Sublimation transfer over powder

Wood grain transfer

A photographic wood or stone texture sublimated into a powder coat — the look of timber on an aluminium profile.

A powder base coat is applied and cured, then a printed film is wrapped around the part and the texture is sublimated into the coating under vacuum and heat. The pattern lives inside the film, not on it, so it does not wear off the way a printed overlay would.

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How it compares

Relative to the other finishes we apply. A selection aid, not a specification.

Corrosion resistance Very good
Wear resistance Good
Colour range Good
Edge and recess coverage Fair
UV stability Very good
Repairability Limited

How the process works

Pre-treat and apply a base powder coat — usually a light or mid tone that suits the grain.
Cure the base coat fully.
Wrap the printed transfer film around the profile and draw a vacuum to pull it into recesses.
Heat to around 180–200 °C so the pattern sublimates into the powder layer.
Remove the film and lacquer where the specification calls for extra protection.

Thickness and systems

Option	Range	Note
Base powder plus transfer	70–120 µm total	The transfer penetrates into the powder rather than adding to it.

Typical properties

Property	Value
Total film thickness	70–120 µm
Transfer temperature	180–200 °C
Pattern depth into film	10–20 µm
Salt spray, exterior systems	1,000+ hours

Advantages

Genuine timber appearance with none of the maintenance, rot or warping.
Pattern is inside the coating, so it does not delaminate like a printed wrap.
Same powder-coating corrosion base underneath.
Consistent, repeatable pattern — unlike natural timber, no two parts differ.
Machineable after transfer, within limits, without exposing bare metal.

Limitations

Edge coverage is the weak point: transfer film cannot always reach into a sharp internal corner.
Pattern registration is not achievable — the grain runs along the part but its position varies.
Deep recesses and small holes can lose the pattern.
Not repairable locally; a damaged part has to be redone.
More process steps than plain powder, so higher cost and longer lead time.

Design notes

What costs money when it is discovered after tooling.

Avoid sharp internal corners — grain coverage falls off there and the base colour shows.
The grain direction follows the extrusion axis; call out the orientation you want.
Keep holes and slots above roughly 5 mm if the pattern has to bridge them cleanly.
Specify a base coat colour that reads acceptably where the pattern thins.
For exterior use, specify the exterior-grade system and expect a lacquer step.

Colour and effect range

Oak, walnut, teak, mahogany and other wood grains
Stone, marble and concrete effects
Custom printed patterns to sample

Standards

Qualicoat (as a powder system)
AAMA 2604 / 2605 for exterior exposure

Typical applications

Window and door profiles
Garden furniture and decking
Fencing and pergolas
Shopfront and interior fit-out
Ceiling and cladding systems

Other finishes

Conversion coating

Anodising

An aluminium oxide layer grown out of the metal itself — hard, integral and never peels.

Electrodeposited organic coating

Electrophoretic coating

Paint deposited by electric current, so every edge and recess gets the same film.

Surface texture, no coating

Mechanical finishes

Brushing, polishing and blasting change the surface texture without adding a coating.

Applied organic coating

Powder coating

The widest colour and texture range of any finish we apply, with a tough cured film.

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