Dye Sublimasjon Transfer Paper Printing av Christine Cora

Dye sublimation, a dye-transfer process that got its start in the 1960s for

use in textiles, has advanced in recent years to provide wear-resistant,

full-color surface decoration of flat objects like mouse pads and tiles. Even

more recently, it has proved applicable to three-dimensional products.

The technology allows for sublimation transfer papers of a full

spectrum of colors, shades, and designs to a variety of surfaces, including

plastics, metals and glass. The company holds the process patents for the

decorating technology, which it uses for custom decorating and also

licenses to others.

Applicable to any shape or size of part, the process requires no special

tooling. It causes dyes to penetrate the surface of the polymer so that the

impregnated images are highly resistant to wear.It can supply clear

coatings for further protection.

The process is poised for wider application with the recent start-up. Such

engineering resins provide new opportunities for the process in consumer

electronics, power tools, appliances, sporting goods, and automotive

components.

How it works

When the dyes are heated in this transfer process, they vaporize, and if they

are in close proximity to a suitable substrate, such as a plastic or coating,

the vapors penetrate the adjacent substrate by around 0.002 in. up to 0.25 in

. The plastic substrate must be able to withstand temperatures of 280 to 375

F necessary to vaporize the dye.

Since the dyes are transparent, the substrate should be light in color—white, light gray, or beige. If the plastic substrate is translucent, it will

remain translucent after coloring. When first used in textiles, this process

allowed a printer to make a design on paper and then heat transfer it to knits

or weaves.For flat-surface decoration such as snowboards, the design is

first printed on paper, and then a hot press impregnates the paper design

into the substrate.

For decoration, it typically prints the design on an air-permeable and

flexible textile-based medium. This is then placed around the object, which

is put into a high-temperature film bag from which the air is pulled, forcing

the textile to tighten around the substrate. The vacuum bag with the part is

then placed in an oven for 5 to 40 min.

We can now make digital designs and transfer them onto the part. If a user

provides us with a design, we can scan the design digitally or receive it

electronically and then use ink-jet technology to print the image and transfer

it onto the part.The process was developed as an alternative to the dipping

process developed by Cubic Printing of Japan and licensed to others for

about 20 years. That method involves floating a preprinted film on a pool

of liquid, allowing the film to dissolve and leaving a floating layer of inks

into which the substrate is dipped.The process boasts several other

advantages over the dip process. It does not require robotics, an artisan, or

special training or fixturing. It is a non-skilled, easy process whose cycle

time depends on the substrate and size of the object. Typically our process

can take from as little as 3 min up to 40 min. Its suitability will depend on

how much capacity you need: You need more people for loading and

unloading when you have large volumes and larger part areas to decorate.

In general, the process is well suited to smaller volumes and to

manufacturing in Asia where labor costs are lower."

Any shape or size

Initially,It aimed its process at outdoor applications such as archery and

gun components and. With the DuPont alliance and the new China plant.

This could include a woodgrain look on side panels or on instrument panels

or around gearshift consoles, where we would replace laminates. Consumer

appliances, computer cases, or even cell phones, where film-insert molding

and dip coating are used, are other areas that look promising because of the

new China facility.

.Daisy had to change the plastic from the original ABS, which would not

withstand the process temperatures, to a modified nylon. While the material

cost almost doubled, The lower cost of decorating with dye sublimation

completely offset the increase in material costs.

Some companies have evaluated the process to decorate bottle chillers and

cooling canisters, respectively. Both companies are now aiming to produce

these in China. It also has a liquid polyurethane topcoat to provide a matte

finish. This model uses a fiberglass composite for the "limbs," which are

also decorated with the sublimation process.