Video: Overview of Substrate Preparation

Test For Conductivity

• All substrates must be tested for electrical conductivity before preparing for LumiLor.
• Use a multimeter with ohm setting to test conductivity.
• Any reading over 0.00 indicates the substrate is conductive and appropriate preparation is required. 

WARNING Failure to test for conductivity and prepare substrates correctly can result in creating an electrical short causing LumiLor to be non-functional.

Non-conductive Surfaces: Plastic/PVC/Ceramic

• Plastics coated with a gel or wax and have a semi-gloss finish will need to have the finish removed and/or sanded for proper LumiLor adhesion. 
• Adhesion promoters must be coated with clear coat or primer before applying LumiLor.
• Clean the entire surface with isopropyl alcohol or water based cleaner.
• Wet sand the bare plastic with 800 grit wet sandpaper.
• Edges that are too small or in an odd position to sand should be scuffed with a red Scotch-Brite pad.
• Reduce all sharp edges to a smooth ridge to maintain the continuity of the LumiLor system when applied.
• Wipe with dry paper towel to check if entire substrate is properly sanded with no shine on the surface.
• Make sure all sharp edges and ridges are sanded down to a smooth ridge.
• Wipe down with isopropyl alcohol or water based cleaner before masking. 
• Do not use solvent based wax and grease remover.

Conductive Surfaces: Bare Metal, Aluminum, Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber

• Use a dual action sander to achieve a smooth finish if there are indications of rust or dirt.
• Clean the entire surface with isopropyl alcohol.
• Sand the bare substrate with 120-800 grit sandpaper.
• Edges that are too small or in an odd position to sand should be scuffed with a red Scotch-Brite pad.
• Wipe with dry paper towel to check if entire substrate is properly sanded.
• Wipe down with isopropyl alcohol or water based cleaner.
• A self-etching primer may need to be applied depending on the metal using the manufacturer"s recommended guidelines.
  • A 2K primer will need to be applied over the self-etching primer. The self-etch and primer act as an insulator from our conductive backplane.
  • Wet sand 2K primer with 600-800 grit sandpaper and apply a solvent based clear coat to seal pin-holes and cracks.  This is necessary to prevent a potential electrical short between LumiLor and the substrate.
  • Once the clear coat is cured, wet sand the entire surface with 800 grit sandpaper and clean with isopropyl alcohol or water based cleaner before applying any masks for LumiLor.

Wood and other porous surfaces

• Sand or scuff appropriately for primer adhesion.
• Edges that are too small or in an odd position to sand should be scuffed with a red Scotch-Brite pad.
• Wipe with tack rag to check if entire substrate is properly sanded.
• Cover with primer.
• Cover with clear coat.  This is required as some primers have porous qualities to them. 

Clear Coated Substrates

• Wet sand the entire surface with 800 grit sandpaper and wipe clean with a dry paper towel to ensure the entire surface is properly sanded to a point where no shine appears. 
• Scuff with a red Scotch-Brite pad to eliminate the shine in areas that cannot be reached with sandpaper.
• Wipe down the entire substrate with isopropyl alcohol or water based cleaner to ensure all dirt and residue is removed.
• After sanding re-coat the entire surface with a clear coat to make sure all pin-holes and cracks are covered.  This is necessary to prevent a potential electrical short between LumiLor and the substrate.

Substrate Masking

1. Mask around the perimeter of the predetermined illuminated area using vinyl fineline tape.
2. Your design should allow room for a busbar to be applied; see busbar section for details.  
3. Connection site - mask off an appropriately sized area for the connection site. 
4. Once the entire illuminated area is taped off for the backplane and connectors use ¼ inch to ½ inch masking tape to bisect the vinyl tape and to cover the substrate outside of the backplane area.
5. Continue to cover the substrate outside of the backplane area using application tape or paint mask.