Vacuum formed graphics?

[Guest]

I think I saw my first vac graphics today on a valve cover, looked pretty cool! Anybody have a link to where I can see how many $$$$$$$$ that machine costs?

[BeeBob]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

It looked like it was some sort of film that was applied to the part and then heat shrunk or vacuumed tight to the part. It was super smooth like a plastic and did require some sort of clear either spray on or powder.

[baz]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

It looked like it was some sort of film that was applied to the part and then heat shrunk or vacuumed tight to the part. It was super smooth like a plastic and did require some sort of clear either spray on or powder.

the one i saw was a dye sub process , same ink used in dye sub ink transfers for mugs and other things
but the paper tranfer was replaced by a flexible media , the said media is then placed on top of part in a vaccum box . after vaccum is done a heating element is lowered close to the part to cure the heat transfert. i m still trying to find the site where i saw that .

[rbroker]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

We print on shrink film here at work that you see on water bottles. Its glued at the seam and then fit over the bottle, heat applied and woala a label that conforms to the surface.

You could coat over it, but I wouldn't gauarentee it. I bet it would melt at powder coating temps.

[BeeBob]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

I was told the process can handle the heat from engines. I'll keep tabs on this and report any +/-'s of the system. It looks great, but you'd be limited? by how many designs that are out there....for sale.

[Guest]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

We will have to look into this too, that is crazy!!!!!

[Guest]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

This is something I had been working on for awhile........Todd and I were discussing it also........I havent had time to get back to it to work the bugs out , but it can be done................


This was a rough test peice

[Guest]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

You guys are amazing

[Guest]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

This is something I had been working on for awhile........Todd and I were discussing it also........I havent had time to get back to it to work the bugs out , but it can be done................

We still have the stuff in the shop for this.. we were talking about it the other day. Tomorrow when we go out i will dig it out & post the link.

[BeeBob]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

So basically you're shrinking an image on vinyl or? Heat to shrink and or a vacuum? The one I saw it had stretched the image on a tube, but it still wrapped it!

[Guest]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

So basically you're shrinking an image on vinyl or? Heat to shrink and or a vacuum? The one I saw it had stretched the image on a tube, but it still wrapped it!

There is a lot to it.........my wife had surgery today and I am posting this from my phone at the hospital which is like tring to pick a sliver with a sledge hammer lol....I will post more when I get back to my computer.........

[rbroker]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

That's f'n awesome!

One could really sell the benefits. 800 bucks would pay for itself in no time.

[Guest]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

Unless something changed from when I was looking at this a year ago.......you need a vacumme chamber with a heat source to do this process using the film type carrier............vaccume chambers big enough to do tanks/fenders/frames are very very expensive.

[baz]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

images already on a film is not that hard to find , vacuum chamber is not that much of problem either
depending on how big of a vacuum is needed , dye sub inks and printers is not a prob either
the problem i m facing is finding the flexible film to print the graffics on , all that i find is paper heat transfers that are not or very little flexible , what is needed here is a media can can be used to transfert the ink from the printer to the part and be flexible enough to wrap around the part when under vacuum.

[baz]

Re: Vacuum formed graphics?

I do not know what you got going Slow but Terry said there was no special tools every thing is in the ink with transfer paper 400*f. Every resource I read so far never talks about a vacuum chamber.


So in your project how many microns you pulling. Are you using UV light to gain 400*f. What would be your cycle time?

you don t need a vaccum if you work on a flat part but if you want to wrap around an object like vc then you need a vacuum box to get that media to wrap around the part