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Optically clear adhesive
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Optically clear material is a two-sided adhesive, which is used to adhere a photograph to the acrylic. The material must be of the highest quality to ensure a clear picture without any distortion. However, products may not be similar to one another; therefore, as a result, one must research the material to ensure it suits their project needs.
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The backing
This can be the most important piece of a project if it involves hanging the picture on a wall at the end.
The backing should be able to support the weight of the acrylic—without tearing away from the back of the photograph to which it is adhered—and must also maintain its adhesion to the mounting hardware. Typically, an aluminum composite material (ACM) backing or coloured 3.1-mm (0.12-in.) cast acrylic sheet is used for wall-hung pictures. The composite consists of a high-strength aluminum skin on both sides and compresses a strong polyethylene-centre core. It provides protection to the back of a picture and also serves as a strong substrate for the acrylic to hang safely. Cast acrylic backings are similar in nature. The mounting step requires another double-sided adhesive to bond the rear of the image to the backer.
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The hanging system
Typically, an aluminum composite material (ACM) backing or coloured 3.1-mm (0.12-in.) cast acrylic sheet is used for wall-hung pictures.
The hanging system goes hand-in-hand with the backing. No matter how good the backing is, if the hanging system fails, nothing else matters. A number of systems are available on the market, including cleat-style and patented methods; one must research to find a hanging system that best fits their needs.
The system should be large enough to support the weight of the material. If it is too small, the weight of the picture will exceed the dimension of the hanger, pulling it away from the backer. A cleat-style hanging system requires an adhesive with high shear strength to be used on the front and back of the photo. This will hold the photo in place, whereas, an adhesive with a lower shear will release from the backer over time. This can make the image slide down the backer, or simply separate all together.
Metal bolts that hold an image to the wall with anchors that have been installed into the wall surface are known as standoff systems. These hanging systems provide sufficient weight distribution and support so that a lower shear strength adhesive can be used for the backer. This is because the standoff goes through the sandwich of the face mount, keeping it together and supporting the entire weight of the piece on all four corners from front to back. With this system, the image does not slide down the backer because its corners are supported equally. What one needs to consider is if they want to carry two different products for this process, and if they want to be able to see the material they are using to mount the backer.
