Sublimation Printing

Sublimation (diffusion) printing is a textile process in which color patterns in dry die crystals are transferred from a release film to the fabric under high heat and pressure. The process has been adapted to plastics. The equipment used is very similar to that used for hot stamping. Under heat and pressure, the dye crystals sublime (go directly to the vapor phase from the solid phase without melting) and the vapor penetrates the plastic product. As a result, the decoration is very durable and wear resistant. It is also cost competitive against other processes such as two-step injection molding or silk screening. 

The process is generally limited to certain plastics such as TP polyester and polyester based alloys due to the availability of dye technology from the textile industry. However, new dyes are under development and the application of the process to more plastics is anticipated. 

Lettering and decoration can be applied to most materials using various printing methods. Offset printing, silk screening, and pad printing are among the methods adapted to plastics. 

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Indirect application as transfer by sublimation printing. Here, the design is initially printed... 

Swain, P., 2011. Sublimation 101. Available at http //www.sawgrassink.com/education-events/dye-sublimation-printing-guidebook. 

Disperse dyes are used to print on polyester and are usually washed postlixation, particularly if destined for use as garments. Disperse and other dyes applied by the transfer method may be less likely to be washed postfixation, particularly if used for placement prints such as on T-shirts rather than yardage. Disperse dyes are also known as sublimation printing, discussed further in Chapter 10 of this book. 

Hoekstra, W., 2013. Interview early sublimation print machinery. 

There are two principal technologies for transfer thermography, mass transfer, sometimes called wax transfer, and sublimation printing. Both strategies require a donor sheet, one for each primary color to be printed. The donor sheet(s) passes over the print head in contact with the receptor, i.e., the paper. In the former technique, the heat melts a wax-based ink coated on the donor, and causes it to transfer to the receptor in terms of ink for-... 

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