Labelling Prototypes

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The local arts & crafts store sells many size meshes. You will want to experiment with inks, or just use paint. As you note, for small, fine lines, you don't want ink/paint to spread much.

Many years ago, we silkscreened a 19" EIA 5RU panel blank with several cutouts. The results were fantastic! I didn't select the ink, but it was of a type that would chemically bond to whatever surface was on the blank -- which was not the typical polished or painted aluminum. It had sort of a rough feel to it. Anyway, it took some doing to find the right supplies, but once we had them, it went smoothly and cheaply. Total project build: 1 unit.

BTW, I recall now that the Speedball setup uses a #2 PhotoFlood, not a #12.

That panel express link sounds like it then. If you want pro appearance, it should be worth the less than $200. I cannot imagine it being higher than that.

The folks that asked that question are not observant enough to place a lot of credence in their answers.

Not really. The Brady labels are WHITE, and you print on that, apply it, THEN you place the cover label over that to protect it.

Anyone that suggested printing on clear stock isn't very bright.

The "yudu screen printing machine" I posted a link to on Amazon looked pretty nice. You would have to find a source for it over there though, since they will not ship one out of the US.

You might find a local decorative engraver that will engrave it for you, and you can do the colored enamel backfills ala Cloisonné. All after you have the punch outs done, of course.

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I probably shouldn't mention this,..... but for "product photos", PhotoShop works pretty damn good too!! But the approach doesn't do much for trade shows and in-person demos. :)

Then, a local decorative engraver would be the choice for that.

I think that FPE does engraving at a higher degree of precision than you apparently think they can.

We'll sometimes Photoshop one product into another, for manual or web page pictures.

John

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BTW, if anyone in the US would like a really great deal on some small metal NEMA-4 enclosures (Hammond EJ-863's and nearby sizes), I can be talked into giving a VERY good deal. Brand spanking new. Never opened.

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Another idea I've used with good success:

You can make your own stick-on lables -

1) Create in PhotoShop or [software of your choosing] 2) Get an 8-1/2"x11" full size white label (the kind you peel the back off of to stick. 3) Print lable to color printer. 4) Get a laminating machine 5) Take a laminating pouch, tear in half across the top or side seam. Now you have (2) pieces, Each piece has the slick outside, and the glue inside (which would normally get stuck to whatever you are laminating when you put it through the machine.

I hope that made sense....!!

6) Put one of those pieces back in the box for next time. We won't need it now. 7) Cut down the remaining piece so that it overlaps your artwork by 1/2" or so.

8) Now, sandwich it like this:

TOP - Laminating that you tore in half, shiney side up, glue side down. MIDDLE - Your artwork BOTTOM - Then a big piece of paper on the bottom.

9) Run this through the laminator, placing the whole sandwhich in the "pouch" that sometimes comes with some machines. Me, I just run them through without a pouch - never had a problem. Use enough heat. 110-120 ought to do fine!

10) Now, get a razor knife and cut out your decal. (Obviously, those areas of the sandwich that were not covered by the artwork got glued together!)

11) Done! Now, just peel and stick your custom-made laminated decal.

-mpm

You reminded me of the way I used to make some of one company I worked for's product labels.

We bought the $3.50 per sheet 3M matte finish metal backed adhesive sheets. They are silver with a matte print surface.

I printed really nice labels on the color laser printer, then ran them through the laminator 2 times (inside card stock) to dry the sheet, and fix the laser print job better. This keeps bubbles out of the laminated finished product. THEN, I laminate them with the thicker lamination stock which is available.

The ONLY drawback is the cut edges, and the prospect of delamination at those fringe edges.

They stick great, and this stock is specifically made for permanence, so the adhesive is real good.

The price is one drawback, but having them on hand for the next project is always nice as well.

Try some of the water-slide decal paper, from places like

For use on a dark background, you would probably want the "white" decal paper.

Silk screening onto the panel directly would probably give the best results but there is some "NRE" involved.

--
Rich Webb     Norfolk, VA

I already tried that - unfortunately none of them can handle a 3U high

19inch panel.

Cheers

Ian

Then they would only qualify as decorative engraver wanna bes.

Try a good gunsmith. They can usually refer you to the right guy if they do not perform such things themselves.

Many of our local trophy shops now have laser engravers. Give them any printable file (Visio works well and knows about absolute dimensions) and they will laser etch that into any material you like.

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We use labelmakers to label our equipment (in a lab setting most equipment is one off, so no use in making custom enclosures). They are cheap and produce readable labels with almost no effort. They are somewhat ugly looking, but w/e they get the job done.

My shop makes custom scientific instruments, which means a new and different front panel every few days. My go-to method is to use a 4" wide vinyl label printer called the DuraLabel 4TTP, loaded with brushed aluminum stock and chemical resistant ink. The result looks awesome, and easily passes the fingernail test. In fact, it's durable enough that I sometimes put the label on _before_ punching the holes. Which brings me to the downsides. First, the calibration in the horizontal direction is only good to a few percent. This may not seem like much of a problem, until you notice that the label for your 19" panel is 19.5" long. Or more. Or less. It's tricky to get holes to line up, which is why I sometimes have to apply the label before I punch. Second, the brushed aluminum label is only available in 4" widths, which is great for 2U enclosures, but won't cover 3U. Also, it can be hard to convince the salesman that brushed aluminum stock (P/ N 84-50) exists. All in all, though, I'd be in a heap of trouble without it.

-Jim MacA.

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Sounds good, but I would opt for using the stock with a good B sized form factor printer, and a carrier sheet. Likely quite a bit cheaper. I wonder if that stock would work in a Brady thermal transfer type printer.

Anyway, thanks for the tip on the base media!

Neat looking. Do you coat the panel afterward?

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I found it, no problem...

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What is "neat looking"? I did not see a link to any photo.

The stock is here, and it looks good and worth it too!

There's really no need. I don't understand the technology, but I just spent a minute trying to scrape the ink off of the label with a razor blade, and ended up scratching up the label without taking off the ink. Way durable.

-Jim MacA