Flatbed printed rowmark

[CanuckSigns]

Has anyone successfully flatbed printed onto rowmark then laser engraved and cut it? I have a client who makes guitar pedals, we engrave plastic faceplate for him, he wants some that look like rusted metal, he currently hand paints each one but that takes too long.

My thought is to have some sheets of 1/16" think rowmak ada applique printed with the design, then engrave and cut them out on our laser engraver. Has anyone done anything similar before with success?

 

[Print1]

Turn the UV down especially if you are using DCS printers, otherwise it will curl and burn.

 

[CanuckSigns]

Have you consider going with authentic pantina? Laser actual steel, drip dawn over desired rusted areas, prime and paint, rinse as soon as its dry to the touch, then hit it with vinegar mixture.

Way out of their budget.

 

[Evan Gillette]

Are you doing a simple cut shape with the laser or also using the multiple layers? If doing a print/cut I would just look for a suitable printable substrate like thin polycarb, almost anything is going to be cheaper than rowmark.

 

[Superior_Adam]

why not cut the shapes then print. Make a jig for the cut shapes to go into. We print on Rowmark and styrene all the time with no issues.

 

[VizualVoice]

Another option to consider would be hydrographic prints. Happens to be my other business venture, and not trying to drum up business (yes that was a dad-joke ), but if you want to talk about options for it I'm happy to share insight. There's a fairly good rusty metal film available and flat sheets are pretty easy to process so shouldn't be very expensive in any sort of quantity.

 

[VizualVoice]

I'm curious, are you printing your own films, or just ordering and working existing prints.

I mostly use existing films, but I've got literally thousands of designs available. I will also often pair them with some stencil or decal work (buried under the clear coat) for custom jobs. The bulk of what I dip anymore is all contract work for one specific client with a limited range of films. It's not super exciting, but it's consistent and pays well.
I've tried some of the custom printed films but they're very inconsistent and difficult to get good results with without a significant learning curve to them, and each one acts a little different. Also, the traditional (rotoscoped-gravure) printed film's ink holds together much better and will give better saturation when wrapping complex shapes. The lesser ink deposits on the custom printed film tends to wash-out if you allow almost any stretch at all. It can be used, but I'm very particular about what projects I'd say yes to with it because it's significantly more expensive and much higher rate of rework.