Which squeegee do I choose?

Squeegees are one of the most important winding tools for the signmaker and digital printer. The thickness, stiffness and softness of each squeegee are different to obtain the right tool for every situation.

Some squeegees are made of different plastics, some of Teflon and others of felt or polypropylene.

Application without bubbles and creases

In short: With a squeegee, you apply self-adhesive film to the substrate. A squeegee is also called a squeegee or applicator, but the most common name in the Netherlands is 'rakel'. Rags have certainly been used for film mounting for about forty years.

If you are going to apply self-adhesive film, the idea is that it should land tightly and smoothly on the substrate. Without air bubbles and creases. And with enough pressure so that the adhesive layer is properly pressed on. There are a huge number of types of film mounting squeegees.

Standard squeegee

The "standard" squeegee almost always looks the same:

• The size is often about 10×7 cm. This allows the average foil assembler to apply sufficient (plusminus 3 to 4 kg) pressure to the squeegee edge by hand.
• Rakes usually contain nylon; they are light, sturdy, smooth and more or less flexible. Some squeegees are softer or more flexible than others. As you can imagine, with extremely round substrate shapes, you work finer with a very flexible squeegee that bends with the curves. Teflon squeegees are somewhat stiffer; Teflon glides very easily over the substrate and stress creases can be easily eliminated. Felt squeegees are again a bit softer and ensure that you don't scratch the film.
• The two "ribs" ensure that the squeegee is firm to the touch. Place your thumb on one side of the squeegee and your fingers on the other side to apply firm pressure.
• The edge with which you press the foil is thin so you can give good pressure. But not too thin (sharp), otherwise you would damage the foil.
• Often one side has a felt. This reduces the frictional resistance between the squeegee and the foil, so the foil is not pushed or stretched as much. It prevents scratching and squeegeeing is done with less effort.

Look at the application (flat, curved, large or small) and choose the right squeegee for it.

One thing is for sure, there are a lot of film removal tools being sold around the world today.