An Introduction to Water Transfer Printing

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Water transfer printing, also known as Hydrographics is the technology to transfer a flat, two dimensional photo quality print onto a three dimensional object using water as the transfer medium. That is the short explanation but most people aren't familiar with the process, many have never heard of it, and most do not understand the concept of how it is done.

First let me tell you where you might have seen the end product. If you own a late model car or truck with woodgrain accents in the passenger interior, these were most likely done using the hydrographics process. Auto manufacturers are using the process on their OEM trim pieces inside most new cars instead of real wood because it is cost effective, more durable, and conserves natural resources. Hunting equipment is also a major market for the process. If you have seen rifles, shotguns, compound bows, and other hunting accessories done in camouflage patterns, these were done using the water transfer printing process in almost all cases. Many equipment manufacturers are using this process in house as part of their production line. ATV's, trail bikes, and personal watercraft are other areas of sporting equipment taking advantage of this technology. There are smaller categories and sub categories of manufacturers using the process and the possibilities are endless but the real interesting note to all of this is that you can have the exact same process the manufacturers are using done on your existing equipment to upgrade, update, or simply change and customize the look of your equipment to set you apart from the crowd.

Water transfer printing is accomplished using a PVA or polyvinyl alcohol film which has excellent adhesive properties, is nontoxic, odorless, and excellent emulsifying properties, which means it easily dissolves in water. An ink pattern is printed on the flat film using rolling drums similar to printing a newspaper or other print media. The repeating pattern can look like wood, metal, camouflage, carbon fiber, or pretty much anything your imagination can dream up. The finished film is rolled onto drums and ready for use. Preparation of the object to be printed is a major part of the process to insure correct adhesion and a flawless finish. Depending on the material, whether it is plastic, wood, or metal, different steps are taken to get it ready for the print process. All objects must be absolutely clean, dirt and grease free, as contaminates will interfere with the adhesion of the print. Glossy finishes are scuffed or sanded to provide a mechanical bond between the object and the primer paint coats. Plastics are cleaned with special chemical grease removers, flame treated to alter the molecular structure of the plastic surface, and sprayed with an adhesion promoter. Metal objects are washed in special chemicals designed to remove residue, dried, and are then ready for priming.

All objects at this point receive a coat of epoxy primer just as the body of a car receives when it is being prepped for paint. The next step in the process is spraying a contrasting or complimentary base color to give the object a uniform color and texture for the print to adhere to. The following step is where the actual printing magic begins. The PVA film with the pattern of choice is floated on the surface of water heated to 31 degrees C. At a prescribed time interval the film has begun to dissolve in the water but still retains enough elasticity to hold the printed ink in the original pattern. At this precise moment an ink activator is carefully sprayed on the surface of the ink which softens it enough to make it stick to the object being printed. The object is slowly passed through the ink-film layer floating on the water and the pressure from the water closing in around the object forces the ink onto the painted surface of the object. Once the object is submersed, any remaining ink will not stick to the wet surface so the object can be removed with no worries or overlapping the print. Residual PVA film is thoroughly washed from the object using heated clear water until all that remains is the ink itself. The object is allowed to dry, inspected for flaws in the print, and touched up with an airbrush if needed. The final step is spraying the object with two coats of UV protected urethane clear coat paint exactly as used on new automotive finishes. This final finish can be high gloss, low gloss, or flat finish, depending on the customers desires. All maintain the same durability and UV protection to give many years of service to the finish.

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Source by Robert L Garrison