HYDROGRAPHICS

The hydrographics printing process is widely used for decorating items that range from entire off-road vehicles and car dashboards to smaller objects like bicycle helmets or other components. The hydrographic films can be applied to all types of substrates such as plastic, fiberglass, wood, ceramics, and metal. This largely depends on whether the object is free of electronics so that it can be submerged in water. During this process, the substrate must be pre-treated with a base coat before the film can be applied. The film, which is pre-printed with an image to be transferred onto the object, is carefully placed on the surface of a water tank. An activator is sprayed onto the film, causing it to dissolve into a liquid paint while also activating a binder. The object is then dipped into the water tank and pressed through the floating ink layers. The ink layers, along with the binder, wrap around the object. The adhesion is a result of the chemical components of the activator, which softens the base coat, allowing the ink to bond to the object.