Surfaces on Aluminum

This week, Gerald R Hoerres, the Graphic Arts Manager at Northern Engraving, is sharing the steps of pattern creation and the joy it has brought him to be involved in the process. There are several methods to design a pattern for aluminum, but this is one example that stood out to Gerald.

The Joy of Creating an Aluminum Pattern

I like working with pattern creation. This includes making films and separations used in printing the surface on aluminum. Although I have many favorite patterns, PAT-3961-B is a top choice for me. This pattern is very rich looking with a dark brown, almost root beer tint. Three brush processes are used, along with lithography printing and finally coating of the transparent brown tint. It is part of a series of finishes we created which were designed to be alternatives to woodgrains. They have the familiar warmth and linear structure of woodgrains. They are not an imitation woodgrain but are attractive finishes on their own. 

It is amazing that this pattern was developed from a simple piece of yarn. The yarn was wrapped around a board at set dimensions, scanned and changed to scale, and finalized in Photoshop. For me, the best part of pattern creation is taking an ordinary object and making a great looking printed pattern.

Request aluminum finish samples to begin exploring the options available to you in surface design.