I was in the textile lab a while back looking for ways to print text to an ABS electronics enclosure. I was told sublimation printing might work. Googling says it might, and I have some scrap plastic that I’m willing to try it on.
Is certification required to use the sublimation tools? What exactly is involved?
Thanks in advance!
We do offer a class on Sublimation Printing, but the printer manufacturer recently changed their software interface and we’re in the middle of updating the class—you can request to be notified when the next class date is added.
@stepho would know more about using ABS as a substrate, sounds like a great project!
Sublimation ink needs a plastic to bond to, and from what I can gather, plastic is your starting point here!
If you have more questions, feel free to DM me
I came across this as a method for sublimation onto 3D prints recently: https://youtu.be/Jq13diBRQcA?si=JtnFMoSUVzSNKZep
I have not yet had a chance to use this for anything, but it’s a cool technique that lets you sublimate onto PLA or PETG (both polyester plastics). ABS is not a polyester, so likely wouldn’t work directly, but since it has higher temperature resistance it might work via a heat press with a polyester spray!
I’d say it’s worth a try! This is an existing enclosure, not a 3D printout, so we could probably just press it on. Since there aren’t any upcoming classes, I will probably need some help with this…