ID-Mark (UV Water Etch) Aluminum Panel Labels

[Steve Mavronis]

This is still called ID-Mark. No problem making this stick to any enclosure surface - bare or powder coated, and its metal too! Safer and a more reliable consistent pro look than chancy acid etching boxes with sometimes mixed results or unwanted pitting. I requested free samples and used them to create the UV etched adhesive panels for my DIY pedal artwork. You should check it out and get some if you have a UV rig. Oh, and I cut out my holes "after" sticking it carefully centered on my boxes. On my artwork I include crosshairs where the openings are and then stick an X-acto blade through from the top to carve around the opening edges previously drilled into the box. Perfect circle cutouts every time.

[Earthscum]

I used to use that at my last job. The developer chemicals are kind of nasty, but really just like doing B&W photography. The entire process is almost exactly the same. For anyone that might have an old setup that you just couldn't get yourself to toss, you could definitely put some of it back to use. 

Do you boil them to seal them when you're done? We had a slick boiler unit that would fit about half a dozen 12" x 20" sheets at one time. After we expose and developed, we'd boil in deionized water and then use a wax (like a cream car wax) to make it shine and get rid of any stray oxy. Combine that with high resolution stencils, and honestly it can't be beat, not even by laser etching.

We also had a nice developer unit, too... not totally necessary, but man... stick your sheet in one side and just catch it at the other, rinse it in deionized water, and it was done. When you're running a dozen or so 8x10's, it sure was nice, lol. Expose one, develop the other one and just run a chain, half hour to a stack on my own.

[Steve Mavronis]

No chemicals are required at all - only water used to rinse the etch away after the UV exposure and then it fully cures. The trick is just getting the exposure time right. I didn't add any protective coating. They don't seem to need it but it probably wouldn't hurt to optionally clear coat the whole box afterwards. The cool thing is if you mess up etching a label you haven't ruined your box. Just make another label correcting your mistake.

One thing that annoys me is when I see people use labels or stickers of any kind and don't take care to measure and trim the edges to fit the box evenly for a pro look, especially not following the rounded corner curves of the enclosure suface. They look like scissors gone mad were used and lost control with crazy irregular cuts and ruins the effect. I slice the sheets with a metal straight edge and razer knife and carefully round the corners with scissors and file them smooth. Of course you ahve to stick it on straight too but its easy if you have a steady hand starting at one end centered and guiding it on the sides as you slowly peel off the backing.

[Earthscum]

They've changed it in the last 4 years, then. When I was using it, you had to use a developer and fixative, and boil it (it' is anodized, after all) to seal it. We just used the wax to polish it.

Not surprising, though... just in the last year they've taken away my caustic soda screen de-hazer and I am now stuck using this goofy 24 hour process, and it sucks. All lead is out of inks, so any color mixes you had 2 years ago are null... orange doesn't cover anymore, it's semi-translucent. Gotta love it.

ETA: Ok, I'm confused... how the hell are you doing this process?!? According to the metalphoto-processing-systems.pdf the system hasn't changed at all. You still need the developer, fixer, sealing tank... Please share! lol. This stuff is durable as hell, and if I can do it in my bathroom without Zip chemicals, I'd be ultra stoked. One of the things we used it for is some 10" x 6" plates (with 2" folded over along the 10" side) that get sunk into concrete. It's the only process that will stand up to the elements, besides 3D cast plates, or electro-etched (both cost way more than the City wanted to pay, obviously).

[Steve Mavronis]

ETA: Ok, I'm confused... how the hell are you doing this process?!? According to the metalphoto-processing-systems.pdf the system hasn't changed at all. You still need the developer, fixer, sealing tank... Please share! lol. This stuff is durable as hell, and if I can do it in my bathroom without Zip chemicals, I'd be ultra stoked. One of the things we used it for is some 10" x 6" plates (with 2" folded over along the 10" side) that get sunk into concrete. It's the only process that will stand up to the elements, besides 3D cast plates, or electro-etched (both cost way more than the City wanted to pay, obviously).

My mistake it is still called ID-Mark on New Horizons under other products. I was assuming it was renamed, and I was wrong LOL. This graphic is still the process for ID-Mark:

http://www.horizonsisg.com/idmark.html

[Ice-9]

Thanks Steve, this looks like just the thing I need for a faceplate of the amp I am building. I have just ordered my free samples to see what it's like.

[Steve Mavronis]

Some artwork design tips:  I designed the graphics in a free photoshop-like program called GIMP (www.gimp.org) where you can work in layers to build up your final image. I set it up to be in 300 DPI with a grid setting of 30 pixels to represent 1/10th an inch. That way I can work to scale an insure it fits centered on the top surface of my enclosure. When I'm done I can print it 300 DPI so it's exact full size. You could print directly to your label material or a PDF writer if you have one installed. Now I print the final artwork to an inkjet transparency sheet, so I flip it reverse before printing. The idea is to have direct surface contact because I "etch" it using UV onto thin 0.007" aluminum ID-Mark.