In German, they call it wassertransferdruck. The process of printing by the use of water has many popular names, among which water immersion printing, or hydro imaging, or fluid imaging, but it also has many uses. This process is used in many industries for creating various prints on three dimensional objects, as it’s a great imaging technique which offers good results.

The most popular reproductions used in the wassertransferdruck are camouflage, wood grain, carbon fiber, metal etc., but in fact, you can choose to draw any pattern you want on a hydrographic film. You can either choose simple graphics of elaborated patterns – these images will be transferred, using water as a medium, to the objects, by the use of water pressure and some adhesive substances. Wassertransferdruck is very useful when you need to decorate equipment, such as sporting equipment, but also on certain materials such as fiberglass, ceramics, metal or plastic. Because this process uses pressure to make perfect adhesion, the objects which will be printed need to be perfectly clean and neat, and so preparation is key when using this printing technique.

Here is how the process takes place: first, a hydrographic film is needed, onto which some patterns are drawn; these patterns refer to the image you want to set on your objects. After the objects have been prepared and their surface is clean for the printing stage, this hydrographic film is put into a basin with water, which was previously heated to 31 degrees C. The hydrographic film will start to dissolve in water, until the ink forms a pellicle on the surface of the water. The next phase is to coat the object or the objects with epoxy primer to make sure adhesion takes place flawlessly. Another substance used for controlling the hue of the pattern is also used in preparing the object.

While some patterns, such as wood grain, require a brown coat, others often use neutral bases. After all preparation has been completed, it’s time for the actual printing process. The object is dipped into the water and the ink on its surface wraps itself around the object using water pressure. After submersion, the object is taken out, cleaned of residues and left to dry. A few more checkups are taken to verify if the printing has any flaws, and then the object is finished with a flat or glossy coat, depending on the client’s demand.

This is, in short, how the wassertransferdruck process takes place. Some of the main benefits of using this water printing method include its economic advantages, but also its environmental consideration and the durability factor. Using this process allows preserving the actual resources of the environment, such as wood and metal, while providing prints which last for many years. This technique is very common in the car industry and related businesses, so you can understand that it is used to create durable prints which withstand both the effects of time and nature. Plus, adjustments can be made at any moment, either for creating new prints or just updating some equipment. The process is really quick and convenient, so it’s perfect for any business which needs thing done rapidly and with great quality.

It only takes 15 minutes to print an object using the wassertransferdruck http://www.hgarts.com process. Use hydrographic film http://www.hgarts.com to print 3D objects!