DIY Front Panel !!

[udip]

Hello everyone!

First off all, sorry about my not so perfect english.


I developed a method for making easily front panel lettering,
if someone is interested:

1) Take a transperty paper for inkjet printers.

2) Print on it the graphics/text as it would be on panel
(don't forget to mirror)

3) Take the panel, and cover him with thin coat of super
glue (the 5 second one).
You can just drop a big amount of glue and spread it
with paper or something.

4) take the transpery paper with the printing and glue it
on the panel. hold it pressed and wait about a minute for
the glue to perfectly dry.

5) pill the transperty off the panel carfully and slowly !!

6) If everything is ok you should have a professional-look
front panel !!


Enjoy everyone, and let me know how it did.....

 

[udip]

I forgot:

7) Wash the panel in running water and clean it with tow or
something.

 

[sivan_and]

Hmm will give it a try...THANX 4 Sharing....

 

[udip]

Remember that only inkjet transparency film will work
here, and you'll also need to print it on a
INKJET printer. Laser printer will not work.

The trick is that only the ink is attached to the panel, and is coated by the glue.

 

[KaLok]

Thanks for sharing..>)

 

[eLarson]

Do you have pictures of the various steps of the process?

 

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

I'd settle for a pic of the finished product. I am very skeptical.

 

[Cortez]

If it is a super fast, strong glue, why doesnt glue it the paper too ?
Why just the text/graphic ?

 

[Jennice]

I imagine it is because ink-jet overheads have this coating, which soaks up the ink (otherwise the drops would float all over the smooth, non-absorbing, plastic foil.

I imagine that the idea would be to glue this layer tot he front panel stronger then it holds onto the overhead foil, which is why he uses super-glue.

I wonder if the spay-can picture glue would work, too. Basically it needs to be strong and clear (see-through when hardened).

Jennice

 

[udip]

You can try doing it with a paper, but:

1) It won't work well because the paper is observing all the ink..
2) you'll lose the panel's background


I am trying some other combination but for now I found that super glue and ink-jet film works best....

It's because a ink-jet film has a special coating on it
to observe the ink from the printer...when you super
glue it the coating and the ink is glued to the panel together, and
what is left from the film (what you remove) is just the plastic (like a laser printer film)
Also,The panel now has the super glue coating on it and you
still have the original panel's background..
The ending result looks professional...like a silk printing...


I haven't got a digital camera to show you but soon i'll take
a photos from a regular camera and scan it to show you...

Goodluck!!

 

[udip]

BTW: To get a better understanding of this method try to
take an empty ink-jet film and "scratch" the raddged (coated) side of it under running water. You'll see that the coating is coming off, and you are left with a smooth film (like laser film).
This coating, in fact, is what being glued to the panel with the ink on it.


Another thing that may work but i haven't tried it is to
take a press-n-pill blue paper (the one that is used for making
PCB's) and iron it on the panel, But I'm not sure it will catch on
aluminum or metal.

 

[Variac]

Wow!, This is a clever idea. WWe always need a good way to label panels. Of course people are very picky about the quality of their front panels so we will have to see, but it seems like this would be reasonably durable also.

Most important is that super glue can be easily dissolved with acetone, so if you don't like it, or make a mistake, it would be easy to clean up to try again.

 

[Jennice]

This super glue...
Are we talking about this 5 second-glue thing?

Jennice