting some prints onto acrylic with varying success. All my initial problems like getting dust or debris in the laminate or having air bubbles appear in the lamination process have all been taken care of with the purchase of some humidifiers and air purifiers as well as a structured daily cleaning process. Now the tricky part is getting the laminated print to stick onto the acrylic flawlessly. We keep having little tiny air bubbles come through when we apply the image to the acrylic. We have tried popping some and pressing down on some to limited success (some smooth out completely, while others release most of the trapped air while still keeping some of the air in and then when we remove the protective liner on the acrylic the part of the air bubble that is still trapped inside looks like a grease smudge where the adhesive wouldn't stick properly). We have face mounted a couple 30 x 30s where the bubbles were small enough to smooth out on their own but our recent run of 36 x 36s keeps having the same issue to a much larger extent. I keep reading that taking the pressure down a bit should help. I was running everything at a pressure of 15 then went down to 12 and then 10 but the issue is still occurring. If anyone has any suggestions or tips that would be greatly appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4032.webp
    IMG_4032.webp
    27.3 KB · Views: 21
  • IMG_4033.webp
    IMG_4033.webp
    31.8 KB · Views: 19
Can you tell us what type of equipment you are using as well as the type of paper. Is the paper coated to uncoated(porous)? What type of adhesive are you using?

As has been stated in previous threads, the process of removing the plastic film from acrylic sheet creates a large amount of static charge that acts as a magnet to attract dust. The film protected acrylic sheet should be cleaned of all dust before removing the film as well as the art. Make sure that the cut edges of the acrylic are wiped down for cleaning debris. A cleanable tacky foam roller is one method of removing debris from the flat surfaces.
 
The only thing I remember from hearing a man talk about this process, at WCAF, was that his business uses a clean room,
with an ion knife, to clean both surfaces, when joining. Do you have one?
 
Shayla said:
The only thing I remember from hearing a man talk about this process, at WCAF, was that his business uses a clean room,
with an ion knife, to clean both surfaces, when joining. Do you have one?
Click to expand...
We consistently wipe the acrylic with an anti static cleaner coated cloth and print as well as they run through the machine. These bubbles don't appear to have any debris any them just air.
 
JFeig said:
Can you tell us what type of equipment you are using as well as the type of paper. Is the paper coated to uncoated(porous)? What type of adhesive are you using?

As has been stated in previous threads, the process of removing the plastic film from acrylic sheet creates a large amount of static charge that acts as a magnet to attract dust. The film protected acrylic sheet should be cleaned of all dust before removing the film as well as the art. Make sure that the cut edges of the acrylic are wiped down for cleaning debris. A cleanable tacky foam roller is one method of removing debris from the flat surfaces.
Click to expand...
We are using a GFP 663 TH to laminate and adhere the prints to acrylic. For paper we have the Lexjet 5 Mill Gloss Display Film. From the description online it says it has a microporous coating. The adhesive we are using is the Lexjet Optically Clear Double Sided Adhesive. We make sure to clean the acrylic immediately after removing the protective liner with isopropryl alcohol and a tack cloth, then start placing the leaderboard and print onto the acrylic. Finally once the print is lined up and ready to go through the rollers, we give the acrylic a quick wipe down and then pass a neoprene roller on top to collect any left over dust and start it into the laminator rollers. I wonder if having the heat on while adhering to the acrylic would help?
 
You are using a pressure sensitive adhesive rather than a heat activated adhesive. I do not see the point of adding heat to the equation.
Using a GLOSS paper means that it is a coated paper and thus possibly will not allow the captured air to release through the paper.

The proper way to place the art onto the sandwich is to start at one end and "squeegee" it down with your hands or with a tool until it is entirely in place. This reduces the tendency for bubbles.

As I stated before(above), you have to make sure you wipe down the film on the acrylic as well as the edges before removing the film. This will result in less dust transferring to the acrylic. The same is with the back and front of the art.
 
JFeig said:
You are using a pressure sensitive adhesive rather than a heat activated adhesive. I do not see the point of adding heat to the equation.
As I stated before(above), you have to make sure you wipe down the film on the acrylic as well as the edges before removing the film. This will result in less dust transferring to the acrylic. The same is with the back and front of the art.
Click to expand...

Ok I will try facemounting some prints with no heat and making sure to clean the art as well when running it through.
 
I have an answer for you but it is not going to help your deadline. I have used the Lexjet products you are using (mainly because Lexjet is in the same city as me and I could go talk to them about it) and I got the same results as you are getting. I never did get it to work. I am using Epson high gloss photo paper and Drytac Facemount and the issues went away. I would also recommend you not clean the acrylic with an anti-static cloth as it has some chemical in it that causes adheasion issues. Only use a microfiber and your regular glass cleaner. I do put heat on my laminator when I do this just to warm the facemount. you also want to run the slowest speed you can. This process is a massive bastard! I thought it was a great way to add a new product to sell and it turned in a complete nightmare and I dread everytime I get one. I have gotten them to come out right the first time most of the time but it has been tons of trail and error. I hope this helps.
Eric
 
Eric A said:
I have an answer for you but it is not going to help your deadline. I have used the Lexjet products you are using (mainly because Lexjet is in the same city as me and I could go talk to them about it) and I got the same results as you are getting. I never did get it to work. I am using Epson high gloss photo paper and Drytac Facemount and the issues went away. I would also recommend you not clean the acrylic with an anti-static cloth as it has some chemical in it that causes adheasion issues. Only use a microfiber and your regular glass cleaner. I do put heat on my laminator when I do this just to warm the facemount. you also want to run the slowest speed you can. This process is a massive bastard! I thought it was a great way to add a new product to sell and it turned in a complete nightmare and I dread everytime I get one. I have gotten them to come out right the first time most of the time but it has been tons of trail and error. I hope this helps.
Eric
Click to expand...
We are one day away from deadline and are nowhere near finished. We have gotten the lexjet to work for us by applying some minimal heat but still get tiny little bubbles when applying to the acrylic. I think for our next project we will definietly use the facemount from drytac although it is a pricier material if it lowers your margin for error by a significant amount it will save in the long run. Thank you for your advice.
 
WRAPPED said:
We are one day away from deadline and are nowhere near finished. We have gotten the lexjet to work for us by applying some minimal heat but still get tiny little bubbles when applying to the acrylic. I think for our next project we will definietly use the facemount from drytac although it is a pricier material if it lowers your margin for error by a significant amount it will save in the long run. Thank you for your advice.
Click to expand...
For us it was worth the extra price. We now have very few issues with bubbles unless it is dirt.
 
I've had this same problem. Only short-term solution is a Modge Podge (or equivalent) squeegee to press out the bubbles(using A LOT of pressure) on the back side of the gloss paper within minutes of facemounting. I've tried Drytac and Kapco's optically clear adhesive; both give the same results with bubbles. The issue must be with the cold laminator. High pressure is needed, but when that amount of pressure is used, the rubber laminator roll bends and doesn't apply pressure evenly. I use a cheap $1,000 51" China laminator.
 
Greg Apprentice said:
I've had this same problem. Only short-term solution is a Modge Podge (or equivalent) squeegee to press out the bubbles(using A LOT of pressure) on the back side of the gloss paper within minutes of facemounting. I've tried Drytac and Kapco's optically clear adhesive; both give the same results with bubbles. The issue must be with the cold laminator. High pressure is needed, but when that amount of pressure is used, the rubber laminator roll bends and doesn't apply pressure evenly. I use a cheap $1,000 51" China laminator.
Click to expand...
We went down this road at first too. We finally had to dump the China laminator and buy a real heat assisted one. It made a night and day difference. You also have to make sure it is calibrated left to right or you get uneven pressure and this can happen but I had the bending roller issue on the cheap one too.
 
Create a Post
Back
Top