SUBLIMATION : A PERMANENT DECORATION

Sublimation is a decoration technique using 100% ecological inks that change from solid to gaseous state : this is sublimation ! Volatile under heat conditions, dyes will penetrate the object, and while cooling down, will solidify into the surface of the object. The result looks like an indelebile tatoo, permanent, showing high-definition images with brilliant colours.

Step 1 : After graphical adaptations, the image is printed onto a tranfer support.

Step 2 : The printed support is appllied onto the object surface.

Step 3 : Under specific heat and pressure conditons in a 3D sublimation oven, dyes sublimate, leave the transfer support, and penetrate the object material.

Step 4 : When going out of the oven, dyes cool down and turn back to solid state : catched inside the material, they restitute the chosen picture.

 

 A the beginning, SUBLIMATION for fabrics...

The process of sublimation is well known for flat products for a long time, and was discovered in 1957 by Noël de Plasse, a French engineer working at "Lainière de Roubaix". The process is still used for polyester fabric printing (for garment and furniture fabrics). The process is the same as the one discribed above, unlike that dyes sublimation for fabrics is done using a Roll-to-Roll rotary heat transfer printer for huge productions or  a flat press for unit productions.

 

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