One-Off, 3D Decoration

Nokia 6101/6102 faceplates

What is this?

In-mold decoration is great for producing detailed decorations on complex surfaces, but what if you want each decorated part to be unique?

This process makes it possible to decorate almost any plastic or metal part with a unique image. An image is printed on standard ink jet printer using dye sublimation ink and a special film. The part you want to decorate is placed into an image box and the film is clamped into a frame over the part. A vacuum is used to pull the image tight onto the part, heat is applied, and the ink transfers from the film into the surface of the part in minutes.

This process will work with any plastic that will withstand the 250°F (125°C) required by the process. Some plastics and most metals require a primer coat to properly absorb the dye. Also, the process exerts significant pressure on the part, so a rubber molded nest is often used to support plastic parts. The parts can be done one at a time, or, on a larger machine, up to 40 at once. Applications for this process include:
● Decoration of one-off prototypes such as rapid prototyping parts (e.g. SLA) or silicone molded samples
● Use for mass customization, allowing consumers to create custom cell phone covers
● Create personalized tourist or gift items with images provided by the consumer
● Put the face of a child onto their own doll

How does this work?

Whether you decorate products using a large-format machine or the Image Box, the process is the same: An image is printed onto a carrier foil and then transferred onto the product you wish to decorate using heat and pressure. This process takes about 2 minutes.
When the product is placed onto the bed of the machine ready to have the image applied it requires a support mold; these are interchangeable so that products of different size and shape can be decorated.

Could I use this to decorate one-off prototypes?

Yes, the technology can be used for new product developers. To decorate a new product it would need to be molded from one of the materials suitable for our process, ideally PBT or an ABS/PC blend. A mold would be required in order to support the product during decoration (it could be cast from the samples), and you would need a template, which is a guide that is used to achieve correct alignment of image to product.