How To Remove Protective Film From Acrylic

What is a acrylic protective film?

Acrylic protective film, the most used material is polyethylene, which is widely used as the material of acrylic sheet protective film and polyethylene film used on different types of sheets such as acrylic sheets, PVC sheets, etc. 

As a highly aesthetic surface, Protective Film for Acrylic provides protective masking to avoid scratches, fingerprints, and dust. Protective Film for Acrylic is a premium protective solution with soft and stable adhesion while withstanding a variety of rigorous processes

how to Remove protective film from Acrylic plastic?

Removing the protective film from plexiglass or acrylic should be relatively simple, but that’s not always the case especially for removing the old protective film on Acrylic. Serval methods you can follow as below.

  1. simply lift it on a corner and slowly peel it up and off in one long, consistent action. use a fingernail or tweezers or even lay a strip of tape on top to help pull it up.
  2. have an old paper cylinder, like a poster tube, and lift up a bit of the film, hold it against the tube, and slowly roll away from you. The goal is to “roll up” the film like you would with carpet using the cylinder as the spool.
  3. use the hot air of a hair dryer to blow the film back and forth continuously. When the film is soft, it can be easily torn off the film as step 1.
  4. use a soft cloth dipped in some gasoline to wipe the surface of the acrylic sheet and wait for an hour, then the film on the acrylic sheet will be soft, it can be easily torn off as step 1.
  5. Soak the acrylic sheet in warm water for half an hour, then the film on the acrylic sheet will be soft, it will be easily torn off, and maybe automatically fall off. But this depends on the size of the acrylic sheet.

How to Remove the old Film That is Stuck On?

  1. saturate a paper towel with the 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner.
  2. Lay the saturated paper towel on top of the plexiglass film that is stuck on for serval hours
  3. When the plexiglass film that is stuck on has bubbled up gently scrape it off with a plastic blade.
  4. Use the saturated paper towels that you just removed from the plexiglass to further clean off any adhesive residue that is left on the plexiglass.

Tips for handling the protective film

  • If you are unsure whether there is masking film on the sheet, scratch the surface lightly with a fingernail. Light scratches will be clearly visible on the film but will not damage the sheet.
  • If the stored sheets are exposed to weathering, the film must be removed within four weeks. If not, there is a risk that the polyethylene film will become brittle or adhere more strongly to the sheet.
  • Do not leave the masking film on the acrylic for too long, usually two years, as it may become difficult to remove, The film is best removed directly after processing.