What Is the Process for Printing on Melamine Plates?
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Surface Preparation
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Printing images and designs onto melamine plates begins with taking a previously pressed, cured and polished melamine plate called a blank and coating it with a thin layer of cool uncured liquid melamine.
Image Transfer
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A thin film with the image or design printed onto it is laid down over the wet melamine plate with at least a 5 percent overhang around the circumference or lip of the plate to allow for placement and shrinkage in the curing process. On occasion, a paper transfer reverse of the image is also used to imprint the design and this varies by design and manufacture. A second, thin coat of cool liquid melamine is then painted or sprayed on top of the image and plate.
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Curing
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The plate moves on in the process to an oven to where it cures at a temperature between 200 and 300 degrees. Under heat, the liquid melamine bonds with the previously hardened plate and encases the image or design between the two new and hardened layers of melamine.
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Comments
View all 6 Comments-
How long do you leave the plate in the oven and are the transfers the same as digital decals you use for ceramics?
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sandykay
Oct 15, 2010
Anyone Gotten answers to the above questions? I am wanting to add this process to my existing store and would love all the info -
Kayla Clement
Oct 03, 2010
I am very interested in this posting! I design custom items to sell and would love to learn how to make custom plates to sell also! If possible, can I have an exact list of supplies and where to get those supplies?
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anotherproject
Jan 23, 2010
Where do I find the uncured liquid melamine?
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meamhu
Jan 05, 2010
I would also be interested in any information you have on how to obtain the liquid Melamine or even the paper you choose to use for your images. Any more info you have would be awesome! Thanks so much for this posting!!!
