Knowledge
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- by John White
UV Printing on Anodised Aluminium: Surface, Primer and Adhesion
Anodised aluminium is one of the most controllable surfaces in industrial work and one of the least forgiving when something upstream changes. The ink bonds to the anodised layer, so that layer - not the metal underneath - decides whether...
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- by John White
UV Printing for Electrical Enclosures: Legends, Ratings and Safety Marking
An enclosure legend is a production part, not a decoration. It has to be readable, correctly positioned, resistant to the cleaning the panel will receive, and identical on every unit of the same build. This guide covers UV printing for...
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- by John White
High-Mix, Low-Volume Printing Production on a UV Flatbed
A shop that prints one product all week and a shop that prints thirty products a week can own the same machine and earn very different margins. The difference is not print speed; it is how much time each change...
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- by John White
Automated Direct-to-Object Printing Systems: When Automation Pays
Most shops that buy automation expect the printer to go faster. What usually changes is that the operator stops spending the shift loading parts, and that is where the money is - if the parts are repeatable and the fixtures...
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- by John White
Which Plastics Can Be Printed on a UV Flatbed?
The question "can this plastic be printed?" has three answers, not two. Most rigid plastics print well once preparation is defined, some print only after a treatment step, and a few fail for reasons that no print setting can fix....
digital cylinder printerflatbed vs cylinder printermachine selectionmixed productionuv flatbed printer
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- by John White
Flatbed vs Cylinder Printer: Choosing for a Mixed Order Book
Most print shops do not buy a machine for one product. They buy for an order book that mixes flat boards, small parts, bottles and promotional items, and then discover that the purchase decision was made on print speed rather...
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- by John White
UV Printing on Polyethylene and HDPE: Treatment, Ink and Adhesion
Polyethylene is the material that most often defeats an otherwise reliable printing process. HDPE and LDPE containers, boards and industrial parts arrive with a surface that ink will not wet, and shops discover the problem on the finished part rather...
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- by John White
UV Printing on Plexiglass and Acrylic: Preparation, White Ink and Edges
Acrylic is one of the most forgiving substrates for UV printing and one of the easiest to ruin. The same sheet can carry a flawless image or a crazed, flaking mess, and the difference usually sits in preparation, layer order...
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- by John White
How Should UV-Printed Parts Be Stacked, Packed and Shipped Without Surface Damage?
A part can pass inspection at the machine and still be rejected on arrival. The damage usually happens in the fifteen minutes after printing, when the surface is still settling, or in a stack that was packed too soon and...