How to Apply Vehicle Wrap to Corners Like Bed-Making
When installers apply vehicle wrap film on a car, different things happen even though sometimes you know what technique you should take – But sadly you apply it in a wrong way.
But vehicle wrapping it is sometimes like bed-making, because there are parts with corners and compound curves. So there is this logic that would work totally fine with vehicle wrapping in bed-making, which might help installers a lot.
Once you understand how it works the best for bed-making, you will have a greater insight into vehicle wrapping. So now let’s throw back to the time we make a bed and see how it works for vehicle wrapping.
As emphasized, start with the corners and cold pre-stretch is the trick. But sometimes, even though wrappers have bear this in mind, and they pull the vehicle wrap film on top of the applying surface, and pull the material to the corner, cold pre-stretch does not seem to help.
Why? This is because there is too much tension built up on the surface and the material is collapsing at the corner – although installer remembers what technique to use. In this case, cold pre-stretch is not able to work a hundred percent until all those tensions is even out. So the idea is to avoid this from happening in the first place.
But then how can we do it? Let’s try to think of what and how we do for bed-making.
There are elastics on each corner of the sheet. And we know where they should stay. If we get those elastics on the flat area, all we would get are wrinkles. So in the end, there will not be a tight sheet – In the case of vehicle wrapping, installer will not be able to create glass there.
So apparently starting on the corners is the first step – Just like we start from corners with vehicle wrap film. As you pull the bed sheet, it is best not pull to the corner. But instead, pull away from the corner. The trick is to create a stretch on the material, and hook it on a corner.
Do not start with another corner until one is set. Obviously, it goes the same way for another corner. Wrappers should grab either side of the elastic, pick it up high – actually it is kind of the key to pick up high, then hook the sheet on the corner. The next thing is to go over and look at the surface and check if the sheet is flat – In the case of vehicle wrapping, to see if there is nice glass.
One crucial thing is when wrappers pick up the material, pick it up high enough instead of low, because when pick up high and hook, the material in the middle gets stretched too, which helps create perfect glass.
As for pulling, the right way is to pull out and away from the corner in a triangle shape. If installers pull straight, there will only be wrinkles rather than glass. Thus, remember, DO NOT pull to the corner if you do not want problems.
Thinking of the way to make a bed, it is not hard to understand this logic. But the most important thing is to also keep this in mind when you do your vehicle wrapping job.
The number of corners of a section might vary, depending on what car you are wrapping. But installers have to bring this corner wrapping technique to habit. Bearing this logic in mind would help you even out the tension on the material, because cold pre-stretch would not work a hundred percent once this goal is met.
And do not forget that in whatever cases, start from the corners and work to the flat section should be a must. In other words, do not start with the flat area first. Otherwise, troubles would come and it would slow down your install.
Once you get all these right, you will be amazed how the material flows on the car and you have 100% glass there. As soon as the corners are hook, just do the cold pre-stretch as usual, then shrink the material, and cut the excess film away.
