Tech Tips for Vehicle Wraps - CPH Group

The latest vehicle wrap styles open up opportunities for spectacular results, now achievable with superior conformability and specialty vinyls, super gloss finishes and special effects such as carbon fibre for highlights.

Here are some essential tech tips and tricks to help you achieve consistently great vehicle wraps:

Make sure you have images of the vehicle prior to planning the design.

Determine where joins will fall during the design stage. Use the natural lines of the vehicle and the door and bonnet joints to hide overlaps.

Thoroughly wash the vehicle down with soap and water and allow 24 hours to dry, paying extra attention to door seals and wheel arches.

Degrease the vehicle with Viponds Prep Vinyl Cleaner. Alternatively use a fast drying panel wipe with silicone killer paying special attention to all the recesses.

If you are applying a solvent-based digital printed media, allow a minimum of 48 hours to out-gas. The rolls should be left standing vertically and loosely wound to allow airflow and should be turned regularly as the solvents are heavier than air. The longer the vinyl is allowed to out-gas, the less tacky the adhesive will feel and the easier the graphic will be to apply.

Laminate with cold rollers only. Do not use excessive tension on the rollers.

Use a felt edged squeegee.

There are a lot of new products in the market to assist with vehicle wraps, including Gripper Magnets. These are the ideal solution for holding vinyl graphics in place on vehicles and other metal surfaces. This clever tool consists of a neodymium magnet coated in rubber, ensuring safe contact with vehicle duco. An grip handle makes it easy to move the gripper around as required.

Apply the vinyl to the flattest part of the panel first (create a base line) working from side to side, keep the vinyl as flat as possible. Stretch the vinyl without heat over the whole area but do not work the film into recesses or deeper ridges until later.

When stretching the vinyl, always pull outwards from the largest area of the vinyl you can to spread the tension.

When using extra heat to soften and stretch the vinyl, apply heat to a larger area than you need, this should help to avoid distortion of the graphics.

To avoid damage to paintwork and safely cut through the vinyl on bodywork, around handles and in recesses it is ideal to use a product such as Knifeless Tape. This product is ingenious and effortlessly creates clean, smooth cuts.

Once initially laid, heat the vinyl at 95oC or above, using an accurate temperature gauge to ensure the temperature is reached and maintained. Anything less than 95oC and the vinyl will retain its memory and cause the graphic to come away from recesses and curves. Heating at this stage must be carried out thoroughly on all areas where the wrap has been stretched to fit, especially in deep recesses. This will ensure the best result is achieved and a little extra time is well worthwhile in the long run. Be careful not to overheat as you may damage the film.

If vehicle wrapping in colder weather do not let the vehicle leave the workshop until the following day.

The vehicle and vinyl should be allowed to cool down at the same rate as the workshop. This will help to avoid thermal shock and reduce the risk of failure in the recesses.

If you’re not sure which media is the best fit for your project, call us on 1800 555 060 - We’re here to help!

Source: https://www.cphgroup.com.au/blog/31-tech-tips/69-vehicle2