The Latest in Liquid Lamination

New innovations promise to make liquid lamination a more attractive option for printers.

Ask a wide-format printer whether they prefer film or liquid lamination, and the answer is likely to be film. If they’ve tried liquid lamination at all, they usually complain that it’s messy, tricky to apply, and requires a lot of space for drying.

But the narrative is changing thanks to a new generation of equipment and coatings as well as a more attractive cost structure.

“I think more awareness in the industry about liquid laminates [is needed],” said Syd Northup, vice president of Sales, Digital US, Digital Inks for Marabu North America, which offers liquid laminates, as well as StarLam and Buerkle liquid laminating machines. “Just mind share. Just understanding that it’s available.”

We spoke with three companies among the vendors who offer liquid laminate products to learn more about the process and the new products promising to change how the wide-format industry thinks about liquid lamination.

What is Liquid Lamination?

First appearing on the wide format printing scene in the late 1990s, liquid lamination is a protective, clear coating applied to printed materials to provide durability, enhance the image, and protect against UV rays, abrasion, and moisture. Many laminates now also include an anti-graffiti element, which allows graffiti to be wiped off the surface.

The ATC UV-1600 liquid lamination system. | Credit: ATC

There are three main types of liquid lamination: aqueous or water-based, solvent-based, and UV-curable. In general, all three types of can be used with various substrates and types of inks.

The team at lamination and liquid coating equipment manufacturer Advanced Greig Laminators (AGL) Inc.—Nick Howe, general manager; Hayes Holtzhaur, industry consultant with Holzhauer Consulting LLC.; and Brian Buisker, president—explained the difference between the three types, “In general terms, UV-cure coatings use a photo-initiator to trigger the curing process, while water- and solvent-based coatings use evaporation to cure/dry the coating, usually accompanied with heat to accelerate evaporation. [When solvent-based coatings are curing, they] release volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) that need to be exhausted from the room that they are in to the outside environment.”

Liquid laminates are available in a variety of finishes, including gloss, satin, and matte, and they can be applied by hand using a roller, brush, or spray gun, or via a laminator machine using roller coat (via a rubber roller) or Mayer bar (metering rod) methods. “Roller coat machines are ideal for sheet coating, while Mayer bar machines provide the most ideal coat finish for rolled goods,” said the team at AGL. “Typically, liquid lamination [applied via machine] is not ideal for short-run job work, as the setup material required does not justify the expense.”

Some manufacturers have started to offer printers with inline liquid lamination, but the process is much slower when compared to an offline liquid laminator machine. In some cases, however, printers are willing to sacrifice speed to save space on the floor and avoid buying another machine.

With a few exceptions, liquid laminates can be used interchangeably with film laminates for a variety of indoor and outdoor print applications, including billboards, wall graphics, vinyl banners, fine art, point-of-purchase signs, and more. Liquid laminates are also making inroads into vehicle and fleet graphics, which have traditionally used only film laminates. “We think there are three primary drivers of liquid lamination demand: high-volume fleet graphics, interior wall coverings, and economy decals,” said the team at AGL.

Film lamination is the preferred method for applications that require structural strength, thanks to film’s ability to provide superior rigidity. However, when it comes to textured prints, liquid lamination is the better choice. “For example, with a wall covering that has a texture to it, if you put a film over it, you wouldn't continue to have that texture,” said Northup of Marabu. “Putting a liquid laminate over that is going to allow you to still maintain the texture that's in there, and then also give it all the added benefits of UV protection, scratch resistance, chemical resistance, etc.”

Cost Benefits of Liquid Lamination

Cost has always been the biggest benefit of liquid lamination when compared to film. Depending on the application method and the amount of liquid laminate bought, the price can range from $0.05–$0.12 sq.ft. for liquid versus $0.20–$0.60+ sq. ft. for film laminates.

The cost savings of liquid laminates continue to add up when a printer considers waste and shipping. “Liquid laminate is a little bit better in the sense that it is going to have less waste,” said Bob Leidlein, vice president of Sales and Marketing, Alliance Technology Corporation (ATC), a provider of liquid coating systems and supplies. “There's no waste with liquid lamination, compared to plastic lamination.”

Reduced product weight leads to lower shipping costs. “Five rolls [of film laminate] could weigh 100 pounds each. You have 500 pounds there, versus a 60-80 pound bucket of our liquid laminate material,” said Northup.

However, sticker shock can set in when considering the purchase of a liquid laminate machine. “The biggest barrier to wider adoption of liquid lamination is going to be cost for the machine,” said Leidlein, who noted liquid laminate machines can cost tens of thousands of dollars more than a film laminate machine.

However, a printer can quickly achieve their ROI. “The cost per square foot of the consumable is so significantly different that you can pay off these machines in a relatively shorter period of time,” said Leidlein. “So the ROI is a lot, lot faster.”

What’s New & Next

Despite these benefits, liquid lamination has had slower adoption among wide format printers, but that is set to change thanks to a variety of new innovations.

UV LED Curing

 Traditionally, UV curing on a liquid lamination machine has been done using UV arc lamps (mercury vapor lamps), which use a great deal of energy, emit lots of heat, and often require ventilation. “Each one of those mercury vapor lamps goes through a ton of electricity,” said the team at AGL. “And they burn out. The minute you turn them on, that's the brightest and the best they're going to be. From there, they degrade over time.”

Manufacturers have begun to turn away from this less efficient curing method in favor of adopting UV LED curing technology. “We think liquid lamination has a bad name due to negative experiences with legacy equipment and coatings,” said the team at AGL. “UV LED curing, paired with advancements in machine design, will make liquid lamination easier, more efficient, and profitable for printing companies.”

Here's a breakdown of the difference between UV LED and UV arc lamp curing:

• 90% power reduction compared to UV arc lamps.
• 90% carbon output reduction compared to UV arc lamps.
• Lower operating temperature: The UV LED system only increases the material temperature by 10-25 degrees, whereas UV arc lamps increase the temperature by 70-90 degrees.
• UV LED provides about 30,000 hours of service compared to about 900 with UV arc.
• UV arc systems emit ozone, which is hazardous and requires ventilation. No ventilation is required with UV LED systems.

For the last three years, AGL has been working on an all-new liquid lamination machine that uses UV LED curing technology, the AGL SheerKote UV62. The roll-to-roll machine will debut at the PRINTING United Expo in September. “The AGL SheerKote UV62 is bringing a new design of liquid lamination to the industry and an industrial-built piece of equipment that is meant for high-volume, high-production printers who are interested in cutting costs on laminates and coatings without sacrificing time or quality.”

The machine reaches top speeds of 50 linear feet per minute and boasts coating costs as low as two cents per square foot. The UV62 can handle rolls up to 62 inches wide, 18 inches in diameter, and up to 1,000 pounds in weight. The machine also has a smaller footprint, saving space on the shop floor.

In addition to its machines with mercury vapor curing options, ATC has also gotten into UV LED. It offers both flatbed and roll-to-roll options with UV LED curing technology, and has released two flatbed models specifically dedicated to the technology—the ATC UV36-LED & ATC UV60-LED. The 60-inch model has the option to add a roll feed and take-up.

The company’s new ATC Energy Saving Dryer, which is now standard on all its UV coating machines, also offers greater curing power with lower operating cost thanks to adjustable curing power (from 25% to 100%) and an electronic ballast that extends the life of the UV lamps more than 250 hours.

Vehicle Wraps

Developments in liquid lamination are making the technology increasingly suitable for fleet graphics and vehicle wraps. | Credit: Marabu

Due to durability and conformability issues, film laminates have traditionally been chosen over liquid laminates for vehicle wraps. Marabu is looking to change this with their new, two-component, water-based liquid laminate called ClearShield Ultra, which provides increased durability and powerful resistance to UV exposure, abrasion, and harsh chemicals. The product is available in gloss and matte finishes.

ClearShield Ultra also makes installation easier thanks to its thickness and weight. “Installers are happier about it because it's a little heavier, and it feels more like film,” said Northup. “As our products and our chemistry have evolved … what we've been able to do is make products that are now going to fit in some of these vertical markets where film is at.”