TooLs aND suPPLIes useD n avery Conform Chrome Wrapping Film (with Designer Wraps’ “secret sauce” custom coloring) n Matte Black avery supreme Wrapping Film n Image one Impact Wetedge squeegees n Croftgate aquanil-x solution n Knifeless tape films (“Lots of this,” says Tomlin.)
The new dimension in Iaser processing
Speedy 400
This QR code was engraved with the new Speedy 400 flexx. Scan to learn more about the material processing capabilities of the latest Iaser engraver from Trotec.
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Working area 39 x 24 inches Flexible multi-functional table Available with CO2 Iaser, fiber Iaser or both
www.troteclaser.com Call us: 866-226-8505
READY FOR
flexx
40
Sign Builder Illustrated // October 2012
MCI ready
energy saving MODE
“There is always a little bit of pressure,” confirms Tomlin, “but most customers with high-end cars just want it done right. They are not looking for a rush job.” Because of this mindset, Tomlin and his crew were able to work on the car for two weeks with no worries or pressures. It took a full day to dismantle the car. “We then bagged and labeled everything, so that everything would go back on the way we took it off,” says Tomlin. To apply the specialty vinyl films, Designer Wraps soaked their WetEdge squeegee with a solution called Croftgate Aquanil-x. They also used heat guns and lots of knifeless tape in the install process. “This limited the amount of blade on the car,” says Tomlin. Designer Wraps ended up being able to really take their time during this project. “We allowed ourselves a full day to put it back together,” he says. (Note: Although the shop had possession of the car for two weeks, they did not work on it non-stop during this timeframe. They still had to fulfill other customers’ wrapping requests. “We put in about 150 man hours on this car,” says Tomlin.) As an added bonus, Designer Wraps also placed subtle “embossed” logos of their company under the black portions of the wrap. This would make their name (and their work here) stand out a little bit more. “We simply just cut out our logo in vinyl and applied it to the vehicle surface first and then wrapped over top of it,” says Tomlin. “When you heat it and sink the wrapped vinyl into the logo, this makes it look like it’s embossed underneath it. It is very cool looking.” Tomlin stresses that the finished job turned out amazing—even better than he could have imagined. “Once we put the last piece on the car and started backing it out of our garage, our jaws dropped to the ground,” he says. Tomlin has been involved in vehicle graphics for nearly six years now and has kept up with all the latest trends during this time. He remarks that there has definitely been a shift toward solid, full-color wraps when it comes to vehicles these days. “It seems we are now getting more into the color changes [via vinyl] where people want to change the color of their car without the need for paint,” he says. “They do not want to have the color be permanent. “This also protects the paint underneath it. And if they are turning it in afsignshop.com