3D iPhone Cases

[Andrew]

Anyone seen this before - http://www.meikeda.com/index.php?option ... Itemid=165 (not a clue how to do a hyperlink or embedded thingy on here)

Can't see how you will get a crisp print but I've thought about this method of heat transfer before on curved items.

[Ian M]

Andrew, I think the full wrap clamp will be metal & the metal will get hot & transfer the heat to the sides of the phone cover. A very simple idea & surprised nobody has come up with it till now. I'm not sure how crisp the print will be either. Interesting idea though & thanks for finding it.

[Andrew]

That's right Ian. I think you would have to trim the paper so it can be folded around the item as with the 3D vacuum machine it shrinks around the item.

I tried to create a jig last year for a curved stainless steel hip flask. I managed to get a print on there but not great...... more likely to do with using a spray poly coating for the surface.

[Ian M]

Andrew, I know that you have to get the paper so tight when you want to go around an object which isn't easy in itself is it. It also makes me wonder about the curved corners too & how that would look. I still think you would need some kind of vacum to get a crisp image.

[purpledragon]

Problem here would be how much is the jig, at the rate they update phones nowadays you would be buying a jig every 5 minutes

[Hyraxx]

We have a 3D vacuum machine and they are not all they are cracked up to be, you see people selling cases at £19.99 thats because they are costly to produce due to the fault rate due to poor cases or colours dont always sublimation well at all. Also labour costs are more due to them being more fiddler and just a pain in the arse.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1188[/ATTACH]

In the above example you can see case warping and a spot where it did not get a good vacuum, also the case has a twist to it very disappointed, and before I end this rant the cost of the jigs and machine means we will be lucky to see a return on this machine in the run up to christmas.

[bms]

We have a 3D vacuum machine and they are not all they are cracked up to be, you see people selling cases at £19.99 thats because they are costly to produce due to the fault rate due to poor cases or colours dont always sublimation well at all. Also labour costs are more due to them being more fiddler and just a pain in the arse.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1188[/ATTACH]

In the above example you can see case warping and a spot where it did not get a good vacuum, also the case has a twist to it very disappointed, and before I end this rant the cost of the jigs and machine means we will be lucky to see a return on this machine in the run up to christmas.

Is this the large vacuum machine or the newer smaller desktop ones that are coming on stream. The desktop ones weigh in around 18kg so quite portable as well.

[Hyraxx]

The large version, picked it as it could do up to 6 cases at a time, the desktop version could only do 4 max so went with the larger for better productivity but have been far from impressed so far.

From the supplier we use they have said that a new style iphone jig is in the works but at around 50/60 quid each, and having to have at least 18 jigs to get a good through put again is costly and puts the machine costs up again.

[Stitch Up]

Was this from Sun-Fly?

[Hyraxx]

No not from sun-fly but looks like the same machine, our took about 3 weeks to be built and shipped. We also have a hallogen style cooker for the metal film which give very impressive results just the film is very costly.