Ski Builders Forum

Are you guys using silicone (pressure, not heating) mats for sublimation via pneumatics? Or just between metal plates?

Nobody? Is my question too stupid? Is it a secret??? Im quite sure it wasnt written somewhere here before.....

I think often a harder silicon mat on the non printing side and a metal sheet on the printing side. A silicone heat blanket heats the aluminium sheet and then it gets pressed down onto the plastic with graphic sheet on top of it.
Folsom customs
https://www.wildsnow.com/images-blog-2/Folsom-3.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/folsomskis/3857957736/
video at 4:30
http://www.folsomskis.com/construction/

Yeah, my setup is on top aluminium and silicon heater above. On bottom a thick metal plate.
I know that the commercial sublim presses (for t-shirts & co) use some cushion on the bottom.

This cushion helps with small irregularities in your printing material (which should be not a big issue with topsheets and bases).

There is:

9mm silicone soft foam (imho not interesting for our use, see above)

or

1-3mm silicon mat which should be fine. Im ansure about the shore hardness to use. They range from 30 - 70.

Dont know if softer or harder is better. Would like to order a roll from china, found some who should be good for that.

Thanks for the link falls! Looks like folsom is using a thicker variant (like 9mm or so).