Digital Ceramic Printed Glass
Digital ceramic glass printing is a design process that applies ceramic ink images to glass products. Digital printing typically requires high-level image-processing software built into a glass printer, but the quality of different printers can vary widely.
Glasshape’s VisionInk® products are capable of producing a comprehensive range of ceramic printed glass images and can be customized to fit numerous applications.
VisionInk®
Our VisionInk® digital ceramic ink printer is the most advanced and versatile glass-printing machine available. Combining it with Glasshape’s TemperShield glass-curving capabilities makes it ideal for both interior and exterior architectural and transportation glass applications, as well as incredible point-of-sale displays.
VisionInk’s image-processing software and high-tech glass printer go far beyond the capabilities of standard screen and UV glass printing to provide much greater opportunity, flexibility and quality. VisionInk® is capable of producing graphic designs with thousands of possible colours in 720dpi resolution.
Once they’ve been tempered, the ceramic inks are applied to glass, become part of the glass itself, giving them unmatched resistance to scratching, UV light and weather deterioration.
Features and benefits
- Print any design, from simple lines to detailed photographic imagery.
- Six ‘spot’ colors (blue, green, white, orange, red and black) combine to create an unrivaled color palette; bespoke premixed colors can also be created.
- Complete predictability, repeatability and durability of the ceramic printed glass.
- Precision control of ink thickness for prediction and manipulation of Visible Light Transfer (VLT) and Solar Heat Gain (SHG) variables.
- Surface can be cleaned the same way you would normal window glass, with no impact on the graphic.
- Slip-resistant ink possibilities.
- Dimensions up to 154″ (3900mm) x 96″ (2440mm) and oversize capabilities.
- 10-year warranty against fade from UV light.
- Compatible with Architectural and Marine glass.
Capabilities
- Multi-color matching. VisionInk® uses spot colors to generate hundreds of thousands of different color possibilities with digital ceramic inks.
- Reduced bird collision. Graphics can be designed to appear to birds as areas in which they cannot fly. This can be achieved with any design; it’s the ratio of clear space to printed space that creates this effect.
- Imitation of natural materials. The ultra-high-resolution, photo-realistic capabilities of VisionInk® enable it to replicate scarce natural resources or finishes in graphic designs that would otherwise be impractical. These include stone, brick and marble designs.
- Double vision. Combined with the transparent properties of glass, our image-processing software is capable of printing two images directly on top of each other, creating different images on each side of the glass. All printing occurs on just one side, which can be useful in one-way glass applications or for privacy control.
- Slip-resistant ink. We also have specialty inks outside of our standard spot colors. These patterns are tested using the ANSI A137.1 Dynamic Coefficient of Friction Test. Designs using this ink provide some slip-resistance, although it’s important to note they will not necessarily be certified as such. This ink is fused into the glass, offering unrivaled durability compared to slip-resistant solutions that typically wear off over time.
Applications
- Various project types and sizes. VisionInk® is a versatile design solution that can be applied to a wide range of project sizes, including small corporate insignia, building façades, office tenant improvements and point-of-sale solutions.
- Architectural applications. VisionInk® allows Glasshape to ‘tile’ a design across multiple glass panels. Our image-processing software can manipulate the image as required to allow for joins, frames, etc. If needed, replacement panels with a perfect match in color and positioning can be easily supplied.
- Marine applications. VisionInk® ceramic printed glass also has a wide range of applications for marine vessels, including black-out for windows and portlights, small insignia, splash-back, nameplates and internal fit-outs.
- Solar heat gain and visible light transfer. Opacity, translucency and ink layer thickness can be precisely manipulated to deliver required SHG and VLT values. This process can also control light diffusion and transmission. Using ink to achieve these goals as opposed to heavy building envelopes, could deliver significant production and ongoing maintenance savings. Ink applied to glass on the exterior surface also mitigates reflected heat. (This is available in black and white only.)
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