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For: Sign Shops

Paper application tape is one of the easiest sign products to use. It’s not idiot-proof though. Remember that guy Murphy? He knew that if there was a way to screw things up, people would find a way. Here are a few tricks of the trade that will help sign makers avoid problems when using application tape.

  1. Avoid stretching the application tape when laminating it to graphics panels. When you stretchtape, it will eventually stretch back to its original shape causing the graphics to curl.
  2. The best way to apply application tape is with a laminator. If the laminator is set up properly, you can apply tape with uniform pressure across the web, which helps minimize wrinkles and
    bubbles.
  3. Use a single sheet of application tape to cover the graphic. If you tape the graphic with two or more pieces of tape, fine lines of tiny air bubbles form wherever the tape pieces overlap.
  4. Allow digitally printed graphics to cure properly before clear coating or overlaminating. Opinions regarding how long to wait for the ink system to completely cure vary greatly. One rule of thumb is to wait 72 hours for complete curing. Consult the printer and vinyl manufacturers’ recommendations regarding curing times. After clear coating, wait at least 24 hours before applying the application tape and trimming the print. Solvents in uncured inks and coatings often cause the decal and tape to adhere to each other. This can make tape removal very difficult. An ultra-low tack surface protection tape, such as DigiMask®, will remove much easier than standard application tapes.
  5. If an application-paper tape isn’t releasing easily following an application, lightly spray the paper with application fluid, wait approximately 30 seconds and then remove it. The application fluid will penetrate the paper facestock and soften the tape’s waterbased latex adhesive, causing it to release more easily from the graphic.
  6. When removing the application tape, carefully pull the tape 180° against itself. This tape removal procedure prevents you from pulling the graphic off the substrate. After removing the application tape from the graphic, always resqueegee the entire graphic to prevent edge lifting.
    (NOTE: This tip also applies to masking tape and paint mask. Pulling tape or masking at a 180° angle prevents pulling paint and damaging the surface.)

How Not To Do Wet Application

Using an application fluid can aid the application of a vinyl films that have an aggressive adhesive system. The application fluid helps float the graphic onto the surface, to prevent pre-adhesion (the vinyl sticking before you want it to). Application fluid also allows an installer to easily reposition the graphics without distortion. Here are some things that you should not do with application fluid.

  1. Don’t use application fluid, if you can install the graphics dry.
  2. Don’t use too much application fluid. The rule of thumb is to use the least amount to accomplish the task. If the application tape gets too wet the adhesive can delaminate from the tape. Cleaning this residual adhesive can be annoying and time-consuming.
  3. Don’t use application fluid to apply vinyl to surfaces with rivets. Application fluid collects underneath rivet heads, creating a residue that later seeps out. This causes vinyl to tent and eventually crack. Fluid under trailer-panel seams can also cause edge lifting.
  4. Don’t use application fluid to install graphics with a metallization layer, such as reflective sheeting or Vinylefx® films. The application fluid can cause delamination of the face-stock's adhesive and accelerate galvanic corrosion.
  5. Don’t dilute a commercial application fluid with water. If you dilute your application fluid, you'll dilute the adhesion-promoting characteristics.
  6. Don’t use glass cleaner as an application fluid. Some glass cleaners contain silicone, ammonia and other additives that can impair adhesion (Windex isn't even recommended for preparing the application surface).
  7. Don't waste your time trying to duplicate a commercial application fluid. Commercial application fluids are worth the investment because the formulations' quality and consistency yield consistent results. Some popular products on the market today include Rapid Tac, Rapid Tac II, Splash, Actiontac, Window Juice, Quick Stick and Position Perfect. Dishwashing liquid and similar soaps contain additives such as surfactants, emulsifiers, moisturizers and perfumes, all of which are detrimental to an adhesive. Surfactants, for example, help cleaners break dirt's bond with the substrate. They have the same effect on adhesives, causing bonding failure and edge lifting.
  8. Do not perform a wet application when using an air-egress vinyl. These repositionable vinyl films have micro tunnels embossed in their adhesives. These tunnels will trap application fluid that will most likely result in adhesion failure. Air-egress vinyls are easy to reposition. There no reason to use an application fluid when installing these films.

Ten Steps to Perfect Wet Applications

Now that you know what not to do when performing a wet application, below is a step-by-step procedure for doing it the right way:

  1. Clean the substrate by wiping it with a rag saturated with solvent. Then dry the surface with a lint-free paper towel.
  2. If the graphics release with difficulty from the release liner, rub the back of the liner against a sharp edge of your work bench. This step helps break the bond between the graphic and the release liner.
  3. Peel the liner from the back of the graphics, rather than trying to pick the graphics off of the liner.
  4. Lightly mist the substrate with application fluid. Use the least amount of fluid to accomplish the application process.
  5. Usually spraying the adhesive side of the graphics with application fluid is unnecessary, unless applying large panels. Spraying cut vinyl letters with fluid can also cause the lettering to loosen up on the application tape or cause the lettering to fall off.
  6. When squeegeeing the graphics, use good pressure to force all of the fluid from under the vinyl film. Start in the center of the graphic and squeegee outward to force out the fluid from underneath the graphics. Remember, you're applying a pressure-sensitive film. It's called “pressure-sensitive” for a reason, so apply some pressure.
  7. If the application tape releases with difficulty from the graphics, spray the tape with fluid allowing about 30 seconds for the fluid to soak in.
  8. In removing the application tape, peel the tape 180º against itself. After removing the application tape, mop up the residue with a paper towel.
  9. After removing the application tape, resqueegee the entire graphic with a squeegee covered with a low-friction sleeve. The low-friction sleeve protects bare vinyl from scratches caused by a hard squeegee. This step also prevents edge lifting.
  10. Complete the job by post heating the entire graphic. Post heating ensures good adhesion and will cause surfaces scratches on the vinyl to disappear.

The Reasons Application Tape Unexpectedly Tears

From time to time application tape will tear when you least expect it. When this happens the graphics can be trashed. Frustrated sign makers want to know the cause of these mishaps. There’s no one single answer that this happens. Application tape can tear when it is unwound for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the possible causes:

  1. Application tapes that are cut on baloney slicers are prone to damage. A nick in the cutting blade usually causes a nick in the paper – a perfect place for a tear to begin.
  2. Baloney cutting can also generate so much heat that the glue of the tape melts and smears on the outside end of the rolls. This can bond one layer of tape to another and result in tearing.
  3. The pressure of the cutting blade compresses the edges of the roll causing one layer of tape to stick to another.
  4. Regardless of who handles a roll of application tape, use some tender loving care. Damaged ends of tape rolls can result in tearing.
  5. Old tape can block up on the roll making unwinding the mask difficult if not impossible. So what is blocking? Have you ever discovered an old roll of masking that has been tucked away in a junk drawer for years? The bond of the adhesive grows so strong to the facestock the tape is fused to itself. The result is a big block of tape.

 

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions About Application Films)

QUESTION: Why does AT42RLA® turn yellow?

ANSWER: Any application tape with a rubber-based adhesive will yellow if it is exposed to light. Even shop lighting can yellow a tape. This yellowing occurs because the light begins to degrade the natural rubber adhesive. Don’t be alarmed though. This slight degradation isn’t generally enough to adversely affect product performance.

QUESTION: How can I prevent the application tape from yellowing?

ANSWER: All application tapes with a rubber based adhesive will yellow. For this reason, your customer should store the tape in its box until it’s time to use it.

QUESTION: Can you use AT-60 on a speed press?

ANSWER: No. The adhesive on AT-60 is too aggressive for use on a Speed Press. The problem is that the tacky adhesive will not release from the graphic following application.

QUESTION: How do I get rid of the static in AT60?

ANSWER: Many application films have static. AT60 has more static than many of our other tapes, such as AT42RLA®, which is virtually static free. Here’s a simple trick to kill the static in any plastic film. Lightly mist the first surface of the tape (that’s the side without adhesive) with application fluid, such as RapidTac. Then laminate the plastic application film as you normally would.

QUESTION: What is the difference between AT60 and AT42?

ANSWER: AT60 and AT42RLA® are completely different products. The facestocks are different and so are the adhesive systems. Let’s start with the facestocks. AT-60 uses an “orange peel” polypropylene film. The film is very clear, which is why we call it “Clear Choice”. It’s clarity makes it very easy to use, when aligning one film over another. So why did we use an “orange peel” film instead of a perfectly smooth film? The slight texture of the film prevents the tape from “blocking” on the roll. Blocking is when the adhesive on a self- wound tape adheres to the first surface of the facestock. Everything sticks together, making it impossible to unwind the roll.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions About Paint Mask)

QUESTION: What type of application tape should you use with ProGrade™ Paint Mask?

ANSWER: If you are applying very large sections of cut paint mask, use a heavyweight or premium grade of application tape with a very low tack adhesive. As a complementary product to the ProGrade™ paint mask, R Tape has developed its 4700LT RLA® Conform® Application Tapes. The tape has a medium-low tack, latex adhesive, which is tacky enough to transfer the graphics, but low enough in tack so it does pull the paint mask from the substrate during tape removal. Many painters prefer using the heavier application tape, because it is less likely to tear when handling large sheets. If the tape tears, the graphics are often trashed.

QUESTION: Does your paint mask remove cleanly?

ANSWER: ProGrade™ paint mask removes cleanly from most factory paint surfaces without leaving any adhesive residue or other surface contamination.

QUESTION: Will ProGrade™ withstand bake cycles?

ANSWER: ProGrade™ paint mask withstands bake cycles up to +200ºF (94ºC). I selecting any paint mask, the end user needs to test and evaluate the paint mask, before using it in production. Using a paint mask, which is not compatible with a particular type of paint or your painting methods can result in disaster. Some of the most common problems that sign makers run into when using the wrong paint mask for the job are adhesive delamination, edge lifting and fish eyes. The first step in qualifying a paint mask is to apply some of it to a test panel, spray paint it as you normally would and observe what happens. If the painted graphics will be cured in paint curing oven, you need to subject the panels to the type of heat that it will encounter.