I was approached the other day about screen printing on 6 in x 4 in aluminum plates. not sure how thick. I was asked if I could print a 3 color logo on 50,000 plates...I said "Sure , no problem" then I got to thinking about how I would print them and dont really know how I would secure the plates to the platen so they dont move while printing...does anyone know how this is done? Is the a special jig or a way to secure the plate to the t-shirt platen?also since I will be using air dry inks to print..do I need to cure the inks or can I print wet on wet?
any help is always appreciated
If you make a frame the same size as the screen to hold the plates, say 10-15 at a time that should hold them still (if the frame had a base and a small lip around the edge, like a picture frame).
Is there any other ink you could use for aluminium that would dry quick enough to do 3 colours after the other.
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trying to help, sometimes i don't!
You can set up multiple signs for each hit in a "jig", then pull them off and let them dry. then you put the plates back in the jig and print the next color, pull them off, print the next, etc. registration not too difficult. for 50k, I would sub them out. you can still make some $$$ and have someone print them that knows what they are doing. i am a big fan of doing things in house, but 50k signs seems like a large order, and any learning curve you may experience will be a large drag on your order. plus a company set up to do that can knock them out in few days, it would take someone not set up to do it much longer. time is money...calculate the most profit(incl your own time) from either sub'n it out or doing it in house........
Ummmm, if you have never printed on aluminum and your first order is a 3 color, 50,000 piece order, outsource it. This is NOT the type of job you want to learn on.
This means, 150,000 prints. Inks can vary and do not have the forgiveness with this type of printing as you do with plastisols. You can set blocks on 2 sides of the piece that are the same height as the aluminum and most likely you will need a vacuum table so the pieces do not stick to the bottom of your screen.
I can talk to you about how to do this since I've done it many more times than once, but my advice to you is find a sign company local to you that will be able to do this and learn "on the job" as you help them print it. You are asking for major complications that you most likely cannot afford to deal with. Plus, let's say you make $0.25 per piece after you outsource it, that's still $12,500 to learn how to do it.
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BelQuette Inc, 877.202.0886 & Screener's Choice, 330-345-5877
Mod1 Direct to Garment Printer, Made in the USA www.belquette.com
thank you all for your input ...I guess I will look into outsourcing the job....althought I hate sending work out....it makes sence to outsource , only because it is my first aluminum job and need to learn how it is done....
I'd try and do them myself.
Get yourself a pair of jiffy hinges on a board, and as Lee said do a frame to fit appox 9 inside, and glue the frame on the board to help with your registration.
Just my opinion.
Bare minimum you need to print with this ink is 4 per minute. You can only print one color and let it dry. You need to have space to allow 50,000 parts to dry flat so you will need multiple drying racks depending on the part size.
150,000 prints divided by 4 parts per minute equals 37,500 minutes or 625 hours of print time alone, not including all the extras that will need to be thrown in there time wise. Assuming you are using 8 hour days of NON-STOP printing, that's 79 days needed. Assume you print 5 days a week, that's 16 weeks just to do this job for printing only, with no complications.
The best way is to sub it out to a company that can print using uv inks, they can print using a large carousal printer and print the job all in one motion.
Trust me one this one, when you start breaking down the numbers, this is not a do it yourself job with jiffy hinges. I'm all for trying something yourself, but not this job. It's far more involved than one thinks.
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BelQuette Inc, 877.202.0886 & Screener's Choice, 330-345-5877
Mod1 Direct to Garment Printer, Made in the USA www.belquette.com
I appreciate that confirmation, but I just want to clarify, I'm not claiming to be a know-it-all, I just know the scope of this job and I would hate to see someone bite off more than they can chew and jeopardize losing a very good customer.
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BelQuette Inc, 877.202.0886 & Screener's Choice, 330-345-5877
Mod1 Direct to Garment Printer, Made in the USA www.belquette.com
Yes...I agree ..the more I thought about it the more what Jerid says makes sense.....I will call around in the morning to see if anyone in my area can do an order of this size.
should I look for screen printers or a sign company?
I am a commercial printer as a fulltime job , but we dont print on metal....hmmm something else to think about..
Thanks to everyone who replied to my post....
You may try to find a large sign company. The larger ones most of the time will screen print in house. You might find no one local and have to outsource it out of the area. Freighting might be necessary.
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BelQuette Inc, 877.202.0886 & Screener's Choice, 330-345-5877
Mod1 Direct to Garment Printer, Made in the USA www.belquette.com
Before you start anything, just get yourself a small piece of aluminium and try it out. That way you can find out if its doable or not. Then you can decide how to do the order.
One thing to remember is that by outsourcing you're the pig in the middle, doing it yourself you're in the drivers seat.
Printing on Aluminum 
