3M Reflective Inks

[ZooCity]

Had a request for reflective with a daylight White appearance.  3M makes some that claims this but it's a latex ink....which I did not even know existed unless by latex they mean an HSA type deal.  Has anyone out there tried it? 

I know that Optilux or other standard reflective inks have a very dull color, not really there look when light is not hitting them and that they can't be underbased so aside from this 3M stuff I imagine a transfer material would be the next option.

[brandon]

Ok, my memory is hazy here but a few years ago I did look into something regarding the 3M ink for the same purpose. It was close to around $350 a gallon. Again, a few years ago so if correct that puppy must be around $400 a gallon now. I hope my memory is wrong!

[ZooCity]

Thanks man, we quoted at $1 per print additional for the reflective, I dug around and saw that the WFX was about four hundo a gallon and planned for the very worst.  Price is fine by me if client is OK with it.  I'm just wondering if it's even an available product, if the latex based inks are even feasible to run (3M tech sheet recommends adding ink after every pass....every pass.) and if the stuff does in fact finish to white in daylight.  Seems like a very tall order to fill with a singular ink. 

[brandon]

$400 a gallon. Damn, I was correct. Wow, that is a lot and you have to justify that in the pricing. I do remember it scaring the client into something else.

[tonypep]

Used to buy the glass beads from 3M and make our own but still stupid expensive. Usuallly only for Govt and Sanitation. Same beads are used in traffic signs.

[pwalsh]

Had a request for reflective with a daylight White appearance.  3M makes some that claims this but it's a latex ink....which I did not even know existed unless by latex they mean an HSA type deal.  Has anyone out there tried it? 

I know that Optilux or other standard reflective inks have a very dull color, not really there look when light is not hitting them and that they can't be underbased so aside from this 3M stuff I imagine a transfer material would be the next option.

Chris:  Nazdar SourceOne has a bunch of customers using the 3M 8000 Series Reflective Textile Ink with excellent results.  The reflective performance is head and shoulders above any other ink out there and that's why it is generally specified in for Military, and Emergency Services Application. 

The bad news is that the only color we carry is the 8010 which is gray in daylight, and white when reflected. The ink is a three part system with base, reflective beads and a catalyst.  The price is right around $300 per gallon. I hope this helps you out some.

[ZooCity]

Thanks so much Peter.  I read over that TDS yesterday and it seems like they have quite the system there.  3 part ink!

Can Nazdar special order the daylight white?  Honestly, I'm hoping my client doesn't go for this in the end but want to be ready if they do.

[pwalsh]

I'm not sure but I don't think that 3M even makes the 8015 ink any more.

Let me look into product availability and I'll post what I find out.