Given the opportunity to review and consider how best to make the highest resolution image possible, with quantity and cost restraints playing a major part in the decision making process, we decided to re-think the rules for this little plug wobbler.
Faced with some difficult choices on how to get the best from the available processes and materials, we considered what was required, what we had to work with, and where the client's money would be best spent. |
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The brief was to get the best possible image resolution onto a tough and durable plastic material that would not get tatty and dog eared with constant knocks and bumps.
Bearing in mind that there were only 3000 pieces to be made up, the run length meant that litho printing was not an option due to cost, screen printing was ruled out owing to the coarser line resolution that would have to be used in order to keep the finer detail open. |
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We chose to use the Indigo™ digital ouput because we knew we could get the really high resolution that the client demanded. The ability to image the design faithfully from the original artwork was a big plus, and it also meant that we could proof directly onto the selected stock, seeing as how the Indigo™ does not have any plate or film charges to worry about.
What we could not do however was obtain a thick enough stock to ensure that the wobbler had sufficient weight in it's body to droop and wobble correctly. Wobblers often need to be made of a stock that has bulk, or if not, they are given a longer tail to ensure that they can bend over enough when stuck to the shelf or fascia. In this case, owing to the fact that it was to be stuck to a 13 amp plug, it needed to be short enough not to get in the way, and to still have sufficient bounce to cope with the placement.
We overcame this issue by cleverly laminating the imaged sheet onto a thicker piece of white rigid PVC. This gave the item much more strength and rigidity, and also allowed the part to wobble to everyone's satisfaction when applied. However, by needing to laminate the stocks together, we then lost our original registration edge, and seeing as this part was produced multiple times up on an A3 sheet size, and needed to be cut accurately around the profile, we had to come up with another method of registration for the final machine process.
Our Zund™ digital plotting machines can work from optically recognised targets, and it proved to be no trouble to ensure that there were sufficient targets printed to be utilised during the digital plotting process. With these targets added to the original design, we then had everything in place to bring the Fluvirin Bug Man Wobbler to life. Production was swift, and with the accuracy afforded to us by the completely digital production process, all we had to do was stick the foam pad onto the wobbler arm and the job was finished!
To get a successful wobbler job for yourself, contact us today to see what we could offer you... |
