Labelling Prototypes

What do you guys use for labelling prototypes? I am thinking particularly of control panels (19 in rack mounting for example) containing pots, toggle and rotary switched all of which need labelling. So far I have looked at iron on T shirt printer paper, special transparent overhead projector type film with built in adhesive and contacted a company that does custom stick-on vinyl decals. I need something I can design easily myself on a PC and either produce myself or have produced at reasonable cost. Any one of more of the above might work but before I take the plunge I thought I would ask what others use???

Cheers

Ian

Reply to
Ian Bell
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If you're making a few the same, silk screening isn't too bad. You make up the artwork using (for example) Adobe Illustrator, get the screenmade, and use a hinge/table setup (a small gap remains between the screen and the panel) to squeegee the paint onto the panel. A bit of skill required, but the results are excellent. If you bugger it up you can generally wipe it off and fix it up. Multiple colors etc. are no problem. Don't get too fancy with placement or colors that have to line up over a wide area- allow a mm or so tolerance. The screen costs around $100 if you buy it with a wood frame. They can be cleaned (leaving the pattern) and re-used a number of times for the same job, or stripped (removing the pattern) and re-used a number of times. I use a high-end screenmaker, most of the guys out there are T-shirt types and their quality is dubious.

These days, I might get the company cutting the panel to do the screening, so they have to deal with the mess and fuss.

Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

?

If all it is is a proto, then you can simply buy some Brady labels on 8.5"x11" stock. They also have cover labels so the thing is wipeable. THEN, you start thinking about silk screens. If you want that level of quality then it really isn't a proto. There is a new silk screen printing device for sale on the TV and web that prints on anything. It uses a UV scanner plate to photo-burn the screens, and it is all in one unit.

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Reply to
Nunya

Would this be in your budget?

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I've used them once, around $100, results were nice.

Cheers

Reply to
Martin Riddle

The "Front Panel Designer" looks pretty nice. I am going to look at that. Looks like it might be a nice piece of software to have.

Maybe allow for a better, more accurate means of proofing and deciding on a vendor quote.

Reply to
StickThatInYourPipeAndSmokeIt

?

Silkscreening. Even if a one-off. Cheap, easy, professional-looking results.

The setup I use (Speedball, I think), has reusable screens, so once you get going, you can change as often as your mind does. The only major investment for me was the light stand, though you could probably DIY roll your own. The lightbulb is about $10, and at least here, available locally.

5000K, I think. A Photo-Flood #12, IIRC.

Good luck.

- mpm

Reply to
mpm

"Ian Bell" kirjoitti viestissä:i0sv1p$600$ snipped-for-privacy@localhost.localdomain...

I use white PVC electrical tape and marker pens. Cheap & gets the job done.

-ek

Reply to
E

Eggsactly. If it's just a one-off there is so much engineering cost in it that the small overhead to make it look just _fabulous_ is not not signficant. I suppose I could dredge up my Dymo labeller for that

1960-70s look, but why?

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AFAIK, all screens are re-usable until you break them. Most have the same process- get the material stretched onto the frame (or buy it as such), coat with emulsion (in film or liquid), allow it to dry, expose with bright light (or UV), develop (warm water), allow to dry, harden (optional), and use. No really nasty chemicals other than the ink solvents (and you can use UV cured if you like which will minimize VOCs, but the minimum quantities for some colors are prohibitive IMHO, like $400 a color for some transparents).

BTW, that T-shirt screen maker has a pretty coarse mesh for doing panel markings. Acceptable, perhaps, if you can design for it.

Craft and art stores sell screen printing kits (eg. Speedball). They might not be optimal for graphic arts as opposed to fine arts type applications.

Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

We make nice looking labels with an inkjet color printer and some sort of adhesive paper stuff. They're good enough to use for product photos, or to put on eval loaners for customers to play with. For production, we just send the same file to a label company.

These photos used fake labels:

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You can even include little translucent windows for LED indications. They are a little denser on the paper protos than the real polycarb labels.

John

Reply to
John Larkin

"John Larkin" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

You can make labels with some Avery stuff, they have a clear label thats good for covering the top of a finished Avery label.

Cheers

Reply to
Martin Riddle

Jeez. You can buy sheet fed labels just as cheap, and they do not stretch or leave adhesive behind.

Crimany! The damned blue masking tape is better for the job than that crap is!

Reply to
StickThatInYourPipeAndSmokeIt

Brady also sells label stock that has clear covers for each. I have also bought Brady roll stock, made for their printers as it is cheaper. Then, I can cut and paste (literally) an entire label onto a cut sheet and then print onto it. Ends up a bit cheaper than cut sheet label stock, but then gets re-costed in the labor it takes to set up the print job.

Reply to
StickThatInYourPipeAndSmokeIt

For small cabinets I print out via laser in mirror form, the drill locations, knock out locations, control labeling, logo's etc. all on a single sheet of either ink jet photo paper or clay paper and iron it on the surface.. when removed via wetting it, 99% of it comes out and I touch up what I don't like.. then I spray it with a clear coat to protect it..

P.S. The cabinets I used either have a base color already on it that the toner sticks to nicely or we spray it with a thin clear coat first..

It does give a shinny look if that isn't abjectable.

Jamie..

Reply to
Jamie

How many units, and how much of a prototype? Does it have to look professional?

I've used a Brother label maker for one-of's. You can get label tapes in various colour combinations, including white-on-clear and black-on-clear. The clear tape allows the panel colour to show, and the fact you've used individual tape labels doesn't show too badly.

Another poster suggested Front Panel Express - I've used them many times, for both single panels and small quantities. FPE machines and engraves panels from their pre-anodized stock, or from customer-supplied panels.

I've also printed a mirror image of the legend on overhead transparency film, and used a spray adhesive (3M-77, I think) to fasten it to the panel.

--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI  
peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca  
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Reply to
Peter Bennett

I usually print on the 8x11 clear Avery lables using my color ink jet. If you let the colors set, you get good life out of it. If paranoid, the old technique was to print reversed on an overhead transparency film, and then glue the colored side down. Lets you do a proto for less than $10!

For a full size rack, you might need to split the graphics, and have a seam somewhere...

I have also printed all the labels on smaller avery type clear lables, and then xacto cut them out and attached just over the appropo button or LED.

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie E.

Ian Bell Inscribed thus:

A local company engraves plastic panels at very low cost. Many different colours with white, red, green or black lettering. The plastic is made from three layers and they remove the top layer by engraving it with a high speed router type bit. Thing like pots, switches and connectors can be mounted directly to the plastic panel if required.

--
Best Regards:
                     Baron.
Reply to
Baron

Printing on clear stock does not protect the printed media.

Print on white label stock and COVER it with a clear over-sheet.

Labels with direct exposed print, especially from a laser or ink jet, do not usually last very long. Clear laminate on top of such labels makes them appear more professional, and retains the integrity of the print without smears or other undesirable happenstance.

Reply to
StickThatInYourPipeAndSmokeIt

Print to heavy paper, laminate top with plastic, and contact cement in many cases.

Reply to
PeterD

These guys are good too:

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Not cheap, but top-notch quality.

Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

Thanks for all the ideas. To answer some of the questions and add some info:

Yes, it is a one off

Yes it needs to look professional. For quantities I would normally get it silk screen printed.

I am in the UK

I think the Avery and Brady clear label ideas are the same as the transparent film I already have. Only problem with that is I find the ink jet printing is not very dense so the label is hard to see against the (nearly black) panel paint (and yes I am using bright colours).

I had not thought of silk screen printing at home. I had not realised this was possible. Is there anyone in the UK doing this regularly that can give me some pointers of what to get and where + how easy/hard it is to do yourself?

Cheers

Ian

Reply to
Ian Bell

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