White Panel Basic question

HI Everybody !
after searching the internet for some info I decided , once again , to ask you guys...

I am building a summing system and I am looking for a faceplate like the one attached.
I've been using Schaeffer with many build I've done in the past... but this time I need something that is different looking that the stuff I used in the past . and the site seems a little bit confusing...

basically looking to get those black "printing" (but is that printing ?)
could someone explain tome the process ?
I have the layout I want , the different marking etc etc ...but I don't want to use "engraving"

thanks for your help !! ;D ;D ;D ;D

P

In a mass produced product the black legend is almost certainly silk screen printing. However, UV printing can gives results just as good looking and nearly as durable for one offs. Here is a panel I made for a mixer last year. The metal is plain anodised aluminium and the legend is black UV printed.



Cheers

Ian

thanks Ian
For the project I am doing I would like to be as close a possible to the pictures
what would be the "usual" process ?
Is the panel "power coated" in white then silk screen on top of it ?
last time I used "power coating" the result was a bit "rough".. I mean the paint was maybe 0.2mm and you could see some marks etc etc ...
thanks for your help !
by the way this process is used by 90% of manufacturer .. meaning I am missing something here  ;D

Well, it is very difficult to say exactly which process a manufacturer has used just by looking at a pic. But for a production run of thousands the most cost effective route is silk screening of the legend onto a powder coated panel. Like all processes these can be done well or poorly. The poor example of powder coating you mentioned must be due to poor process control.

So if you want to achieve exactly the same effect then you really need to use the exact same processes but for small quantities it will be expensive.

Cheers

Ian

What Ian said... most likely silk-screen printed.

JR

thanks for your info !

P

I don't know about the rack unit in the picture, but the vertical module I believe is an adhesive plastic or vinyl label sticked to the frontplate, I know because I had one of those and I remember that the LED was beneath a transparent plastic sheet also if you touched the panel's surface you could tell its plastic

my two cents

paolo

thanks  Paolo !
I was wondering if it was printed on a plastic sheet as well !
this a the cheaper SSL stuff and I was wondering...
need to look a bit more into it

tx

P

pw8888 said:

thanks  Paolo !
I was wondering if it was printed on a plastic sheet as well !
this a the cheaper SSL stuff and I was wondering...
need to look a bit more into it

tx

P

Click to expand...

For my drum tuner faceplate I used a back printed plastic film escutcheon, this was not cheap but allowed for clear areas back lit by LEDs, and fine detail. 



This is not practical for low quantity DIY but modern color printers might print direct to film, or printed to paper with clear film overlay. 

JR

pw8888 said:

I was wondering if it was printed on a plastic sheet as well !

Click to expand...

Printed polycarbonate is the preferred solution for applications that require backlighting, such as JR's drum tuner.
It also is the basis of membrane switches.
It is hardly adequate for one-off since it requires expensive tooling as soon as you have pots and switches that have to go through.
Applying it requires special attention since it is glued to the metal panel (or PCB), which requires precise locating, unless using some kind of bezel.
As several here have already said, silk screening is the most often used method. It applies as well to anodized or painted surfaces. The drawback is the cost of tooling and set-up.
Flatbed UV printing is an interesting alternative, since there is no tooling, but set-up may be costly.
UV printing allows much more colors than silk-screen but it's hardly a concern for audio gear.