SR3000™ is a photopolymer film specially designed for sandblasting images into many types of materials. It works by exposing black and white artwork via a UV light source and then washing the image out.
SR3000 is water soluble meaning it will dissolve in water however if you expose the SR3000 to ultraviolet light it becomes insoluble. So it goes hard when exposed to ultra-violet light. When you lay black artwork onto SR3000 film and then expose it to ultra-violet light the black area is protected keeping it soluble and the clear area is exposed making it insoluble. Now when you spray the film with water the artwork area is washed away creating a sharp fine detail resist to sandcarve with.
Once the film has been washed out it is now called a resist (sandblasting mask) and will resist the abrasive blast of the sandcarving process. It has a slightly tacky surface that is especially designed to adhere to the item you want to etch and hold in place while the sandcarving process is taking place. Once etched SR300 resist is designed to be easily removed and leave no residue.
SR3000 has industry-leading durability and resolution capabilities—you can trust it with half-tone images or ultra-high resolution images, for deep etches or fine details, and on flat or curved surfaces. The 3 mil thickness is designed to push the envelope in high resolution designs; you can blast finely detailed images without the worry of pinhole blast-through. Use the 5 mil to achieve a deeper etch or multi-stage carving. You will be thrilled with the results.
Processed SR3000 clings steadfastly to any polished surface, providing an ideal system for creating fine quality engravings on glass, wood, stone, ceramic, granite, marble and metals.
Requirements
To process SR3000 you need:
> Either inkjet or laser film and printer for your artwork
> An Exposure Machine such as the Letralite exposure Unit
> A spray nozzle such as our Wasout Hose
> Access to water (warm water is preferred)
Setting Up
We offer a Start up mask making kit that contains everything you need to create sandcarving masks