Hi,
I have completed a project and placed it in a black, plastic project box. Now I would like to add some graphics and lettering for the pots and switches. What is the best way to accomplish this? I have thought of rub on lettering, embossing, stickers. Nothing seems right or pro looking. What is your method/suggestion?
I put knobs on my "arduino powered spirograph" on the stem of the pots from radio shack
Here's how i made the faceplates for my DIY modular synth:
a more cheap way is to print it out on transparency film and glue it down, this works best if the box has a recessed area tho
if you print it backwards you can then flip the film over to have the inked side down (just watch out what kind of glue you use)
I laser etch stuff usually. Looks great on white if you fill in the engraving with black...
Mowcius
You know, this really is a step that seems left out in the process of conceiving an electronic design and fully realizing it in a quality final implementation or prototype.
For the most part, DIY electronic enthusiasts can go from idea to realized project, in a nice case, fairly easily and quickly; this can include some very intricate and sophisticated operations, depending on the skill of the builder.
Even so, the final step of creating professional looking labels on the project's surface has always been lacking; there are techniques that turn out good results, but most are beyond the abilities (or finances) of the majority of builders.
I hope this thread continues; I would like to see some radical ideas brought to fruition. I was thinking if there were a way to use a laser printer and toner; perhaps making a negative mask on transparency film, attaching it to the front of the panel, then exposing the plastic to intense UV - not sure what that would do, if anything, but it might make for an interesting experiment (if you use some of the old white plastic, you could get an ugly brown color printing, I suppose).
Does anyone else have ideas?
Does anyone else have ideas?
I laser etch stuff usually. Looks great on white if you fill in the engraving with black...
This usually gives the best results for me. I will post up a page on it if I have time.
I also thought about sticky vinyl but that would also be laser cut in my situation. I have had success on metal with covering the whole top surface in the vinyl and then laser cutting the letters out and peeling off the background.
For larger stuff you can always make a spray template but for small stuff you will need a plotter or laser cutter still...
If you are making a wooden case then you can print on the front. I got hold of some very thin veneer and put it through a thick card inkjet printer which turned out alright.
I think you could use letraset on most surfaces and maybe stick a clear coat on top so it won't rub off so easily. Normally only comes in black though.
Mowcius
I was thinking about this as I was laying in bed going to sleep, and I thought of some other interesting ideas:
Do the toner transfer process on both sides of a piece of copper sheet of the lettering and graphics, and etch through the copper to create a stencil (for direct use or screen printing).
Etch the lettering and graphics in mirror-image negative on a PCB; then apply ink/paint to the board, squeegee off the excess (leaving ink in the wells), then place on the faceplate, and apply some pressure (almost like an offset/litho process).
For light-colored faceplates (or metal plates), you could just do a toner-transfer (black or color), then apply spray-on clear laquer; alternatively, you could print onto a large clear-label sheet the size of the faceplate, stick it on, then trim to fit.
Something I was also thinking about was if there were a way, using the double-side toner transfer process for a negative image, onto a very thin sheet of copper or alluminum sheeting, to then "burn" away the remaining copper/alluminum using an arc or something (electro-machining), to create a stencil (once again, for direct use or screen-printing with).
All of these are very "pie in the sky", but they all seem like something an individual could play with at the hobbyist level (and perhaps someone will have success?)...
I like the idea of trying toner transfer on metal faceplates. I may have to try that out some time.
I like the idea of trying toner transfer on metal faceplates. I may have to try that out some time.
It supposedly works pretty good for placement/parts artwork on PCBs, so it should work good for faceplates. Something you could do would be to print the holes and such for knobs, switches, then transfer, then use those areas as guidelines for drilling/nibbling/cutting.
I am still interested in a working method for white labels on dark surfaces; that one is the nut to crack (haven't found anything on the possibility of existence of white toner).
I wonder if the toner would stick well to fiberglass.
If so, it could make a dead cheap soldermask :O.
the bonus about the toner transfer is you can etch it also
I've printed TONER onto clear decal sheet... painted it with clear acrylic (Future floor wax) and covered that with KRYLON clearcoat after it drys. Then apply the decal...
Works nice... though I have not done it lately and I no longer have handy samples... ( was for some contract work I did )
I need to do it again to show the results.
Try Brother P-Touch labellers. The 2700 and probably other models allows inverse printing. If you use black on white tape and then invert the label, you will get white lettering on a black background. The labels are self laminated with a clear layer. The one hitch is that the label will have a white border that can either be left as is or trimmed off. Makes a quick easy and fairly durable label.
tjmck