Hydro Dipping is a method of ink transfer printing. It is essentially floating a sheet of printed film onto the surface of water which is then transferred onto an object. Sounds simple, right? Well, It’s a little more complicated than that. First, the object you are wanting to print must be prepped and painted. In the prep stage, we will clean the surface and scuff it to allow fresh paint to adhere.

Some surfaces may take more prep to ensure a smooth printing surface. Next, we are off to the paint booth. After the object is clean and prepped, it is ready for paint. The paint is actually going to be your background color. Hydro dipping film needs an opaque background to work with its color values. It will also be a factor in what application your part is being used for. For example, if you are dipping engine parts, or parts exposed to high heat, you would want a high temp paint. Whereas if you are dipping a part that is for general use, you have no need for high temp. Once the parts are painted, they are allowed to dry to the touch. Now we are ready to dip!! ( I told you it wasn’t as easy as you thought)  As we know now, we will be suspending a printed film in a tank of water heated to a minimum of 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  The size of the tank will determine the max size of the part you are going to dip.

Ok, here we go, the moment you have been waiting for……… with the printed film now laid out and left to hydrate for a few seconds, it is time to activate the film with an activation chemical. The activation spray makes the ink pliable and sticky once again. Once that is done, we’re off to the races. You have a very short time to dip the part after activation. Now we grab the part and carefully place it onto the film, ensuring no air pockets form, and the surface transfers evenly over the part. Boom! It’s printed! Well, we still have work to do. Now the part goes into the rinse tank, which is thoroughly and carefully rinsed to remove the leftover PVA or debris. Once the part is dry, It heads back over to the paint booth for a nice clear or candy coat. Several coats are applied to the part, then it is left to cure.. BAZINGA! Now we are done! Dun, dun, dun…….. ready to pick up!