What is hydrographic printing? Or how to start your own water printing business. Immersion or hydroprinting of images Immersion printing is a technology for applying texture to an object, which is performed in several stages

Water printing is a technology for applying special textures to various surfaces that are absolutely identical in appearance to natural wood, stone, metal, camouflage, skins of various animals, etc. Unlike other technologies, immersion printing allows you to work with any hard surfaces and materials: plastic, metal, wood, ceramics and glass.

What you need for aquaprint:

Film for hydrographic printing is a material with a certain texture.
– a special active substance that gives the film the necessary elasticity.
The protective coating is ideally car varnish.
Primer and paint - are used at the stage of preparing the part and are necessary for better adhesion and to give the desired color.
The equipment is a technological bath, the size and configuration of which is selected in accordance with the technical characteristics of the workpiece. You can try the technology without equipment; almost any container with water will do to get started, but for professional work and fulfilling client orders, a technological bath is necessary.
Knowledge of hydrographic printing technology. In general, Akvaprint technology is easy to use. You can start your first acquaintance with it literally at home. But in order to start doing really worthy work of good quality, accepting client orders and making a profit, you need to master hydrographic printing at a more professional level. Therefore, we offer you to undergo technology training at our production facility in Samara.

Aquaprint is a technology accessible to everyone. It can become an interesting hobby or a source of additional income, but the same technology can become the basis of a profitable and promising business. Master aquaprinting with us!

Application technology

Aquaprint is not a sticker. Getting to know the technology

Immersion printing is a technology for applying texture to an object, which is performed in several stages:

After covering with immersion film, the product can effectively resist:

ultraviolet radiation;

sudden temperature changes;

mechanical stress (chips, scratches);

high blood pressure;

exposure to moisture;

negative effects of increased vibration.

The main activity of our company is immersion printing (aquaprint, aquaprint). , video training lessons, expert assistance and practical exercises are just a short list of the services we provide. We provide full support to young and promising companies that have decided to start a business in the field of aquaprinting.

The warranty for coating parts with immersion printing is 5 years
Work completion time 2-3 days
Salon treatment cost

The cost of processing the interior of an average sedan is 10,000-13,000 rubles. A jeep costs about 15,000 rubles. A small car and a VAZ cost about 8,000 rubles.
Cost of immersion printing work

The cost of immersion printing works ranges from 3 to 5 rubles per square centimeter and is calculated from the area of the surface being processed. The texture of the film is chosen at the discretion of the customer and does not affect the final cost of hydrographic printing.

Immersion printing. Water seal. Waterprint.

APPLICATION GUIDE. AQUAprint yourself.

We will need:
1. Immersion soil.
2. Immersion varnish.
3. Activator for hydroprinting.
4. Scotch Brite for matting the surface.
5. Degreasing cloth.
6. Alcohol thermometer for water.
7. Protective mask (type A is sufficient).
8. Latex gloves.
9. Well, the instructions themselves accordingly.

CHOOSE A SUITABLE SIZE WATER CONTAINER.
We take any container that will fit the size of the part (thing) that you want to decorate. You can use, for example, a bucket or basin. If the part is large, then we use a regular bath. If, on the contrary, it is small, then you can use at least a cut-off canister. Everything is at your discretion and under your conditions. The most important thing here is that the depth of the container is sufficient so that your part can be freely and completely placed in it. It is better that during immersion there is still free space between the part and the sides of the container itself (at least 5-10 cm).

PREPARING THE SURFACE.
1. First you need to mat the surface. If the surface of the part is more or less smooth, then matte it with a polishing sponge. If it’s rough, with chips, bulges and other blemishes, then we just sand it and at the same time level everything out.
2. We degrease the surface of our part. We use any solvent or just alcohol as a degreaser.
3. Apply primer to the surface. It’s better to use a couple of layers with intermediate drying. You can prime it either from a spray bottle or simply by pouring it over or lowering the part directly into the primer itself.
4. We dry the product for 20-60 minutes, depending on the humidity and air temperature in the room. And again we mat our part with Scotch Brite.

SURFACE DECORATION.
1. Cut a piece of immersion film (aqua film) of the required size.

The size of the film should be 5-10 cm larger than our product on each side.
2. We glue strips of masking tape on all sides of our aqua film. We make small cuts in the middle of each strip of tape. About half the width of the tape itself.
3. We place the cut piece of immersion film on the water in our prepared container. The water must be heated to a certain temperature, 28-32 degrees Celsius. Water temperature plays a key role in the hydrographic printing process. It depends on how the drawing will fit on the part and whether it will fit at all. Possible problems and ways to eliminate them during the aquaprint process can be found in the summary table: aquaprint technology (problems and their solutions). The immersion film must be placed on the water with the soluble (active) side. The soluble side is very easy to identify! Just wet your fingers and pinch the edge of the aqua film on both sides. The side that will stick to your fingers is the active side. It is this side that our film should be placed on the water.

4. Carefully placing the aqua film on the water, wait 80-120 seconds. During this time, the film should “get used” to the water. Now we apply (by spraying) the activator to the aqua film. For spraying, you can use a regular plastic sprayer. The same one that is used for flowers (plants). The activator should be sprayed from a distance of approximately 20-30 cm. Try not to spray in droplets.

You can also spray the activator with a low pressure spray gun.
5. After pollination of the immersion film with the activator, wait 10-15 seconds. and immerse our part directly through the film into the water. You need to “sink” the part at an angle of 30-45 degrees.
6. Having “sunk” the product, hold it under water for another 30 seconds, periodically shaking, twisting, swaying or twitching. Who likes it more? This is necessary to remove any remaining film stuck to the product. After this, we take out the product and rinse it with warm running water without pressure. You can just take a shower.

7. After washing, we dry our product at room temperature 20-25 degrees for an hour.

FINAL PROCESSING.
After drying the product, to protect the film coating from mechanical damage and fading, we coat everything with varnish in 2-3 layers. For immersion printing (hydroprinting).

How to make an aquaprint with your own hands at home? Tuning for real

More and more people are interested in how to make water prints with their own hands at home. Nowadays, more and more drivers are trying to make their car more beautiful. External tuning is becoming increasingly popular. After all, this is how you can stand out from the stream of identical cars. In recent years, more and more new ways to improve the appearance of a car have appeared. Basically, these are modified old methods, but at the same time, they turn out to be much more convenient. Thanks to new technologies, changing the exterior of a car has become much easier. For these purposes, you no longer need to visit the service; you can do everything yourself.

How to make an aquaprint with your own hands at home? To answer this question you need to understand what it is. In fact, waterprint is a type of water immersion printing. Using this method, you can imitate a variety of surfaces. Moreover, it can be applied to any surface, customized to the design features. This method of decoration was actively used in Japan at the end of the last century.

Now, it has gained unprecedented popularity among craftsmen who are interested in car tuning. The film fits perfectly on all possible surfaces. This allows you to decorate cars of any model. The material practically does not fade, and also, it is not afraid of water. The latter characteristic makes this film popular among yacht owners.

What will you need?

This type of tuning requires quite a lot of different tools that will allow you to carry out this work as accurately as possible. Therefore, stock up on the following devices:

Water thermometer;
Electric boiler;
Bath for water. It must be the right size;
Compressor;
Spray.

This is the required minimum. A spray gun may also be required.

It all depends on the volume of work.

Preparing the car

An extremely important point is the correct preparation of the part for applying the film to it. This work consists of several stages. The appearance of the car after tuning largely depends on the correctness of their implementation. Preparation is carried out in the following order:

First, degrease the surface. To do this, wipe the part with a solvent.
Please note that many decorative parts of the car are coated with a rubber-containing substance. This is done to protect the part. Be sure to remove this substance completely;
Sand the surface with fine sandpaper. This will greatly simplify gluing the decorative film;
After sanding the part, a special primer is applied to it;
The part is primed. For this, a regular primer is used. If a small area of the body is being processed, you can purchase it in an aerosol can. For large volumes, the easiest way is to use a spray gun.

It remains to carry out the last preparatory operation - applying the base color. The easiest way to do this is to use nitro-based paints. It dries quickly enough and allows you to stick the film without much difficulty. It is important to choose the right color. This is done taking into account the characteristics of the film that you plan to use. To select a color, it is better to take the advice of professionals. Most stores that offer car paints will mix the best color for you.

Application of aquaprint

Before the main work, make sure that the paint is completely dry. If everything is in order, then you can start gluing the part.

We do it this way:

First, heat the water in the bathroom. It should be at a temperature of 30°C;
We cut the film. We make cuts along the edges every 2 cm;
We immerse the prepared pieces of film in water. This should be done with the adhesive side down. You can determine the correct position of the material by touching it with wet fingers. On one side they will stick, on the other they will not;
We observe the film floating on the water; after about 2 minutes, the cuts along the edges should turn upward;
We apply the activator to the part, the easiest way to do this is with a brush;
The next stage varies depending on the characteristics of the part being glued. Small elements are removed from the machine and immersed in the bath. The process of applying aquaprint takes place directly in water. Large body parts are generously moistened with water, after which they are covered with film.

This is where the bulk of the work ended. Be sure to wash off any grease from the coating. It is also recommended to coat the part with a clear varnish. This will protect the film from damage during operation.

Conclusion. Many car enthusiasts strive to improve the appearance of their car. That is why they are often interested in how to make an aquaprint with their own hands at home. After all, this is a very beautiful type of tuning. At the same time, there are practically no problems during the film application process.

What is the essence of this technology?

It's simple! A very thin layer of paint with an image (any texture or pattern) is evenly applied to the prepared part in an aqueous environment. After drying, the decorated surface of the part is varnished and polished (or remains under matte varnish).

How are the parts of production cars coming off the assembly line processed?

Since the late 80s, all leading automakers have been using this technology when decorating car interiors as an alternative to finishing with natural materials. Today, most production cars rolling off assembly lines have components processed using this technology. Decorating “like wood” is especially popular - in its finished form it is difficult to understand whether it is “Aquaprint” or natural veneer! The peculiarity of processing parts in auto studios is exclusive! You will not find such color and texture options on production cars.

Why do I need to decorate my car using Aquaprint technology?

The new look of your car is beautiful, exclusive and matches your ideas about the interior decor and finishing of the exterior elements of the body...

What does Aquaprint coating provide?

individuality, and this, among other things, is a kind of anti-theft complex;

quality at the level of “factory” decor;

the pleasure of being in a car, the interior of which we observe longer (we drive inside...) than we examine the car from the outside...

What can be coated using the Aquaprint technology from exterior parts?

Wheels, radiator grille, moldings, decorative trims, mirrors, door handles, etc. It all depends on your desire, the ability to dismantle the part and the size of the working container for coating. The coating resists the effects of an aggressive external environment no worse (if not better) than the standard paint coating.

How long does the coating last?

The entire period of operation of the car! “Aquaprint” is covered with a layer of varnish and the condition of the decorative elements depends only on your attitude towards it...

Advantages of "Aquaprint" in comparison with interior veneering

Significantly lower price for decoration, not afraid of temperature changes, large selection of images, fast order execution time.

How to care for treated surfaces?

No special care required. You can remove dust and dirt from the surface with polishes (for car interior care) using soft wipes. Do not use organic solvents, acetone or other aggressive liquids for cleaning.

How long does it take to work on parts?

The process is labor-intensive and requires strict adherence to technology at all stages of processing (especially drying). Depending on the type of car and the number of elements, the process usually lasts no more than five days. In most cases, the removed elements do not interfere with movement by car.

Beauty requires sacrifice!

How to remove the “boring” coating and change the appearance of the car again?

There is no need to remove the Aquaprint! You can apply a new design on top, simply paint it or cover it with vinyl film...

How much will such an exclusive cost?

For example, the cost of finishing the center console of a car starts from 1,500 rubles. And finishing of all internal plastic and metal interior elements - 10,000 - 20,000 rubles. It is not much more expensive than finishing the same parts with decorative vinyl film. But the appearance and wear resistance of the Aquaprint coating are incomparably better!

Akvapechat or aquaprint is a technology for applying special textures to various surfaces that are absolutely identical in appearance to natural wood, stone, metal, camouflage, skins of various animals, etc. Unlike other technologies, immersion printing allows you to work with any hard surfaces and materials: plastic, metal, wood, ceramics and glass.

There are practically no restrictions! External and internal elements of cars, rims, computers, furniture, accessories, sports equipment and even weapons - all of this can be covered with our decorative coating.

Any item can be made more attractive and original.

high pressure washing
hot steam treatment
temperature from -50 to +180С
exposure to vibration
ultraviolet radiation

Depending on the number and area of parts, the process will take from two to five days. During this time you will not be left without your favorite “vehicle”. In most cases, removing elements is not an obstacle to operating the vehicle.

Today, water print is one of the most common methods of restoration and decoration of car interiors. Using this relatively new technology, you can quickly and inexpensively transform the interior of your car, making its interior modern. Aquaprint technology (immersion printing) is as follows: a picture applied to a film base is softened in prepared water, and then transferred to a given surface using special equipment. Particular attention is paid to preparing the surface, which is first primed, a background is applied to it, and then thoroughly dried.

Features of water printing Decorating car interiors using water printing has a number of obvious advantages, let's name some of them: Versatility. The aquaprint technique allows you to decorate any hard surface in the car interior, even those with complex terrain. Parts made of plastic and metal are suitable as a basis: dashboard, door handles, instrument panel, gear lever, etc.

Today it is quite easy to change the appearance of any product beyond recognition. After all, hydrographic printing has now become available to us - a technology for applying decorative coatings to objects of various shapes. It has many names - immersion printing, aquaprint, 3D decoration.

A little history

This technology began to be used in the 80s of the last century, but has not lost its relevance to this day. Moreover, it has now become publicly available. It’s not difficult to do. To do this, you just need to have a set of necessary devices.

Hydraulic printing technology

Immersion printing is quite easy to use. Special films, which today can be bought in almost any specialized store, are placed in a solution and applied to the part. The pattern remains due to the fact that the film envelops the product. The coating is applied under the influence of strong chemicals at a certain temperature and water density.

Stages of applying hydrographic printing

Who among us doesn’t want to update the appearance of our own car or furniture, elegantly decorate windows or various souvenirs?! Hydraulic printing at home makes our wishes possible.

The process itself consists of several stages.

First you need to decide on the design of the film,
choose color and protective varnish.
Then you will have to work with the surface on which you intend to apply hydrographic printing. It must be cleaned, degreased, sanded and painted in the base color you chose at the very beginning.
Now you can proceed to the hydrographic printing itself.
Finally, several layers of varnish are applied to the dried product, which gives the treated item a finished look.

Do-it-yourself hydrographic printing

Of all the above stages, the most difficult is applying the print. Although you shouldn't worry about this. It is safe to say that each of us can apply hydrographic printing with our own hands; for this we do not need to have special skills.

You need to take any container that is suitable in volume and fill it with water at a certain temperature. The film for aquaprints has a water-soluble base, so it is laid out in water. It gradually becomes soft and is distributed in an even layer on the surface. Next, an activator is applied, turning the film into liquid. Immediately after this, the product you have prepared for processing is immersed in the container. Thanks to water, the decorative coating is evenly applied to the surface of the object.

As you can see, hydrographic printing, done with your own hands according to the instructions, is accessible to almost everyone. But any product regains its former attractiveness and presentable appearance.

Advantages of hydrographic printing

This technology has many advantages that those who have encountered it at least once have long recognized.

You see how many advantages hydrographic printing has! You can create miracles with your own hands, repainting products, making them prettier and more attractive.

Few people are familiar with the phrase “immersion printing,” but all car enthusiasts know the word “tuning.” What do they have in common? Let's figure it out.

What is hydrographic printing used for?

Car tuning (from English tuning - “tuning”) involves changing the appearance and decorating individual elements. Finishing can be done in different ways, including using the immersion printing method.

Considering that the army of car enthusiasts is constantly growing and regularly renewing their personal fleets, it is not at all surprising that interest in water prints is growing.

A specific process allows you to transfer the desired pattern to a surface of any shape, even one with many curves. Due to the ability to paint three-dimensional surfaces, decorating with hydrographic printing is called 3D technology.

Operating principle of water-soluble printing

Immersion printing technology implies the possibility of applying a special textured film that dissolves in water to any smooth surface. That is why it is also called hydrographic printing.

To find out whether it is possible to do immersion printing yourself, you should first understand the principle of its operation. The main material is a special WTP film, onto which a specific multi-color pattern is industrially applied.

There are a great many options for graphic coverings. This can be an imitation of the surface of stone, metal, ceramics, various types of wood, animal skins or fur. Also popular are designs that create the illusion of carbon fiber (carbon fiber) and military camouflage. Prints with plants, flowers, fruits or fantasy designs look beautiful.

Equipment for aquaprint

The process of hydrographic coating does not seem labor-intensive; anyone can do immersion printing with their own hands. The procedure for applying aquaprint is carried out in a rectangular metal bath equipped with heating elements and automation that constantly maintains a certain water temperature. To work, you also need a spray gun and chemical protective equipment (respirator, overalls, gloves).

Today, compact semi-automatic equipment, which can be inexpensively purchased and installed in a small room, is widely used.

Process stages

Having all the necessary materials available, you can start making immersion printing yourself. The product that will be decorated must first be treated with an abrasive material in order to smooth the surface as much as possible. After this, degrease and cover with a thin layer of primer using a spray gun. The result will be a substrate layer on which the hydrographic layer will be placed.

Having cut off the required piece of decorative film, you need to carefully place it on the surface of the water with the matte side down. After waiting no more than two minutes, you need to evenly apply a layer of solvent with a sprayer. As a result of a chemical reaction, the film softens. The paint completely dissolves in water, but does not mix with it, but remains in the form of a thin layer of suspension.

The product to be painted must be carefully immersed vertically in the liquid so as to completely moisten it. The melted film will softly and evenly envelop the entire work surface. By shaking the part in water several times, you can get rid of unnecessary residues.

When performing immersion, you need to act carefully and methodically, avoiding sudden movements. The painted surface should be thoroughly rinsed under running water and then dried with compressed air. The last step is to apply a protective layer of varnish.

Aqua immersion printing, made by yourself, allows you to decorate various surfaces, creating a unique design. The advantage of water print can also be considered its low cost, practicality and durability.

One of the technologies that makes it possible to apply images to any surface is immersion printing. This method has other names, for example, hydrographic printing, hydroprinting or aquadecorating. Over time, this species quickly conquered the field of finishing materials for cars.

Thanks to hydrographic printing, you can stick any design onto various elements or the surface of the car body, thereby significantly transforming it and making it look better. Its popularity is explained by the fact that immersion printing is considered a high-quality and reliable method of applying an image to a surface.

Basic concept

The concept of “Hydroprinting” appeared relatively recently and is often used to apply images to various materials. These include:

Tree.
Glass.
Metal.
Carbon.
Porcelain.
Rubber.
Plastic.
Alloys.

Immersion printing is possible on products of different shapes, which is not applicable for most conventional types of printing. This method is ideal for applying a picture to the body or individual parts of a car.

Many people are interested in the question: what is immersion printing? This is a specific printing method during which an image is transferred from a film (immersion film) to the desired surface. The entire process is carried out in water.

Printing technology

Immersion printing differs in application technology compared to conventional types of decoration. It has numerous advantages:

Dramatic printing is resistant to external factors, temperature changes, direct sunlight, vibration, dust and moisture.
Due to the absolute resemblance to natural materials, the details acquire a chic appearance.
High practicality of the treated surface.
Printing allows you to apply coating to absolutely any surface and material.
Printing is carried out using high-tech modern equipment with the obligatory passage of several stages of processing.

The manufacturing technology of immersion printing takes place in five stages:

Why does the transfer take place in water? The point is that it allows you to evenly distribute the load, resulting in a surface without folds and waves.

Printing equipment

Equipment for immersion printing consists of special baths with pumps that fill with water. There are also heaters that ensure maintaining the desired temperature, water filters, an activator and pumps for circulation.

Spray guns apply base paint to the surface of an object. You also need a film and an activator that dissolves it.

Comparison with vinyl

The only serious competitor to hydrographic printing is vinyl. In this case, the surface is covered with a special film. However, over time it may peel off and become blistered. In addition, vinyl does not tolerate high humidity and temperature changes quite well, which affects its appearance.

But hydrographic printing has enormous advantages. The materials easily tolerate temperature changes, sunlight and dust. Immersion printing technology meets the requirements of quality, reliability and durability.

DIY immersion printing

In other words, “solvent”

The process of hydrographic printing at home is quite simple and understandable even for a beginner. It consists of several stages:

Polishing the surface of the part.
Application of primer.
Applying base paint.
Cutting the film to the required sizes.
Fixing the film in water.
Application activator.
Immersion of the part.
Washing it.
Varnishing and drying of the product.

Mandatory equipment is an immersion printing bath, an activator, a film and an airbrush. It is usually done in car repair shops or other similar establishments, but you can apply the image yourself at home.

First, the surface of the product is treated with abrasives to smooth it. Then it is degreased and covered with a thin layer of primer, on which a graphic layer is applied.

Having cut off the desired piece of film, it must be carefully placed on the surface of the water. After waiting for several minutes, an activator is applied, as a result of which the film softens and dissolves in water. The activator is quite harmful, so it should be applied carefully.

The product to be painted is immersed vertically in water, and the film smoothly lies on it. By gently shaking the part, you can remove any excess residue. It is worth remembering that do-it-yourself aqua immersion printing should be done carefully and methodically, excluding sudden movements.

Equipment and materials

What do you need for hydrographic printing? We partially discussed this issue above. Now let's talk about this in more detail.

Bath for immersion printing. This is a special bathroom with a volume of 500-1000 liters (the size will depend on the area of the parts that are planned to be processed). The drain is connected directly to it. The container is maintained at a constant temperature.
It would be a good idea to purchase a thermometer to regulate the water temperature. A filter is also connected, which keeps the water clean and removes film residues.
Decorative film. This material needs to be transparent, sold in any hardware store. The surface of the film must be free of scratches, creases or dents. The image on the film is predominantly compressed.
Spray guns. Serve to process the part to prepare it for applying the image. You will also need a second spray gun, which applies the chemistry of the design to the film. Since the substances in different equipment are different, it is not allowed to use one spray gun for both processes.
Nuclear chemistry or activator, thanks to which the pattern is attached to the surface. It is sold in any hardware stores.
Varnish for coating the finished part and a grinding machine. The varnish should be chosen not concentrated so that the design is not damaged.
Washing for processing the product after applying the image. A bathtub can be used here, but a separate sink with clean water will be most effective.

Immersion printing allows you to enhance the appearance of your car and create a truly unique design. The main advantages of this type of printing are relatively low cost, long service life and practicality. Make your car stand out among millions!

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