Inexpensive, simple and high-quality represent three words most businesses love to hear. If your business needs to produce a prototype with a quality finish, then silk screening is an excellent option.
The silk screening process is very similar to the painting process observed at a T-shirt shop. Here, an employee squirts fabric paint or ink onto a screen stretched tightly over a frame, and then they roll the paint or ink through a negative print with a squeegee to create the T-shirt you plan to take home.
Using silk screening on plastic
Silk screening a plastic part works in a similar way to this T-shirt process – the difference is in the materials used. Not just the plastic surface, but the ink as well. This sounds obvious, but experience matters. If silk screen printing is the path you want to follow with your plastic prototype, work with a production service that understands which types of ink stick to plastic parts.
Too often, prototype and production service professionals who lack experience in this area will finish a product that looks good for a short time, only to have the print virtually fall off a few weeks later. To remedy this problem, you need to find the right formula for the ink.
Other techniques
To create a print on a round or uneven surface, you can employ the use of a simple paper or plastic stencil. Again, this simple process won’t add a ton of cost to your prototype. Unlike many molds, a stencil or screen stretched over a frame can be used for as many copies as needed. Most can even be washed and reused with a different color or as part of another design.
It’s the attention to detail that helps sell a specific part to your customers. By working with a prototype and production service that truly understands this, you’ll be able to design and create new products that sell.
You can get started on a high-quality project today with a fast quote from Product Development Solutions.