Printing on stainless steel sheets

[Kripzin]

Does anyone know a good method?

We already clean first with laquer thinner, then wax/grease remover, and then with a plain lint free cloth.
I cant get reliable adhesion to stainless tough. We clearcoat, but my concern is if the clearcoat fails.

Am I correct to try lowering lamp intensity? Is it maybe a speed issue (more drying time?)

 

[RyanFelty]

We don't get great adhesion to that type of material either.. have you looked into wiping it down with sericol right before printing? I know this helped us but we were not printing on stainless steel at the time. Also, I do not know how it reacts with clear coat. Good luck!

 

[artbot]

indoor or outdoor?

 

[Kripzin]

indoor or outdoor?

Outdoor.

 

[Andy D]

I can't speak specifically about printing to stainless steel but
generally speaking, the higher the lamp intensity the better it will adhere.

On other materials that I have had problems with the ink adhering, I would
do the printing in multiple passes, the 1st pass be the lightest to make sure it
was fully cured.

Also, you need to be aware that if you're not careful, the UV light can reflect back
from that type of surface and dry out the ink in the print heads.

 

[Andy D]

another option might be to mount optically clear vinyl to the steel
and print to the vinyl....

 

[Kripzin]

That was my knee-jerk reaction. Just apply clear film and print on the film. The customer wanted it as natural as possible to blend in with outdoor elements.

Same thing for tempered glass? or large frosted glass? We printed on glossy glass and frosted glass and have had adhesion issues with both. We had someone in our shop cover the panels in low-tack tape to protect them from dust, but when the tape was removed the ink came off with it.

 

[Andy D]

You might still want to try doing it in two passes, just like spray paint, a light 1st coat
followed up with a heavier coat will adhere much better than 1 heavy coat.
I do this from time to time, rip the 1st print at 30% of the ink and the second print at 70%..
and believe it or not, it shouldn't change your color.

 

[Andy D]

That was my knee-jerk reaction. Just apply clear film and print on the film. The customer wanted it as natural as possible to blend in with outdoor elements.

Same thing for tempered glass? or large frosted glass? We printed on glossy glass and frosted glass and have had adhesion issues with both. We had someone in our shop cover the panels in low-tack tape to protect them from dust, but when the tape was removed the ink came off with it.

FYI UV ink that isn't laminated typically only has a 2 year outdoor life, and if you're going to laminate
it, it's going to change the look anyways...

 

[Gino]

You could try vinegar. We used that quite a bit years ago. No idea how it will promote ink adhesion for flatbeds, but it's worth a try.

 

[Ditchmiester]

Have you tried Adhesion Promoters that are wipe on? There are a ton of them out there that you could experiment with. Also I didn't see what kind of Printer you are using.

 

[greysquirrel]

What kind of printer?

 

[artbot]

non stick metals are tricky. just because you get adhesion, doesn't mean you will keep it. a layer of oxygen (atoms thick) will build under the ink. eventually you have a giant scratch off lottery ticket (year or two later).
perhaps a polymetal properly coated for digital will be best. otherwise the only thing that will hold up outdoor would be a specially powder coated SS.

 

[Andy D]

non stick metals are tricky. just because you get adhesion, doesn't mean you will keep it. a layer of oxygen (atoms thick) will build under the ink. eventually you have a giant scratch off lottery ticket (year or two later).
perhaps a polymetal properly coated for digital will be best. otherwise the only thing that will hold up outdoor would be a specially powder coated SS.

Artbot, I like how you delve into the science of issues, you obviously know your trade.

 

[Brian27]

http://www.supply55.com/adhesion-promoters-s/78.htm