Pressure Sensitives 101 Made Easier

The concepts and terminology used in the pressure sensitive market can be confusing. In this story, Jim Hingst explains the vocabulary and basics of adhesives.

                                                          By Jim Hingst

Early in my career I remember how excruciating it was to listen to the presentations of the manufacturing or R&D  techies on the subject of pressure sensitive materials.  Jargon,  such as cross-linking, dyne levels, peel, quick stick or wet out,  was totally foreign to me. From time to time I must have  looked like the wide-eyed, yet dumbfounded Cocker Spaniel, with my head listing to one side, attentively hearing  the words, but not quite grasping the meaning of the message.

Understanding the sticky business can be challenging even for those with considerable experience.  Pressure sensitive constructions combine a variety of components, including an assortment of adhesives, release liners and facestocks and carriers.  The extensive range of adhesive-coated films, foils, papers and foam products sold to the graphic arts industry includes cast vinyl and calendered vinyl, metalized specialty films, premasks and application tapes, double-sided foam tapes, supported mounting tapes, unsupported transfer adhesives and overlaminates.

The reason that most people have difficulty understanding pressure sensitive basics is that few manufacturers have formal training programs. And many of those that do,   often don’t do a very good job of it. The purpose of this article is to answer some of the questions that sign makers may have about pressure sensitive materials by providing an overview of the basic concepts and a  translation of some of  the jargon. That way,  you can talk techie too and baffle your peers with your newly acquired vocabulary and technical expertise.

Adhesive Basics: What Makes Sticky Stuff Stick.

An adhesive is any material  that bonds two substrates. The egg yolk that fuses my plates together when I don’t do the breakfast dishes is an adhesive. The sap that oozes from a cut in a pine tree is another common  adhesive found in nature. Natural  latex, which is  the milky fluid that comes from plants, such as rubber trees, is used in making the adhesive for the application tape in your shop. In addition to the natural adhesives, there are also synthetic  rubber and acrylic adhesives. During WWII, natural rubber was scarce.  This necessity gave birth to the invention of synthetic rubbers.

Synthetic adhesives are related to plastics. Both plastics and synthetic and natural rubber adhesives are composed of gigantic molecules called  polymers. These polymers are composed of thousands of small molecules called monomers.  The chemical reaction used  to combine the monomers into a macromolecule is called polymerization. The polymerized synthetic  resin used to make the   adhesive on your cast or calendared vinyl, for example,  is an acrylic resin.

The macromolecule chains formed in the polymerization process  can be joined together by a bonds called  cross-links. The degree to which the polymer chains of an adhesive are crosslinked affects its internal or cohesive strength. (Cohesive, of course, means that a material sticks together. As an interesting aside, did you know that there are materials called cohesives?  Unlike adhesives, cohesives stick to nothing other than themselves.  Cohesives, which are used in the packaging field, are coated to facestocks such as corrugated board. When the cohesive product is wrapped around  a book or a video tape, the cohesive will not stick to the product, but only sticks to itself to form an inexpensive mailing package.)

Now back to cross-links.  A more highly crosslinked adhesive typically has more memory. So if you apply pressure to an adhesive and  stretch it in  one direction, the highly cross-linked adhesive has enough elasticity or memory to return to its original state. As crosslinking increases,  the viscosity of the adhesive increases. (Viscosity is the friction or resistance that occurs as layers of fluid slide against each other.) 

The harder, more viscous adhesives,  exhibit lower initial tack. That makes them great for hot weather applications.  Conversely, adhesives with less cross-linking are softer, flow more readily and higher tack but lower ultimate adhesion. To many, it doesn’t make  sense that the sticky vinyl will not stick as well as the less sticky vinyl!   While this sounds like some Zen riddle from a  “Kung Fu” episode, it’s one of those strange but true paradoxes of life.  Tack and adhesion are not the same. 

The structure of these macromolecules also affects how the adhesive performs. Generally, adhesives with  long molecules are harder, yet more pliable and build quickly to high ultimate adhesion. These long  molecules are so gangly that it’s difficult for them to arrange themselves in a nice, neat orderly pattern. Instead, they’re like a big jumbled, tangled plate of spaghetti. And  that’s  good. The entanglement of the molecules creates greater internal strength, compared to polymers that are arranged in an orderly but stiff crystalline structure.

Surface energies.

Pressure sensitive products work  a little differently than some of the other adhesives you’ve likely used, such as  contact cements, cold glues, hot melt glues, epoxies and silicones.  Not all adhesives bond to substrates in  the same way. When I worked in the packaging field,  the cold glues  used to seal corrugated boxes or folding cartons, formed a bond in part by being  absorbed by the paper substrate. Other adhesives bonds are formed by a chemical reaction between the adhesive and the adherend (that’s the material that you’re trying to stick to).

Pressure sensitive adhesives bond  by molecular attraction and by mechanically interlocking with the substrate. In this process, the adhesive flows into the microscopic pores on the surface of the substrate.  To form a good bond, the adhesive must  readily flow over or “wet out” the substrate’s surface. How well the adhesive  wets out  depends on forces which pull in opposite directions. 

One force is the natural molecular affinity that occurs between  two different materials. Fighting this magnetic attraction are the internal or cohesive forces of adhesive. The surface energy of the substrate determines how strongly the adhesive is attracted to it.  High surface energy materials have microscopic pores with higher and more pronounced peaks and valleys than  the smoother surface of low energy materials.

Here’s a list of some high energy and low energy materials, with their corresponding dyne levels (dyne levels are numerical values of the surface energy).

Low energy materials

                                        Substrate                Dyne Level

                                        Polystyrene             36

                                        Polyethylene           31

                                        Polypropylene         29

High energy materials

                                        Substrate                Dyne Level

                                        Stainless steel         700-1100

                                        Glass                        250-500

                                        Polyurethane Paint  43

                                        Polycarbonate         42

                                        Rigid PVC               39

                                        Acrylic                      38

In describing how an adhesive on wets out on low energy and high energy surfaces, the most common comparison that the techies use is with the newly waxed paint car finish and the unwaxed finished. Low energy surfaces are similar to the newly waxed car.  Just as  sprinkled water beads up on the wax, the adhesive does not flow out on the substrate.  On the car which has not been waxed the water spreads out, just as an adhesive readily wets out a high energy surface. 

The wet out of the water on the unwaxed car is visible by the naked eye. The microscopic wet out of an adhesive, of course, can’t be seen.  The wetting out of a pressure sensitive material  is affected by time, temperature and pressure.  As  time progresses, the adhesive naturally continues to flow into the microscopic pores. And as it does,  ultimate adhesion increases. This process accelerates as temperature rises. But,  colder temperatures retard wet out.

At room temperature, a pressure sensitive will only start to wet out after pressure is applied. After all, they  call these materials pressure sensitive for a reason. Room temperature represents the ideal application environment.   Of course, sometimes pressure sensitive vinyl  sticks without pressure, resulting in deformation of the graphic. When this happens,  the terms used (other than a litany of expletives uttered by the   frustrated and angry installer) are preadhesion or pretack.

At other times pressure sensitives won’t stick no matter how much pressure is used for any number of reasons. For example, adhesion failure can occur  if you try to apply a graphic when its too cold. Or if the surface isn’t properly cleaned. Or if the adhesive does not have an affinity for the application substrate (for example, acrylic adhesives don’t work wet on untreated polypropylene and polyethylene).

When All Else Fails, Read The Instructions.

To  select  the best pressure sensitive product for a particular application, you must consider the environment  to which the tape or vinyl will be subjected such as UV light, extremes off heat and cold, exposure to water and chemicals, application temperatures, durability requirements and cost considerations.

To avoid  problems with a vinyl or any other pressure sensitive, check the specs, the manufacturer’s product information bulletin and the application instructions. This  should  provide you with all of the information you need including application temperature range, service temperature range, peel adhesion, cleaning recommendations and information regarding application surfaces. If you still have questions, call your distributor or the manufacturer for the answers.

Here’s a list of some things that can affect adhesion:

• Substrate contamination –  The surface must be clean  and dry. If the substrate is contaminated with dirt, oxidation, plasticizers or release agents, adhesion failure often results.
• Texture of the surface – Bonding a sign or nameplate to a rough surface requires a thick double-sided foam tape or a thick transfer adhesive.
• Porosity of the substrate – Porous sign substrates should be sealed or any moisture absorbed by the substrate could adversely affect the bond of the adhesive.
• Thermal expansion – Different rates of expansion of two different substrates can break the adhesive bond. For example, mounting an expanded PVC sign to a metal building fascia. The sign blank will expand or contract  at a much greater rate than the metal. 

The Pressure Sensitive Sandwich.

The pressure required to make a pressure sensitive material work isn’t its only unique characteristic. What also distinguishes pressure sensitives from other adhesive families is that they are composed of multi-layered constructions called a “pressure-sensitive sandwich”.  Just as you can order many different types of sandwiches at your local deli; there are many different  constructions of the pressure sensitive sandwich. These  constructions that can be divided into two broad categories: self-wound products and  linered products.

The simplest self-wound construction would consist merely of an adhesive applied to a facestock, such as paper or a plastic film. This category of products includes masking tape, paper and film application tapes and self-wound overlaminates. Two  variations of this construction  are to prime the second surface of the  facestock (that’s the side with the adhesive) and/or to release coat the first surface of the facestock.

The reasons that you prime the facestock are similar to the reasons that you prime paint a surface before you apply your finish coat. Priming seals the surface, if you’re coating a paper facestock. . By sealing the paper, less adhesive soaks into the facestock, so more adhesive stays on the surface. This results in more consistent performance throughout the roll. Because the adhesive is on the top of the paper, there is more adhesive mass.  That greater mass results in an improvement in the cold flow of the adhesive.

Another reason for priming is that  it better “anchors“  or bonds the adhesive to the facestock. Better adhesive  anchorage means that if adhesive touches adhesive there will be less adhesive delamination, when you pull the two apart. Also, with better anchorage there’s  less adhesive transfer the substrate after a tape is removed.

Priming better anchors the adhesive to the facestock and prevents the adhesive from delaminating.

Some self-wound constructions are also release coated to provide an easier unwind of the roll and to prevent the tape from blocking on the roll. Blocking is the term used when a self-wound product sticks together and does not unwind.  Release coating can also reduce the chattering noise that sometime occurs when a self-wound overlaminate unwinds.  Some self wound products  masking tapes, application tapes, surface protection films and self-wound overlaminates.

The Release Liner.

Linered materials are any products that include a siliconized release liner in its construction, such as cast and calendared vinyl, double-sided foam tapes, supported and unsupported transfer adhesives, and linered overlaminates. The release liner serves several different functions:

1)    The release liner protects the adhesive of the pressure sensitive material.

2)    The release liner stabilizes the construction during conversion operations.

3)    The smoothness of the release liner affects the smoothness of the adhesive coating.  Film liners are very smooth, which smoothes the adhesive, giving it the clarity needed for products such as overlaminating films.

Release liners are constructed of a variety of base materials, such as polyester and  polypropylene films,  and densified kraft  and polycoated kraft papers.  With liners, as with  anything else in life there are pluses and minuses to each option.  Liners also come in several thickness. 44# and 50# liners are supple yet strong enough  for printing on roll label presses.  78# liners,  commonly used in the sign industry, have the needed flexibility for plotter cutting. 96# poly-coated liners are ideal for screen printers.  The heavier paper not only  lays flatter on the press, but the poly-coating prevents the absorption of moisture, so the liner doesn’t grow, throwing registration off.

Of all of the linered pressure-sensitive  products on the market, the most basic are single liner, unsupported transfer adhesives, which are also called transfer tapes. (Note: a transfer tape is not the same as an application tape.) Transfer tapes merely consist of adhesive applied to a release liner. Some folks refer to this as glue on a roll. A fancier version of this is a transfer tape with two liners. This requires the user to remove one of the liners prior to application of the adhesive to a print, nameplate or graphic panel.

Transfer tapes are often used in the manufacture of  polycarbonate control panels.  These panels are printed sub-surface, which means that   the polycarbonate film is printed in reverse on its second surface or underside. The transfer tape is then laminated to the printed side.   The release liner protects the adhesive on the  panel, until the time of application. The two most popular thickness of adhesive used for this application are 2 mil, for smooth surface applications and 5 mil for rough surfaces. 

A supported transferred adhesive gets its name from the film carrier that’s sandwiched between two layers of adhesive. In the digital graphics market this product is usually called  a mounting tape. The carrier serves a number of functions.  First, it stabilizes the tape during the lamination process.  It also provides additional rigidity to the print. And it allows the use of two different adhesives. Commonly, a mounting tape consists of the following layers: release liner; removable or some other type of adhesive, film carrier, permanent adhesive, and the release liner.  The permanent adhesive is applied  to the graphic, while the other side is applied to the substrate.

There are dozens of double sided foam tape constructions to satisfied an array of applications. Typically, these foam tapes consist of a foam carrier, coated on both sides with adhesive, and  with the adhesive on at least one side protected with a release liner.  The foam carrier consists of cells which are similar to  enclosed bubbles. This is called closed cell construction. This type of foam tape forms an excellent moisture barrier. In contrast, if the foam carrier has the structure of a sponge, in which it appears that the bubbles have burst, the construction is called open cell. This construction, as you might imagine, sucks up water like a sponge. 

There are many different types of foam carriers, which can make product selection confusing. The different types of carriers include high density polyethylene, neoprene, acrylic, urethane and vinyl.  The key difference among types of foam carriers is the internal strength or shear strength of the material.

Last, but certainly not least of the linered products, are paper and film products used in the sign, screen print and label industries. In  addition to cast and calendared vinyl, there are several products using a variety  of  other facestocks, such as polyester, polypropropelene, and paper.  The typical construction is a siliconized release liner, adhesive, occasionally a liner, the facestock and sometimes a top coating or corona treatment (which increases surface energy) to improve ink anchorage. 

Rubber or Acrylic Adhesive.

Will that be rubber or acrylic adhesive on your pressure sensitive sandwich? Adhesive systems fall into two broad categories: rubber adhesive systems and acrylic adhesive systems.  Each system has its own unique characteristics. Rubber based adhesives are very soft and wet out well.   Because these soft adhesives flow very readily they coat the substrate and provide  very high “quick stick”  to a surface. This quick stick  characteristic is also  described as instant tack or  loop tack. Because rubber adhesives wet out better than acrylics, they require less pressure during application to form a bond.   The tacky quality of rubber-based system also allows them to stick to a wider variety of surfaces.

The tackiness of the adhesive make it an excellent choice when you are trying to stick to a low energy plastic. So if you had to make a  decal  for a manufacturer of polypropylene outhouses, as I once did,  a  vinyl with a rubber based adhesive will probably  adhere well to this plastic substrate, whereas a vinyl with an acrylic adhesive is likely to fall off, unless the plastic had been either corona treated or flame treated.  Rubber-based adhesive also exhibit consistent adhesion to the adherend, meaning that adhesion values don’t grow over time the way acrylic adhesives do. This is why rubber based adhesives are used in the making  premasks, because the adhesive bond does not build on the vinyl graphics, during long-term storage. If it did, you would have difficulty removing the premask.

One  weakness of rubber based adhesives is that they are very susceptible to plasticizer migration.  So there’s a good chance that if you applied a vinyl graphic with a rubber based adhesive to a vinyl banner or flexible sign face material, the plasticizers in the banner could  soften the adhesive to the point of failure. Another  disadvantage of rubber based adhesives is that they are susceptible to UV degradation and oxidation.  As oxidation or UV degradation  progresses, the rubber polymer starts to break down. Over time adhesive failure can occur. Oxidation also causes the rubber-based adhesives to yellow. That’s why your application tape yellows when it’s exposed to light.  The yellowing caused by the slight  degradation of the adhesive usually isn’t enough to be an issue.

In contrast to rubber adhesives, acrylic adhesives withstand higher temperatures,  exhibit good shear and resist the degrading effects of   UV light,  plasticizers and chemicals. What they don’t do well is stick to low energy surfaces.

Although acrylic adhesives are more costly than rubber adhesives, their value is that they have a much  wider range of performance characteristics. And let’s face it, sign shop owners and screen printers have a wide range of special needs and applications. That’s why vinyl manufacturers, such as Avery, provide their customers with an extensive menu of products, which includes vinyl films with  permanent, removable and  repositionable adhesives. Adhesives are blended to provide the end users with products with specific attributes.  For example, highly aggressive permanent adhesives can be coated on brittle, ultra-destructible films to produce safety labels. This construction is so fragile that it destructs, coming off in tiny pieces, when someone attempts to remove it.  Repositionable vinyl films make graphics application significantly easier because the installer can snap a material back of the substrate and then reinstall the material without damage to the graphic.  The latest improvement in  repositionable films features adhesive with a microstructure of tiny tunnels  These tunnels make graphics application easier because they provide  channels through which air can escape.  Voila! Bubble-free vinyl application.

Coating Technology.

Rubber and acrylic adhesives come is several varieties, such as emulsion, solvent, hot melt and UV cured. In the sign industry the only technologies which are widely used are solvent and emulsion.

When components of an adhesive system combine with a solvent,  the solvent dissolves  the mixture and evenly dispenses the solution components to form a solution. Solvent-based systems have been the mainstay of the pressure-sensitive industry for ages. The issues with which manufacturers must  deal  today are recovery and disposal  of the solvents.

By comparison, a water-based adhesive system is an emulsion.  Fine particles of the solid components of the adhesive system  are suspended in water.  The rubber based adhesives which are coated on paper application tapes are emulsion. But acrylic emulsions have been used for years, and are becoming more popular, because they are more cost-effective and there are no VOCs.

Product Testing.

Product evaluation includes a wide range of tests, from visual inspection to precise measurements. One of the tests that vinyl and overlaminate  manufacturers conduct is an inspection of the clarity and color of the adhesive.

In performing light transmission analysis,  the  measured light   transmitted   through the test sample is compared with a reference sample. The clarity of the adhesive is   important for signage applications, such as   window graphics applications.

The torture tests that the techies conduct to evaluate the physical  properties of an adhesive are sometimes called destructive tests. The two most common tests that are used in evaluating a cast or calendared  vinyl are tack and peel.

These tests are conducted according to guidelines established  by the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council. Two widely used  tests  are PSTC-1 and PSTC-5.

PSTC-1 tests the ultimate adhesion. In this test, a strip of cast or calendared vinyl or application is applied to a stainless steel substrate.  Grabbing an edge of the sample strip, the film or tape is pulled  180º against itself. The test equipment measures the amount of force required to peel the tape from the panel.  To test the growth of adhesion over time, manufacturers will also check samples at other time intervals, such as  24 hours, 72 hours, 7 days and 2 weeks.

PSCT-5 tests the loop tack or quick stick of the adhesive. In this test, the two ends of the sample strip are place in the jaws of the test equipment, to form a loop of material, with the sticky side out. The test machine touches the loop of material against the stainless steel plate and measures the amount of force that is required to pull the two apart. This instant tack  test tells the technician how aggressive the adhesive is.  For vinyl manufacturers this test gives the techie an idea of how repostitionable a vinyl marking will be during application. Another way to test the tack of an adhesive is to conduct a rolling ball test. A ball is rolled down the groove in a piece of metal, which is shaped  somewhat like a playground slide. At the end of the metal slide is the test sample. The technician will then measure how far the ball rolls on the sample pieces.  The ball will roll farther on a harder adhesive, than one which is soft and tacky.

Other specialized test equipment measures the force required to peel a pressure sensitive film from the release liner. This is called the release value.  In developing a product, a manufacturer will test values at different times to check for any changes.  High release values will reveal difficulty in transferring a vinyl graphic from the liner, which can be a problem for the applicator in the field.

At the other end of the spectrum, low release values indicates poor stability of the film on the liner.  In this case the vinyl can slip on the liner during plotter cutting.

In many cases, test samples will be tested in their “as is” state compared to their “aged”.  The “as is”  is when the tape or vinyl film sample comes right off the roll. In the “aged” state the sample has been cooked in the oven, for example, at 120º F for two weeks.  These aging tests are the technician’s crystal ball. By repeating the original tests after  aging, he will have a good idea of how the product will perform after it has sat on a distributor’s self for a couple of years. Some of the things that the vinyl people look for are a drop in adhesion values, a drop in loop tack, an increase in release values along with any change in the physical properties of the facestock.

In testing the performance of double-sided foam tapes a few   other tests are conducted: shear, tensile  and the one that usually gets a laugh out of an audience – cleavage.

Shear is  the internal strength of the adhesive or a foam carrier. A  shear test measures the parallel forces that are generated within an adhesive or a foam tape as, for example, the tape holds  the weight   of a heavy sign against a wall. In testing the shear of a vinyl adhesive, a tape with a 500-1000 gram weight is applied on top of the vinyl. If the adhesive does not hold the facestock to the substrate for the specified time, the technician must determine the cause of the failure.  Was it a cohesive failure or an adhesive failure? 

While shear measures parallel forces, tensile measures the perpendicular forces imposed on an adhesive bond.  Imagine that you have grabbed the two side ends of a sign and are pulling away from the building. In this example, the stress is distributed equally over the entire area held by the adhesive or foam tape.

Now, instead of pulling on the two sides of the sign, let’s suppose that you just pull at one  edge of the sign.  In this case, all of your force is focused at one point. If you can break the bond at this point, you’ll likely tear the sign off of the wall, just as easily as you would unzip a zipper.  Several times I have torn apart  rigid demonstration panels held together with high bonding foam tape, not because I’m exceptionally strong but because I understood the concept of cleavage.


RELATED VINYL GRAPHICS ARTICLES
Banner Care
Selling Banners
Hemming Vinyl Banners
Installations of Banners to Walls
How to Apply Vinyl Graphics to Banners
Design Basics for Banners
The Effect of Wind Loads on Banners
Buying Vinyl Banner Material
Fire Rating of Banner Materials
Pressure Sensitives 101 Made Easier
A High Tack Solution for Problem Graphics
Problems Transferring Graphics?
Taking Marketing to the Streets

Mold Growth on Application Tape
Why Premask Laminated Graphics
Vinyl Application Tool Box
Metalized Special Effects Films
Wall to Wall Graphics Application
Removing Vinyl Graphics
Why Buy Commercial Grade Application Fluid 
Avoiding Application Tape Problems
Applying Vinyl Graphics to Painted Wood

Application Tape Guide

Laminating Application Tape and Hot Mask Films

3-Step Prep for Vehicle Graphics

DuPont Surface Cleaners

Surface Preparation of Unpainted Aluminum

How to Clean Chalked Paint Prior to Graphics Appli...

Application Temperature Range

Why Install Graphics in a Relaxed State

How to Apply Vinyl Graphics Over Rivets

RollePro Vinyl Application Tool for Rivets

How to Apply Window Graphics

The Right Way to do a Wet Application

How to Fix Edge Peeling Vinyl Graphics

How to Apply Vinyl Graphics to Corrugations

Vinyl Application to Wood Panels

Preventing Wall Graphics Failures

Priming and Painting for Wall Graphics Application...

Picture Perfect Wall Graphics

Vinyl Application to Polycarbonate Sheet

Troubleshooting Vinyl Graphics Failures

Applying Vinyl Graphics to Textured Wall Surfaces

Outgassing Paint and Vinyl Graphics

Cleaning Vinyl Graphics

Vinyl Application Videos

Squeegee Technique. Nothing is more basic in vinyl application than the squeegee. But some squeegees work better than others. And there are right ways and wrong ways to use this simple tool. This video clip reviews squeegee selection, squeegee care and squeegee technique. Click to Link

Wet Applications. Dry applications are typically recommended for most vinyl applications. For those exceptions to the rule, this instructional video explains the right way to perform a wet application. Click to Link

Application of Window Graphics. Installing vinyl graphics on glass can be challenging, because the adhesive aggressively grabs onto this high energy surface. Repositioning graphics on window is generally difficult, if not impossible. This instructional video explains how to dry apply window graphics right the first time. It also describes the necessary steps required for surface preparation. Click to Link

Transferring Frosted Window Graphics Films.  Because frosted window films are highly textured, transferring cut vinyl graphics can be problematic. This video provides direction in selection of the right application tape and how to apply these films quickly, easily and without problems. Click to Link

3-Step Surface Prep. This instructional video describes how to properly clean the surface of a vehicle before applying pressure sensitive vinyl graphics to a trailer or doing a full wrap of a car or van. This three step surface prep involves detergent washing, solvent cleaning and a final wipe down with IPA. Click to Link

Vinyl Application Over Rivets. Applying vinyl graphics on vehicle surfaces with rivets is challenging for most sign makers. Vinyl failures to these surfaces are all too common. This video demonstrates some tips and procedures, used by professional decal installers, which will make these demanding applications easier and more trouble-free.  Click to Link

Vinyl Application to Corrugations. Learn how to apply vinyl graphics to corrugations in a relaxed state. Forcing films into the valleys of corrugations puts too much mechanical stress on the film. Sooner or later, the vinyl will lift or tent in valleys. Click to Link

Applying Air Egress Vinyls. Vinyl films with air egress release liners have almost eliminated bubbles and wrinkles from applied graphics. Air egress release liners with their highly textured surface structure are problematic. Not much will stick to these liners other than the vinyl film. At RTape our best premask solution for air egress liners is a special Conform® tape called 4761RLA. Click to Link

About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 325 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

© 2016 Jim Hingst