Printing on metal is chipping

[HStewart]

GM! I need to print full color art (detailed) onto thin, stainless steel blanks. Running JFX200 Mimaki with LH100 series ink. The printing is coming out beautiful but when these blanks are put into application (which is inside of an arcade game where they tumble & strike), it does not take long for the ink to chip. Once the ink does start to chip, it comes off quickly. We placed a number of printed blanks inside a tumbler and within 30 minutes the damage was noticeable.

I've tried printing with less primer and more clearcoat, more primer and less clearcoat...and 100% of each (along with white and CMYK). It seems the 100% primer & clear coats held up the best of the test pieces, but still not good enough.

Does anyone have experience with any other surface primers (or prep) that may help with the ink adhesion? We scuffed one with sandpaper and it helped but this extends production time a lot. Thanks in advance!

 

[Gino]

In what condition are your lamps ??

 

[HStewart]

In what condition are your lamps ??

Lamps are in great condition and are set to the proper temps. The printer is kept in pristine shape, ours is not a standard print shop, we only run jobs for our in-house projects (we build skill based arcade games) 99% of our flatbed printing is on acrylic, glass and occasionally MDF or paper. This is our first attempt at printing on any metal.

 

[Gino]

What did you use to clean the stainless ?? Is the metal somewhat room temperature while running through or are you depending on the lamps to bring them up to snuff ?? Remember, all the stuff going through there should not be at all cold.

 

[HStewart]

What did you use to clean the stainless ?? Is the metal somewhat room temperature while running through or are you depending on the lamps to bring them up to snuff ?? Remember, all the stuff going through there should not be at all cold.

Alcohol was used to clean the blanks prior to printing (and gloves are worn during the whole process). Yes, the metal is at room temp which is roughly mid 70s. We're in S FL so no chance of "real" cold affecting them! Not sure if higher humidity would cause an issues (we don't experience any condensation inside even though the shipping dept doors are kept often at length during the day, the print shop is part of the warehouse/production dept)

 

[Greg Kelm]

I recall hearing that stainless is difficult to print on because it is not porous and surface tension is really low, much like glass. I bet you need a primer or use some kind of etching fluid first. Might I ask why they want stainless steel and not aluminum or even carbon steel?

 

[HStewart]

I recall hearing that stainless is difficult to print on because it is not porous and surface tension is really low, much like glass. I bet you need a primer or use some kind of etching fluid first. Might I ask why they want stainless steel and not aluminum or even carbon steel?

We need these blanks to react to magnets. Etching solution may have to be the way we go, or simply push to have them sandblasted (or otherwise textured) before we get them.

 

[Gino]

Try using vinegar to clean them. That's an old 'go to', when nothing else worked.

 

[HStewart]

Try using vinegar to clean them. That's an old 'go to', when nothing else worked.

I'll give it a try - thanks!

 

[flyplainsdrifta]

Try using vinegar to clean them. That's an old 'go to', when nothing else worked.

red wine or white?


sorry couldnt help myself

 

[HStewart]

red wine or white?


sorry couldnt help myself

The humor is much appreciated LOL!

 

[Tyler Birch]

Had a similar story with some glossy aluminum blanks we were printing white on with our HP FB550. Same thing, little resilience to scratches.

There are UV ink adhesion promoters but they stink to high hell and need to be carefully applied. I think changing the finishing to something etched or textured is the best solution. Unfortunately, this does nothing for the client that wants a smooth/glossy finish...

 

[HStewart]

Had a similar story with some glossy aluminum blanks we were printing white on with our HP FB550. Same thing, little resilience to scratches.

There are UV ink adhesion promoters but they stink to high hell and need to be carefully applied. I think changing the finishing to something etched or textured is the best solution. Unfortunately, this does nothing for the client that wants a smooth/glossy finish...

Luckily in this case the texture is up to us. We purchased a bottle of AP3155 a while back when we were running LUS-series ink. I'll give that a try too - thanks!

 

[chromira]

GM! I need to print full color art (detailed) onto thin, stainless steel blanks. Running JFX200 Mimaki with LH100 series ink. The printing is coming out beautiful but when these blanks are put into application (which is inside of an arcade game where they tumble & strike), it does not take long for the ink to chip. Once the ink does start to chip, it comes off quickly. We placed a number of printed blanks inside a tumbler and within 30 minutes the damage was noticeable.

I've tried printing with less primer and more clearcoat, more primer and less clearcoat...and 100% of each (along with white and CMYK). It seems the 100% primer & clear coats held up the best of the test pieces, but still not good enough.

Does anyone have experience with any other surface primers (or prep) that may help with the ink adhesion? We scuffed one with sandpaper and it helped but this extends production time a lot. Thanks in advance!

We have a JFX200 as well. The LH-100 is a HARD ink which is probably why they chip easily. We use the LUS-150 inks which are a more flexible ink and is designed to prevent post curing cracking..

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

You are asking a lot out of your inks adhesion to stainless. Also the 100 series inks are harder inks than the 150 series inks (as I understand them)

Have you tried an adhesion promoter? There are various types depending on the surface you are printing on.