Introduction
The hydrographic printing technology was developed in 1988. The investigator Motoyasu Nakanishi of company Kabushiki Kaisha Cubic Engineering registered the first patent for the hydrographic printing technology on 26 July 1992. The principle is almost the same of the current hydrographic printing technologies where a transcription film is inserted in a painting apparatus with water. The machine transfers the painting film to the surface. There are many applications in the hydrographic painting in the automotive industry, interior design and industrial applications. The needs of customization and personalization are the force that gives the energy to this industry and the technology that supports it.
Today, there are three leaders in the industry of hydrographic printing. Two from United States of America companies and one from Germany. The German company is HG Arts with more than fifteen years in the business. The two other companies are Hydro Dips from Meridian, Idaho and Ozarks from Las Vegas, Nevada .
The document presents a plan to develop an enterprise of Hydrographic Painting in Kuwait. Kuwait is considered the most liberal and pro-western country in the Middle East. That represents a population of 3.37 million people with a gross domestic product of 175.8 billion dollars and an active tourism and commercial activity. Kuwait is theoretically a Muslim country but with historical relations with historical relations with the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The development of the process and products of hydrographic printing represents a challenge for the company in a Kuwait. The specifications must be adapted to the reality of the country and the requirements of the clients. The location of the company in a strategic site, the use of the best technology that fits the products and processes and a convenient market strategy will ensure the success of the Entrepreneurship.
Phases in products design and development:
Process specifications:
The process of Hydrographic printing is also known: immersion printing, water transfer imaging, cubic printing, and water transfer printing and hydro dipping. The process combines a surface preparation and galvanization process. The specification of the process depends on the service to be provided and the kind of articles to be painted.
The automotive clients are the most important source of clients of the hydrographic printing, and that characteristic will be considered to specific the technical specifications of the process.
First of all, the hydrographic printing will be applied to automotive parts that are installed in the visible and external locations of motorcycles and cars. That gives to the process a volume dimension of 2m x 2m x 1m.
Pre-Cleaning Step:
The process starts with Pre-Cleaning Step. The Pre-Cleaning step is similar to the process in the painting and automotive industry where the surface of automotive parts and components is cleaned using physical and chemical .
The physical process is developed by the jet stream and sandblasting process. The sandblasting process requires a maximum granulometry of 100 micrometers and a minimum speed of 180 km/h. The execution of sandblasting may affect the surface when it has previous damages due to oxidation and corrosion. The sand must not be reused because it may contaminate the surface and affect the painting process. The sandblasting requires the use of compressors of 1.5 to 3.0 horse-powers (HP).
Painting Step:
The painting step must be developed in an isolated space from the Pre-Cleaning phase. The painting is the hydrographic painting itself. The painting model must be developed with design graphics software. The layer is inserted in a liquid solution where the hydrographic painting will take place.
The liquid solution is similar to a galvanic solution rich in NaCl elements that facilitate the contact between the printed layer and the substrate of the automotive part. The liquid solution after the introduction of the layer requires an application of an alcohol solution in the surface previous to the introduction to the automotive part. The alcohol solution is applied with a spray.
The automotive part is introduced into the liquid solution with a 45° angle to the axis of the part with a speed of 1 m/min. The part in introduced in a 100% inside the volume of the liquid solution and then the operator applies a vortex movement inside the water to cut the layer surface from the automotive part. The article is removed quickly from the water .
It is recommended to use a mechanic arm with pins to reduce the contact area to the article and guarantee a total coverage of the printing to the surface. According to the complexity of the piece, it is possible to introduce the article with the hand; in that case, it is strongly recommended to use gloves over the arm to contaminate the surface and printing layer and protect the skin of the operator.
Prototype development
The product development of the Hydrographic Painting has five steps:
Dimensional control: The dimensional control includes the dimensions of the automotive part to clean and paint, the area used to clean, and the area used to paint. The control dimensions of the automotive part include the length dimensions, width – length – depth, the surface flatness and cylindricity and circumference.
The analysis of dimensions is developed with the use of specialized instruments as a vernier, infrared meters, gages, and scales. The idea is to compare the variability in the dimensions of the automotive components with the allowed variability of the standards as American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), International Standard Organization (ISO) and the European Standards (EN).
Prototype mounting:
The prototype mounting includes the pre-cleaning phase and the painting phase. For the prototype, the mounting includes a 1.5 HP compressor for the sandblasting appliance and a 2m x 2m x 1m recipient with a robotic arm for the hydrographic painting . Inside the recipient, there is one anode and one cathode that generate a 6-volt potential that helps the adherence of the painting layer into the surface of the automotive part.
Functional test:
The functional test is divided into two parts. The first part is the Pre-Cleaning step; the test is executed using a 0.5m x 0.5m x 0.005 m plate; the plate will be cleaned with 0.1 m3 of gray sand at a velocity of 180 km/h in both sides of the plate. The previous procedure is executed in a time frame of 7 minutes. The second part is the painting step. The recipient is filled at 90% with a solution of 5% of the concentration of NaCl to improve the galvanic phenomenon and electric transmission. The layer to be used is a combination of colors in an array of four colors: magenta, cyan, yellow and black. The layer is installed on the surface of the liquid solution with a spray application of alcohol solution on the surface. The plate is inserted at a 45° angle to the vertical axis of the plate. The painting steps are executed in a time frame of 3 minutes. The plate after the extraction from the water solution recipient, it is storage in a dry space.
Structure fatigue test:
The automotive part after the hydrographic painting is tested with structural fatigue procedures to measure the resistance of the painting to guarantee the quality of the painting to the client.
The first test is a traction resistance test. The piece is connected to the longitudinal axis of the piece to a traction test bank. The force applied to the piece starts with 100 kN to 1500 kN in a timeframe of 10 minutes. The painting must not suffer any visible damage to get the approval of the Quality Department.
The second test is a bend resistance test. The piece is connected to the transversal axis of the piece to a bending test bank. The force applied to the piece starts with 1500 kN*m to 9000 kN*m in a timeframe of 5 minutes. The painting must not suffer any visible damage to get the approval of the Quality Department.
Overloading test:
The overloading test, compared with the fatigue test does not affect the mechanical structure of the automotive part, but affects mainly the surface of the piece, that is, the painting. The overloading test is divided into two parts.
The first part is with an ultraviolet exposure of the piece. The procedure is developed in an ultraviolet chamber. The piece must be exposed to an Ultraviolet index (UV Index) of 15 points in a timeframe of 30 minutes. After that test, the painting of the test must not suffer any visible damage to be accepted by the Quality Department.
The second part is with an intense rain simulation. The procedure is developed inside a rain test chamber. The piece must receive at a 45° angle a high-pressure water jet in a timeframe of 30 minutes. After that test, the painting of the test must not suffer any visible damage to be accepted by the Quality Department.
Final approval
After the final design and manufacture, the quality department approves the final configuration of the hydrographic painting installation.
Design review
The previous steps of the prototype design generate valuable information for the final design of the prototype and the manufacture of the required equipment for the hydrographic printing function.
Market test
The company must do a market study previous to the company launching to avoid a failed introduction to the market after the investment in equipment, technology, and recruitment and provision acquisition. The market evaluation includes macroeconomic variables, legal framework, and public taste testing.
The macroeconomic evaluation includes the gross domestic product, income per capita, and communications infrastructure.
The legal framework includes how the business meets with the current legal framework of the country (Kuwait). The legal framework starts with the Kuwait Constitution, Commerce Code, Environmental Laws and Tax Rules. The legal framework must have the ability to promote the investments and entrepreneurship to help the company to take the decision to invest in the country.
The public taste testing is developed with polling tools. The company must do the polling with own resources or contract a third-party company that develops a polls strategy in the company to measure the potential market of the country that would consume services in hydrographic printing. The measure will give to the company the potential number of clients that the company may offer and the valuation (in US dollars) of the market.
Product introduction (launch to market)
The introduction of the product of the market consists in the launch of the store, located in the Shuwaikh Island, an island of Kuwait, known by the industrial activity and sea and air traffic. The decision to launch to the market the service is after a favorable market test.
The store will have a 500 m2 with two work areas: Pre-Cleaning and Painting. Both areas are communicated with the Design and Management Area. The initial configuration of the shop will have two people in the Pre-Cleaning, one people in Painting, one designer, and one person in Management. The store will have a Manager that reports to the shareholders of the new company.
The launch event will have a budget of 50,000 USD that includes a local rock music band performance, food, and beverages for 50 guests and two rented cars with hydrographic printing. The event must match with a national day in Kuwait or the United States of America to increase the impact of the event.
Lessons learned in new product development
■ The product to be offered to a specific market must be unique, or the product must have comparative advantages against the current competition. It is not a good idea to enter a market to offer a product does not offer advantages. That product is condemned to fail.
■ The characteristics of the market affects the product development and product launch. The selection of Kuwait to develop the Hydrographic Printing is a challenge for the company, to be an innovative product for that market, but on the other hand, the market represents a great opportunity to the company.
■ The technological and management are equally important in a new product development. The launch of a new store of hydrographic printing in Kuwait requires first technological dominium by the acquisition of the technology from developers of Germany and United States of America) and second the management skills. The management skills are necessary to guarantee a minimum cash flow to the company to guarantee profits in the first three years of operation. The strategy to be conservative in the first configuration of the company (staff and equipment) will reduce the charge in equity and liabilities of the company. The demand for the services will impulse the growth of the company in staff, production, and installed capacity.
■ The prototype design is an important step before the launch of the company. The prototype design may save thousands of dollars to the company. With the prototype design, the company can simulate the process without making the 100% of the investment in equipment, personnel and physical installations.
Conclusions
The Hydrographic printing project in the Shuwaikh Island located in the north of Kuwait is an important business opportunity. The stakeholders of the company: clients, shareholders and government; have a great opportunity to offer an innovative product to the Kuwait market and be a reference for the entire Middle East region. The hydrographic painting has wide applications and providers in the United States of America and Germany. The automotive industry is the most important market of the Hydrographic Printing. Although for the carmakers and final clients. Carmakers as BWM, Audi, Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler, General Motors and Ford; and final clients demand customization services for tires, chassis and car components.
The product development includes market study, prototype design and distribution plan of the store. The previous steps are necessary to have a successful product launching and guarantee increasing sales and revenues for the stakeholders of the company.
Reference List
Dip Junkies. (2015). The Origin of Hydro-Dipping. Retrieved from Dip Junkies: http://dipjunkies.com/the-origin-of-hydro-dipping/
HG Arts. (2015). HG Arts. Retrieved from http://hgarts.com/
