Corian Dye-Sub Project - Peek-A-Boo

[David Lavaneri]

Hi gang,

I've been involved with sublimation (ink jet and HP laser printer) since 1999.

While the price of ink has increased, there are lucrative areas of endeavor, (as Aaron and Keith point out), that take the sting out of ink prices.

Almost without exception, those areas involve getting away from the traditionally-thought-of products, like T-Shirts and other "novelty" items and onto the higher-end, custom-made products, that those of you who are involved with woodworking and laser engraving, are in a good position to capitalize on.

Cross-platform techniques (combining multiple disciplines, in a single product) will enable you to produce unique items, that those locked into a single process can't.

Imagine a custom-made, wooden plaque board, with a sublimated Corian inlay. Add some attractive laser engraving and "Boom" (the sound of a unique award or gift item hitting your market).

While Sawgrass Technologies (Sublijet) and Tropical Graphics (ArTainium) are more heavily-marketed, there is a third, lesser-known company, Texas Original Graphics (Sublibrite) that deserves mention.

www.texasoriginalgraphics.com

I have no affiliation with any sublimation supplier, including TOG.

If less is more, the price of TOG's sublimation ink, means more money stays at home.

[Keith Outten]

David,

Do you have any information concerning the Corian dye-sub technique? Anything you have to share would be appreciated.

[David Lavaneri]

Keith,

Most of my work has been in the areas of ceramic/glass tiles and sublimatable metal; mostly for awards and gift items; although, during my time as a sublimator, I've tried most of the commonly-used substrates, i.e. fabric, mousepads etc.

I don't have much information on sublimating Corian. Over the years, I've heard of people trying it, but it hasn't really kicked in; probably because of the somewhat specialized equipment needed for its fabrication and finishing.

The average sublimator, from what I've seen, prefers to buy "off the rack" substrates.

It used to be, where you could approach Corian fabricators (counter tops etc.) and get their "scraps" for free, or relatively inexpensively.

Probably, because of those requests for scraps, the fabricators are finding ways to use the remnants themselves.

The sample you showed is very impressive, with regard to clarity of detail in the image. Because Corian isn't a commonly-used substrate, that fact, is all the more reason to experiment and find out-of-the-box uses for it.

Sounds like you're already on that track.

Probably the closest thing to Corian, I've seen used, (which I'm not sure are being made anymore) are the "Old World" tiles, which were man-made, (polymer?) cast tiles, resembling travertine marble, including voids in the surface, adding to the aged, old world look.

Like Corian, the Old World tiles, (after pressing), were very pliable, which meant it was possible to shape the tiles around a post, or give them a slight bend, to create a free-standing item.

Are you fabricating the Corian yourself? I assume, with your woodworking experience and equipment, that you are.

I don't know if it's still in existence, but there was another form of faux stone material, called Avonite, which IMO, was prettier than Corian. Corian has a speckled (granite-like) appearance, while Avonite had more of a "swirly" (marble-like) appearance.

[Keith Outten]

David,

I am authorized to purchase Corian so I am using material left over from projects mostly. I also have a local top shop that I am fortunate to be able to pickup their cut-outs as well. I have been experimenting with Corian dye-sub for almost six months, my technique is improving in fact I made huge progress this weekend. The quality of my dye-sub photos improved about 100% as I learned a few tricks lately and I still have a few things to experiment with in hopes of making even more progress.

I fabricate my own Corian plaques both simple shapes and those I produce on my CNC router. I also have been experimenting adding laser engraved text and graphics plus CNC scroll work to some of my dye-sub projects but I must admit I don't have as much time to spend doing R&D as I would like. The process is facinating and the results are getting me lots of attention in my local area.

I believe that Avonite is a resin based product and I'm not sure how it may react to dye-sub but I have a couple of scrap pieces and hope to find the time to try it in the near future. Although I have used a couple of the Corian colors for dye-sub I normally stick to glasier white because the colors remain true, however the use of other colors has merit for text and graphics in sign work.

I am starting a new project soon, a local top shop is building a very detailed vanity and I have been asked to provide thermal bending and some dye-sub work on the project, possibly some CNC work as well. The vanity will have a 30 inch radius on the front edge and towers on each end. There will also be a large Corian oval mirror to compliment the project and most likely a few accessories made from the same color Corian to dress up the vanity.

Like most people I stayed away from solid surface materials for a long time with the mind set that it was just too expensive. These days I don't even give the cost a second thought, the cost of the material isn't a concern given the market prices for this kind of work. I have also learned that the cost of ink isn't an issue, time is the big concern as I learn to improve my final prep tecniques the process gets more time consuming but the quality is just awesome.

[David Lavaneri]

Keith,

Wow! I guess fear isn't a factor for you

Sounds like some interesting projects in the works. Looking forward to seeing the results someday.

Have you tried hi-release transfer paper with Corian?

Textprint XP would be one brand. Hi-release papers, as their name suggests, release much more dye to the substrate, than what I would call general-use transfer papers, such as Accuplot.

Dramatically better results on ceramic tile, with regard to crispness of image and vibrancy of color. I wouldn't know what to expect with Corian.

David

[Keith Outten]

Thanks David for the tip, I will place an order for Textprint XP ASAP and give it a try. The goal is the absolute best quality I can obtain...short of buying a vacumn heat press

[David Lavaneri]

Keith,

I'll live vicariously and await the results of your hi-release paper/Corian combo.

Thinner coatings on a substrate are sometimes overwhelmed, by the amount of dye hi-release papers deliver, leading to "cockeling" which takes on the appearance of raindrops on the hood of a freshly-waxed car.

You probably won't encounter that anomaly with Corian.

David

[Harry Radaza]

hi kieth,

I recently came across a dealer for heat presses with the ink, printer, transfer paper etc.

We don't have Corian ( I think ) here in the philippines. I've seen the die sublimated result of the heat press on regular tiles and it looked great. I was wondering if combining laser engraving with die sublimation would come out as I imagine it - an engraved photo with full color ?

The only hitch I can see would be in aligning the engraved tile with the printed transfer paper with exact size of the artwork. but if guides are made it might be doable.

Have you tried this?

[Larry Robinson]

Keith, I would like to thank you for presentation on dye sublimation at the Shopbot Jamboree in April. It opened my eyes to a whole new way of enhancing the capabilities of the Shopbot.

My question is has anyone used the Alps printers. I know that the printers are not made any more, however, the cartridges can still be bought. As I recall, these printers produced had a high quality output and I thought that they could be used for sublimation. Further, they were known for their fade resistance compared to ink jets.

Larry

[Bruce Larson]

I am very interested in the long term UV performance of the Corian substrate. As has been mentioned before, UV resistance has been the limiting factor in dye sublimation marketing.
Refer to some of the work that Bison coatings has done over the years to see that this a very expensive proposition if a failure results.
Dupont has a tech paper that describes dye sublimation on Corian, I don't have the number handy, but it can be found in the Corian technical publications.
I haven't tried Corian, but am watching your experiments with great interest, and hope that this may be the answer to long term UV stability.
I have been doing tile murals on various different tiles, but am careful to make sure they are used only indoors, and in a non-direct sunlight setting.
One somewhat different, little-known substrate is cultured marble as is used in bathroom sinks and showers and tubs. It colors very well, but needs to be carefully handled to avoid warping. UV resistance is still an unknown factor however.
Keep pushing the envelope Kieth, and you may open the magic door which the rest of us have been either too timid or have no clue about the other substrates out there, to explore.

[Michael Wells]

Bruce, I will let you know soon about the durability in UV exposed substrates. I have a little experiment ongoing, because I am setting up to do an airbrushed job on a car hood. Amidst the airbrush will be several photographs placed on the hood with a sublimation method. The area is first sprayed with Frog Juice, then a UV resistant clear coat will finish it up. The airbrush paint is Waterbased Auto-Air.

The sample metal sheets that I did earlier, all but two, showed no deterioration so far, with about 6 months exposure. One of them did have a breakdown of the clearcoat. That was one that I did with an off-brand clear. The other one, without the frog juice, showed obvious lightening of the colors in the dye sub areas.

I will try to keep you posted and also get some photos up when the car is done. I also have a couple of motorcycle airbrush jobs coming up with the same technique if this works. Then you'll see my famous face on all of the custom car and bike magazine! Hehehee

[Keith Outten]

hi kieth,

We don't have Corian ( I think ) here in the philippines. I've seen the die sublimated result of the heat press on regular tiles and it looked great. I was wondering if combining laser engraving with die sublimation would come out as I imagine it - an engraved photo with full color ?

The only hitch I can see would be in aligning the engraved tile with the printed transfer paper with exact size of the artwork. but if guides are made it might be doable.

Have you tried this?

Harry,

I have combined laser engraving and dye-sublimation in the same project. Alignment of the two processes can be difficult or not depending on the graphic but I have found that most of the time you can engrave first and use the project outline to align the dye-sub paper for the second process. This is assuming that you cut your plaque shape first, even if it is just a rectangle or simple shape. The last steps would be to rout the outside edge treatment and polish.

Larry,

My little speech at the ShopBot Jamboree was a last minute type of thing. Bill decided to give three or four ShopBotters five minutes to share what they are doing with their CNC machines. I chose to discuss dye-sub and routing plaques because they are both techniques that entry level ShopBotters can use to start making money right away. There are always advanced ShopBotters who show projects that someone just starting isn't ready to attempt. Rarely do you hear anyone share information about how the new ShopBotters can start making a profit so that was my message. Don't wait until you acquire advanced skills before you get in the game, there are lots of projects that are easy to accomplish on the ShopBot that are very profitable.

Sorry, I can't help with the Alps printers as I have never heard of them. I'm still new at this dye-sub stuff and have a lot to learn but like routing plaques I have found it quick and easy to learn enough skills to get started anyway. I currently have a backlog of small photo plaques to dye-sub on white Corian, enough work that it is clear that there is a large market for this type of work.

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