Question about 'professional' enclosure graphics

[Guybrush]

Hi all

I was just wondering if anyone could explain what method Earthquaker Devices (for example) use to decorate their enclosures? I know that DBA screen print their stuff but wondered if anyone knew what process ED use?

Cheers.

[midwayfair]

Pretty much any company making a box or more a day is screen printing with near certainty.

[playpunk]

UV printed? I have no idea what that actually is, but I know it's done tonenclosures


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[pickdropper]

Pretty much any company making a box or more a day is screen printing with near certainty.

Or lasers.  :-)

[juansolo]

I have deep, deep envy of Wampler's enclosure printer...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijZbF1hEMos

1:30 onwards.

[sturgeo]

I have deep, deep envy of Wampler's enclosure printer...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijZbF1hEMos

1:30 onwards.

A mimaki UV printer like that is on my lottery win wish list
Obviously far cheaper models are available, I have a feeling one of the finished enclosure suppliers uses a Chinese model from the secrecy around it and comments about it being temperamental...
I'm surprised they're using a proper milling machine rather than a large bed CNC router, someone must spend A LOT of time loading and unloading the jigs!

Anyone else disappointed Amanda Wampler didn't feature more in that video 

[m-Kresol]

I like the FET testing section without any ESD handling 

[culturejam]

Obviously far cheaper models are available, I have a feeling one of the finished enclosure suppliers uses a Chinese model from the secrecy around it and comments about it being temperamental...

I've been tempted a few times by the cheaper ones from China. But I always resist because I think about how much of a pain in the ass it will be to get setup without any support (nevermind if something breaks).

[playpunk]

Obviously far cheaper models are available, I have a feeling one of the finished enclosure suppliers uses a Chinese model from the secrecy around it and comments about it being temperamental...

I've been tempted a few times by the cheaper ones from China. But I always resist because I think about how much of a pain in the ass it will be to get setup without any support (nevermind if something breaks).

I got a China solder/desolder station in a trade, and it is kinda junk. It is very temperamental, and is totally unsupported.

I wouldn't do the trade again, TBH. Can't imagine buying a crappy Chinese uv printer and try to use it to make money.


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[sturgeo]

I've been tempted a few times by the cheaper ones from China. But I always resist because I think about how much of a pain in the ass it will be to get setup without any support (nevermind if something breaks).

I bought one of the Chinese 40W lasers with the intention of upgrading pretty much everything other than the x-y gantry, tube & enclosure. As it stands I've not done much other than build my own manual z table, the software is rubbish but once you figure out the idiosyncrasies you can get some decent results. In the long run I hope to replace the controller and fit a motorized z table to get a very usable machine at a fraction of the cost of a typical unit.

As you know, get a community going for these cheap Chinese machines and everything becomes easier, support, upgrades, etc. Fortunately the lasers are at a reasonable price point and are widely available so more people are willing to experiment with them, the UV printers however are still pretty pricey 

[culturejam]

ortunately the lasers are at a reasonable price point and are widely available so more people are willing to experiment with them, the UV printers however are still pretty pricey 

I was looking at this one because it's fairly small, on the cheap-er end, and can print on things as high as 75mm (big enough for a 125B):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/A4-size-uv-printer-shenzhen-for-pen-phone-case-etc/32717132962.html?spm=2114.13010308.0.0.LR6a7a

[wgc]

There's also pad (aka tampo) printing which can be really durable and not very expensive. An enclosure would be really easy to do, and it also allows for multiple colors.  Cleaner and quicker than silk screen IMHO. 

There's also inkjet printers that can print on enclosures (or just about anything for that matter) but I imagine that you might have better results with certain finishes that aren't standard for most of us.

[matmosphere]

Is there an affordable laser that can etch aluminum? That would be great.

[pickdropper]

Is there an affordable laser that can etch aluminum? That would be great.

It has less to do with expense than laser type.  Even the expensive one we bought for FFX won't do it as it's a CO2 laser.  To etch into bare metal, you need a fiber or yag laser.  I don't know much about the cheap ones, but with good lasers, those are very expensive.  I want one.  :-)

[culturejam]

I got the seller to send me the manual for that cheap UV printer I linked above. As you might expect, the English is pretty rough. But it's interesting to note that the print head is a clone of the same print head from an Epson L800 photo printer (generally only available in Asian markets). So at least there is a market for spare/replacement parts, which is better than some of the other cheap options.