Adaptive Graphx

Adaptive Graphx

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
I was at the recent Boise sportsmen's show and found out a way for you to trick out some of your hunting equipment. Kelly Squires told met the technicians at Adaptive Graphx are masters of the Water Transfer Printing Process.

From large production runs to custom jobs, their skill and our advanced production facility consistently deliver the highest quality and best value for our customers.

Water Transfer Printing allows detailed graphics and images to be applied to both interior and exterior surfaces. This process is suitable for nearly every object, large or small, and can be applied to virtually any type of material. Water Transfer Printing is also called immersion printing, hydrographic printing, hydro dipping, hydro imaging, camo dipping, and fluid imaging. A brief overview of the process follows:

The item to be decorated is "cleaned and scuffed" for the application of a primer coat. A base paint coat is then applied that serves as the bonding surface for the film/pattern layer.  The pattern is printed on a specialized film called PVA (poly vinyl alcohol) which is the carrier for the specialized ink. The film/pattern is placed in water, causing the PVA to become soluble. This allows the pattern to mold around the item being decorated. After the pattern is applied the item is inspected for quality, and if passed, a final protective coating is applied. This protective coating (clear coat) is applied to provide additional durability and a finished look. After curing the item is ready for shipping or pickup.

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