Overlays

Overlays are a unique and particularly important graphic component of your equipment. Graphic Overlays provide both a protective surface as well as a communication platform to create a user-friendly, purposeful and well-designed customer interface that conveys the exceptional quality and functionality of the equipment it represents.

The Graphic Overlay is often the primary visual aspect of your equipment that your customer will see and feel; a well-designed and constructed overlay will enhance the quality and value of your product. Allow Mar-Tek associates to bring their experience, knowledge and focus on Quality and Value to your project and we’ll work together to make your product the best it can be.

Mar-Tek Manufactured Overlays

As the purpose of any overlay is to provide both a pleasing appearance and durable functionality, graphic overlay materials often used are RoHS compliant, engineered polycarbonate and polyester films, which are sometimes referred to by their market-leader trade names such as LEXAN and MYLAR. Special hardcoated polycarbonate and polyester films provide added degrees of protection against outdoor elements including UV exposure, higher levels of flame resistance (UL 94V-2, UL 94V-0, etc) chemical and scratch resistance and other environmental hazards…just tell us what you are interested in protecting against and we will personally offer you informed options for your perfect product.

Mar-Tek second-surface screen prints (digital printed overlays are also offered) your graphic content, meaning the overlay material itself protects the printing as well as the equipment beneath it. Using UV (Ultraviolet light cured inks) we can also add smooth windows or selective custom textures to the surface of your overlays to provide a unique look that separates your quality product from your competition.

Choosing the correct adhesive for the underlying equipment or part surface is an important step in the graphic overlay design. Mar-Tek utilizes a wide selection of durable 3M Industrial adhesives, which we either roll-laminate to the back of the overlay or selectively apply to allow for adhesive free areas, such as may be required for clear windows, underlying membrane switches or open areas in the product surface. Consideration of factors such as low surface energy (LSE) application surfaces such as powder coated paint surfaces, high temperature operating conditions, extreme outdoor weather conditions and other factors must be considered for best product performance.

After the adhesive is applied to the printed graphic overlay, Mar-Tek typically cuts the overlay to its final shape and cut out features using laser cut Steel Rule Dies, holding tolerances of +-.010” print to cut. Cut tolerances of +-.005” can be held as the finished construction may require and is reviewed by our professionals on a case by case basis. Precision die cut production design includes incorporating through-cutting and kiss-cutting different aspects of the same overlay, allowing select portion of the overlay to be peeled off separately and intact from the adhesive liner paper.

As with all our production, the final product is 100% inspected and checked to make sure it meets all specifications before it is shipped to our customers.

Types of construction and industry application

Mar-Tek has successfully served a variety of industries for over 30 years by working closely with our customers’ engineering and design associates. In the Medical Industry for example, we use materials and protective coatings that protect against bleach. In many Communications\Networking applications, colors are visually and numerically matched using our X Rite Ci62 Color Spectrophotometer. Industrial Equipment requirements can include extra thick and durable adhesives and .030” thick tough polycarbonate substrates.

Gas Station dispensers require high degrees of chemical, UV, and scratch resistance. Depending on product end use, including the environment it will be operating in and our customer’s overall expectations, overlays are typically constructed using from .005” to .030” thick graphic quality films, and we custom apply high quality 3M Industrial and other engineered adhesives.

Mar-Tek provides attractive and durable overlays to best suit the interests of our customer and the requirements of the equipment these graphics constructions will be applied to. Not only is each application unique, but every industry and product sector has its own set of requirements to be considered in making that successful Overlay.

Additional categories of overlays and features which can be added

For purposes of further classification and understanding of the design and manufacturing options available to you in construction of your unique overlay, Mar-Tek offers the following capabilities:

A Variety of surface textures and gloss: With Mar-Tek’s capabilities of curing specialty inks along with a wide selection of top quality graphic films, we can offer you an Overlay surface ranging anywhere from a smooth glossy finish to a textured, velvet\matte finish that won’t easily show fingerprints or other minor imperfections. Optically Clear Windows can be incorporated in an otherwise textured surface design by utilizing Mar-Tek’s ability to produce custom surface effects with our Ultraviolet curing processes and proprietary ink formulations, which are available for use by all our customers.

Diffusing, Dead Front, Transparent and Infared Inks- Mar-Tek has long pioneered the field of developing custom ink diffusion to meet the requirement of each unique customer application, all at a very competitive cost, by means of our experienced personnel and our investment in technology to support our associates’ craftsmanship. In our shop you will find the seamless integration of customer focused professionals and technology such as Densitometers (transmission and reflective), a Hemispherical Spectrophometer, (for measurement of color matching when using different surfaces, such as a glossy surface and matte or textured surface), Photometers, infared and visible light wavelength meters, and more. We feel the combination of the right tools used by caring, talented and customer focused associates is the right recipe to make your best product design a reality.

The Look of Brushed Aluminum in a Polycarbonate Overlay-When a customer is interested in the look of a brushed metal nameplate but wants the flexibility and color controlled advantage of a polycarbonate overlay, Mar-Tek incorporates select polycarbonate (e.g. Lexan and Makrofol) graphic films to give you the appearance you are looking for with a functionality your equipment requires.

Polycarbonate steel rule die cutting-Mar-Tek can steel rule cut most polycarbonate lenses up to .030”. These lenses are sub-surface printed for durability and 3M laminating adhesives ensure excellent adhesion to any surface.

Protective hard coated polycarbonate lenses. We typically consider these lenses to start at .040” and above because of the restrictions of steel rule die cutting on thicker parts. We can cut and precision machine polycarbonates up to and over 2” in thickness. 3M adhesives can be selected to assure adhesion to almost any surface.

Embossing-Domed and raised graphics-Embossing can add a three dimension look to your Overlay as well as provide a functional user interface which helps make your product unique.