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1. Prime Products Silicone Ink Case Study

   January 23, 2017 11:58 am Leave a Comment

   Recently a major name in the medical device industry came to Prime Products with a specific problem. The company was having a difficult time getting their logo made from silicon ink to adhere to the silicone handle of a surgical tool.

   Selecting Prime Products

   The client chose Prime Products to take on this challenge for a number of reasons. These included:

   • Our 35 years of custom paint service experience,
   • Our 23,000 sq. ft. AS9100 and ISO 9001:2008 certified facilities
   • Our team of painting and substrate experts all of whom are able to solve even the most complex custom painting services challenges

   Particulars of the Project

   For this project, we knew that impurities in the substrate must be the issue. In fact, it turned out that the culprit was a chemical from the amine family. These chemical derivatives of ammonia are often found on the rubber gloves so commonly used in medical facilities.

   At this point, the challenge was to find the right method to remove these impurities. We first tried a variety of solvents including NAPHTHA, MEK, and isopropyl alcohol. When these standard treatments were not effective, it was clear that a more technical approach was necessary.

   Prime Products Plasma-Jet Surface Treatment

   In the end, it was determined that Prime Products’ unique plasma-jet surface treatment would be the most effective in solving this problem. Once the surface was clear of all amines, we quickly applied the silicone logo to avoid any further problems. In the end, our client received prompt and cost-effective service and came away extremely satisfied with the results.

   This case study is the perfect example of how Prime Products uses its industry leading combination of technical expertise and high-quality materials to solve even the most difficult paint application challenges.

   If you have a challenging industrial or commercial painting project, please contact Prime Products today and let or custom painting experts solve it for you.

2. Creating a Unique Illuminated Panel with Prime Products

   11:32 am Leave a Comment

   Custom Fabrication of Illuminated Components

   Prime Products is known for a number of different services, but perhaps our most popular offering is our custom fabrication of illuminated panels. Since our founding in 1975, Prime Products has provided custom designed and manufactured illuminated components for a wide variety of applications and industries.

   Whether it is light plates, knobs, buttons, overlays, dials, or keypads, we take pride in our industry leading illuminated component fabrication services. Below we highlight a recent unique project to showcase our expertise.

   Unique Illuminated Panel for Military Aerospace Company

   A major military aerospace company approached us to produce a unique illuminated panel primarily made out of aluminum. Whereas most illuminated panels are designed as a one-piece plastic construction, our customer wanted the panel to be constructed primarily from aluminum. Plastic inserts would be installed for the illuminated graphics. The customer assumed that the inserts would need to be recessed into the panel. We instead proposed installing the inserts flush to the face of the aluminum. With a combination of precision CNC machining, laser cutting, assembly and painting, our manufacturing engineers designed a process to completely hide the seam lines between the aluminum and plastic, making the panel appear as if it was constructed from solid aluminum while still enabling the graphics to illuminate.

   The project began with complete production drawings from the customer and their design engineers. From this, our team provided advice on elements of their design and they revised their drawings accordingly.. The Prime Products design team ended up with a plan for the project under the below guidelines:

   • Stainless steel helical inserts
   • Plastic inserts made from MIL-PRF-5425, which is a specialized heat resistant acrylic
   • Six DZUS Fasteners, which are quarter-turn lock fasteners that are quite popular in the aerospace industry
   • Laser etched illuminated letters

   Prime Products Proprietary Assembly Process

   Through a proprietary assembly process, Prime Products was able combine these materials to create a seamless illuminated panel, that is also RoHS compliant.

   Our client was extremely satisfied with our ability to create a panel with both aluminum and plastic that looked like one solid surface, and featured illuminated lettering.

   If you want to learn more about this our custom fabrication of illuminated component capabilities, or our AS 9100-2009 and ISO 9001:2008 certified facilities, please feel free to contact a Prime Products expert today.

3. A Unique Custom Spray Paint Project by Prime Products

   11:09 am Leave a Comment

   Prime Products takes great pride in our ability to meet the needs of even the most extravagant paint jobs. Below we highlight a recent example.

   Electronics Industry Client Spray Paint Project

   An important client from the electronics industry approached Prime Products to create paint effects on a molded plastic computer tablet holder that was made specifically for hotel applications.
   This project presented some unique challenges, including the need for an aluminum RF shield to prevent damage to magnetic hotel keys and credit cards. In addition, the customer required two versions of the product. For their standard product line, they requested a black “soft feel” finish to match the look-and-feel of a payment unit that would be inserted into the holder. The other version had a design to impress their high-end clients, in particular those on the Las Vegas Strip. For these products, they wanted metallic colors with a sparkle effect and a high gloss top coat.

   Here is a step-by-step look at how this unique project was completed.

   Pre-coating Preparation

   In this particular case, we only needed to do some hand and orbital sanding to hide any imperfections and then the parts were washed in soap and water. Following the wash, they were oven dried to ensure that they were ready for the paint application.

   Project Painting

   We added the “soft feel” paint over the black epoxy. We experimented with several types and settled on a product from The Alsa Corporation. All of the products were too matte to match our customer’s mating unit, however, so we mixed the “soft feel” paint with a clear gloss polyurethane that we use frequently for aerospace applications (MIL-PRF-85285). The ratios were tweaked until we came up with the gloss level, look and feel that matched our customer’s mating unit.

   For the “effects” version, we applied the base color, then applied the effects coating, which is clear with sparkle particulates, and finally applied the clear high gloss top coat. All three coatings are from PPG’s Vibrance collection.

   Together, these two high-quality coatings elevated the sheen of the holder in order to meet the demands of our customer. With the addition of an effects coating from PPG’s Vibrance collection the painting process was complete.

   Post Project Paint Work

   After both prep, painting, and between each coating; we cured the tablet holder by baking it in a batch oven. The result was an extremely attractive, and unique looking product, that was functional and cost-effective.

   If you are searching for the complete custom spray painting services available, then you need to look no further than Prime Products. If you want to learn even more, don’t hesitate to contact us today so we can discuss your next custom spray painting project.