Post by thread:[OT] Printable plastic label material

Need some printable plastic film materials! Sorry to pull the focus off of PIC, but I frequently put my PIC project in some pathetic ugly box and call it good. I have done design house polycarbonate (or polyester) labels before, but cannot afford the setup for my own projects. The process is usually a screening or printing on a film material, sometimes with die cutouts, sometimes with windows, sometimes with spacers. The results are always real sharp looking. I can pick up a color laser printer without too much grief, but I have no source for these materials. Does anyone out there know where these materials can be purchased? By the way, I did search with the search engines, and got lost in a mountain of printer shop hits. Thanks Chris Eddy Pioneer Microsystems, Inc.

>>> Chris Eddy <spam_OUTceddyTakeThisOuTNB.NET> 17/12/97 13:08:47 >>> >Need some printable plastic film materials! You should be able to find out from the distributors of your printer where to get plastic film which suits your printer type. A distributor for printable film in Australia is called Celcast. Also, check out http://www.aade.com/ There is a description there of how to do reasonable front panels using film and card. There are also some films available which you photo etch, rather than print on. Hope this helps, Cathy Spencer | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |Quiktrak Technologies | Level 3A Mark Oliphant Building | Laffer Drive | Bedford Park | SA 5042 | Ph 83745620 | Fax 83742145 | Email:.....cspencerKILLspam@spam@quiktrak.com.au | ------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know if this is any use: The name of the company that supply polyester film to the place that I have used for Mambrane keypads and front panel overlays is Autotex, they are somewhere in the UK. I don't have any more info than that to hand, but I think I've got more at home if needed. You must ensure that the film can take the higher temperatures that a colour copier fuser unit uses ( I think its around 230 deg C, instead of 180 deg C for B/W) thats why they do special OHP film for colour copiers. It makes an expensive mess if you get it wrong!!!! Paul

We use one of the following techniques: 1) Print on high quality paper. Back the paper with 3M 568 mounting adhesive. Cover the label with either self adhesive polycarbonate protective film or clear self adhesive protective film sold as laminating film. Apply the label to the case with a good squeegee, so the adhesive sets properly. 2) Even easier, just use transparencies to print, and 3M 568 or double sided film type tape on the back. Not as permanent, but fast and nice if you have a color laser. Of course, the panel shows through the label. In both cases the label has the markings for the panel holes and cutouts. We use CorelDraw for the layout. The results, especially with polycarbonate film overlay, is as good as any graphics shop, and more durable than many commercial products. Of course, you can use any double sided tape with the paper based label, but the 3M 568 is repositionable until bonded. With careful materials selection this can work OK over membrane keypads, too. Tom Rogers VP-R&D Time Tech Inc. {Original Message removed}

There is a company called Dyna-Art in Clearwater, FL, I believe, that makes a product for "Desk top manufacturing" of pc boards that can also be used to put decals on panels. You make your image on the pc, then print it to their special porous paper, then iron it onto the copper clad board or a metal panel. Their products are available from Digi-Key, or from them directly. You can search for their web site. Hope this helps, Max, W5SEI

In a message dated 97-12-17 07:04:10 EST, you write: << The name of the company that supply polyester film to the place that I have used for Mambrane keypads and front panel overlays is Autotex, they are somewhere in the UK. I don't have any more info than that to hand, but I think I've got more at home if needed. You must ensure that the film can take the higher temperatures that a colour copier fuser unit uses ( I think its around 230 deg C, instead of 180 deg C for B/W) thats why they do special OHP film for colour copiers. It makes an expensive mess if you get it wrong!!!! Paul >> Hello 3M makes a film called Dynamark that is a UV curable epoxy film. You can print your designs on thin paper and then use the paper as a contact positive. Expose it to UV and develope it with and alcohol based developer. It comes in many colors and is available at larger Art outlets. Dave Duley

A search of the web turned up the fact that Dynamark has been discontinued. There are at least two substitutes, a 3M product that images directly on the film with a laser printer, called DynaLaser, and a 3rd party product called Quick-Mark, that works like Dynamark with UV exposure, but requires no developer. More info can be had at: http://www.vpcinc.com/dynamark.htm CIAO - Martin. On Wed, 17 Dec 1997 11:42:55 EST, DREITEK <DREITEKKILLspamAOL.COM> wrote: {Quote hidden}>In a message dated 97-12-17 07:04:10 EST, you write: > ><< > The name of the company that supply polyester film to the place that I > have used for Mambrane keypads and front panel overlays is Autotex, they > are somewhere in the UK. I don't have any more info than that to hand, but > I think I've got more at home if needed. > > You must ensure that the film can take the higher temperatures that a > colour copier fuser unit uses ( I think its around 230 deg C, instead of > 180 deg C for B/W) thats why they do special OHP film for colour copiers. > It makes an expensive mess if you get it wrong!!!! > > Paul >> >Hello >3M makes a film called Dynamark that is a UV curable epoxy film. You can >print your designs on thin paper and then use the paper as a contact positive. >Expose it to UV and develope it with and alcohol based developer. It comes in >many colors and is available at larger Art outlets. > >Dave Duley Martin R. Green .....elimarKILLspam.....NOSPAMbigfoot.com To reply, remove the NOSPAM from the return address. Stamp out SPAM everywhere!!!

You can also buy film for overhead transparencies for your printer. You can then use this as an overlay. I use the 3M spray adhesive to attach it after cutting to size. At 11:42 AM 12/17/97 EST, you wrote: {Quote hidden}>In a message dated 97-12-17 07:04:10 EST, you write: > ><< > The name of the company that supply polyester film to the place that I > have used for Mambrane keypads and front panel overlays is Autotex, they > are somewhere in the UK. I don't have any more info than that to hand, but > I think I've got more at home if needed. > > You must ensure that the film can take the higher temperatures that a > colour copier fuser unit uses ( I think its around 230 deg C, instead of > 180 deg C for B/W) thats why they do special OHP film for colour copiers. > It makes an expensive mess if you get it wrong!!!! > > Paul >> >Hello >3M makes a film called Dynamark that is a UV curable epoxy film. You can >print your designs on thin paper and then use the paper as a contact positive. >Expose it to UV and develope it with and alcohol based developer. It comes in >many colors and is available at larger Art outlets. > >Dave Duley > > Larry G. Nelson Sr. EraseMEL.Nelsonspam_OUTTakeThisOuTieee.org http://www.ultranet.com/~nr

I've seen some great responses to the original question, and appreciate it alot. I wandered into Office Max and a crafts store and got tons of stuff to play with. I found that it is not as easy as it sounds. Sticky glue gets EVERYwhere. I will get back when I have done more work on this and have it working. Thanks Chris Eddy Pioneer Microsystems, Inc. Martin R. Green wrote: {Quote hidden}> A search of the web turned up the fact that Dynamark has been > discontinued. There are at least two substitutes, a 3M product that > images directly on the film with a laser printer, called DynaLaser, > and a 3rd party product called Quick-Mark, that works like Dynamark > with UV exposure, but requires no developer. More info can be had at: > > http://www.vpcinc.com/dynamark.htm > > CIAO - Martin. > > On Wed, 17 Dec 1997 11:42:55 EST, DREITEK <DREITEKspam_OUTAOL.COM> wrote: > > >In a message dated 97-12-17 07:04:10 EST, you write: > > > ><< > > The name of the company that supply polyester film to the place that I > > have used for Mambrane keypads and front panel overlays is Autotex, they > > are somewhere in the UK. I don't have any more info than that to hand, but > > I think I've got more at home if needed. > > > > You must ensure that the film can take the higher temperatures that a > > colour copier fuser unit uses ( I think its around 230 deg C, instead of > > 180 deg C for B/W) thats why they do special OHP film for colour copiers. > > It makes an expensive mess if you get it wrong!!!! > > > > Paul >> > >Hello > >3M makes a film called Dynamark that is a UV curable epoxy film. You can > >print your designs on thin paper and then use the paper as a contact positive. > >Expose it to UV and develope it with and alcohol based developer. It comes in > >many colors and is available at larger Art outlets. > > > >Dave Duley > > Martin R. Green > @spam@elimarKILLspamNOSPAMbigfoot.com > > To reply, remove the NOSPAM from the return address. > Stamp out SPAM everywhere!!!