Before I ask my question, I would just let you all know I know nothing about metal work.
I have a computer business, and was intrested in branding my computers more. What I want to do is somehow put my logo onto the computer case, but not with just simply put on a sticker. I wanted to somehow engrave my the case with my logo so if people touch it, they can feel my logo(simlair to an HP, DELL, IBM computer).
I will buy aluminum Cases and then put my logo on the side. I spoke with a famiyl friend who didn't know too much about it but thought that i would need something like a clamp that had a our logo on it, and when we clamp it down on the side of the case it will put our logo on it. He said it was called embossing.
I was wondering if this was the correct way to do it? if not, is there an more effienct way? and how much a machine like this would cost me about(i am in toronto)?
Ayup. See this all the time in my line of work. But it works best if the panel is unpainted...Doing it already finished...it may screw up the paint. If its powder coated..it WILL screw up the powder coat.
Ymmv of course.
Gunner
"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosphy of sniveling brats." -- P.J. O'Rourke
You might try hot foil imprinting. Very professional in appearance and works well on all kinds of surfaces. It will actually melt itself into a painted surface quite nicely. Best of luck.
Why don't you silk screen your logo on? You can make it whatever color you like, relatively large, and it will have a bit of feel because of the thickness of the paint. Just be sure to use a compatible paint/solvent system that allows you to quicly clean off the logo if you botch it without dissolving the underlying finish. That will prevent you from ending up with cases that are scrap because the cover is not salable.
If you wish to do embossing, plan on also repainting the panel. The embossing will crack the paint as well as show scrapes from the working of the metal. Better to do as others have mentioned and silkscreen the panel. This will also allow you to paint the plastic front panel as you desire.
-- Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?
I was thinking that if you had a stencil made, you could sandblast the logo on. You can clearcoat or paint over it after you're done, using the same stencil, possibly. Depending on the grit and paint you use, the texture will be unique and easily felt. Not embossing, but another idea that anyone at your store can do (out back, that is!)
Douglas, an awful lot of post-finishing forming is done these days through the use of protective papers and elastomeric covers on the forming equipment. Most pre-finished material is merely brake formed, but there are a number of items I've seen that were (lightly) embossed into pre-finished coil stock.
There are a number of application specific surfacing materials with enough elasticity to withstand the operations.
Looks good, works well, and is long lasting. You can have professional silk screens made for you from your artwork, and with a bit of practice/training can apply the silk screening to your product by yourself. (By the way, the better silk screens are made from stainless steel mesh mounted in an aluminum frame).
Just about every laser and ink-jet printer is labeled using this method, as are Xerox copiers, IBM Computers, etc., so you'd be in fine company. By contrast, I really can't think of many products of major firms (at least in the computer and electronics field) that have embossed markings on them.
I am seriously very thankful to the knowledable replies. I am alot less lost now. thank you all for helping me gain a little understanding.
I at first wanted to emboss the case because I thought it'd make my small business look really big, but I was also worried about the embossing cracking the paint on the case already(most cases will just be unpainted shinny aluminum, but some may be painted). I was told(not sure how true it is) that if I emboss a larger logo on it the paint won't crack. If the letters are small and the logo is really fine, then paint could crack(if its power coated).
I am starting to consider Silk screening. It seems more economical since right now we're not selling too many computers.
To label the monitors, i was looking into print screens, from what I can tell silk screens are almost the same(except the stencle is made out of silk), is there anything else?
Also for now, i was going to spent about 500 (could go up to 800) to label the cases, from my research that pretty much makes it hard to get an embossing machine. But thanks to you all, i think i got another idea. one of my business partners used to paint cars and maybe we airbrush the case(or leave it normal aluminum look), and then put a silk screen ontop of it.
If someone touchs the silk screen, would the paint come off? Sometimes people put their machines on the floor and their legs rub against it, or it may be near a vent. Would tempature or touching it wear it out? Does the colour fade? Would I be able to do it myself if i got a template made? or would it be economical to get it done by a professional?
Should i totally drop the idea of embossing, or would it look more professional then silk screen?
Thanks for everything already, sorry to ask more questions. But if you can just let me know anything problems or things i should consider when doing this, it'll help me alot :-)
Airbrush through a stencil would certainly work, though it is partly dependent on the skill of the painter getting the paint on evenly. And even if you spend on a nice airbrush it'll be simpler than silkscreening. But maybe not as permanent due to the nature of the paints, in airbrush you don't apply a very thick film unless you sit there for a half hour going back and forth...
The paint or ink sticking to your cases and monitors is all dependent on what kind of paint or ink you use, and it's compatibility with the surface you put it on. Almost every decorated tee-shirt you see was silk-screened onto the fabric, and I have some 20 year old shirts that have been laundered hundreds of times, and the ink still looks good.
It is simple enough to do yourself, though it will take a modest investment in tools and supplies. Screen frames pre-stretched with silk fabric, frame hinges with clamps, photo-resist stencil material, masking paper for the non-image areas of the screen, several types of special inks for almost any surface, squeegees, solvents...
You'll want to have a printing shop expose your stencils and stick them to the silk, they're the only places that still have large format cameras and the UV plate burners to expose them.
The custom work will be making a screen holder setup to hold the screen and your parts to be marked in the right position - unpack the monitor or assembled case, lay it on the table face-up in a special jig, and then the screen lowers into the right place.
Doing multi-color is where it gets tricky, because you need a turret press - a lazy susan that holds all 3-4-5-6 screens (Yellow, Cyan, Magenta, Black, Metallic or detail colors like flesh pink...) so they spin and index into exact alignment over the print table with your target product. And forget about half-tones, one screen per color.
You're lucky - with a hard painted surface, if you screw up in the printing process you can take a rag and solvent, wipe off the ink, and start over. When they screw up tee shirts, they're trash.
Embossing is only useful if you order the cases done that way from the factory, they'll form them in one press shot. They'll get the die geometry right so it doesn't crack around the letters, or warp, and the paint (or powder-coat) will be done right so the finish sticks.
But that's a huge investment in tooling and case parts, because they'll want to do a few hundred to a few thousand cases in each manufacturing run - you want to fill a short container and ship in bulk... You can have them done 10 at a time, but that will make each case very expensive.
HP has the sheetmetal sides of their cases embossed, but they sell a few million units a year, too. Spread the costs around that much, order that many cases at a time, and the embossing is almost free.
Not that I've done some printing and silkscreen work in my past, or anything... ;-)
I don't believe you have ever mentioned your cost per unit budget. Other options may be laser cutting/water jet cutting a logo from stainless or acrylic and doing a glue on. There are also some companies that do formed stampings as stickers that can look really good.
If you choose a case with removable flat side panels (rather than a formed U case) you could probably water jet cut your logo as a perforation and back it up with acrylic (and even those cool internal lights for the real geeks).
If you are selling the high-end stuff, you logos incorporated as part of the "cool factor" might make a little bigger investment worth it. Geeks do seem to like spending on the flashy lights/"billet machined" look to impress the other geeks. Hell, there are even people spending big bucks for machined wood mice and wood computer replacement cases fabricated on a CNC mill.
Koz (who starts wondering if the junkyard look of old pallet scrap wood would make an interesting computer case)
And if they arenice at all, and don't have your actual name on them, you'll find them advertised in "asian computer source" magazine before you get your first shipment
No Need to. Find someone in your area that does "Doming".
"Doming" is the practice of putting either a 2 part clear urethane or a one part UV cure urethane on top of a simple vinyl Graphic. What you end up with is a "Sticker" that is smoothly "Domed" in the shape you want.
You have seen this process on PC's already, usually in that little square recess on the front, where vendors proudly inserted their company names.
You have also seen it on many automobiles, one that comes to mind is the logo for the NEON.
Google "Doming Vinyl" and you'll find some info.
I used to do it, but you need the right environment. With a CNC router throwing dust around, I do not have it !
Using metalized films and transparent colors reveal some excellent looking logos.
I missed the staff meeting but the minutes show Gunner wrote back on Wed, 04 May 2005 15:02:44 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :
There are sites out there which will show the occasional "odd mod". The dual boot system which is housed in the box for Linux and Win XP. The Manual Typewriter. The PC in the monitor.
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