710128Vehicle Wrapping Templating ProjectClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKAstSigns specialises in vehicle wrapping. We print specialised vinyl with digital designs, up to full colour, and then apply these on vehicles as an alternative to spray painting. There are significant advantages for customers with this system; they can supply vehicles to us ‘in the white’ and we can transform them to reflect the company’s image. The graphics can be removed and the vehicles sold without the company’s branding. As an example, we wrap lorries for the Stobart Group with a full colour livery; underneath all their vehicles are white. We take a 2-dimensional design and apply it to a 3-dimensional object with contours and accessories like mirrors and handles. We need to make sure that all the panels’ match up and the graphics flow between panels and important elements are not hidden by trim or accessories. The industry standard method used to achieve this is to print large rectangles of vinyl to suit and then match these up during fitting, trimming as necessary. This is wasteful in terms of how we utilise our production equipment and labour as a lot of this effort is not utilised and a lot of material (vinyl and ink) is wasted, which creates an environmental cost. The fitting process is also highly skilled using this method and requires significant training and experience to master. This project aims to prove if we can create a database of vehicle body templates that will allow us to achieve a range of benefits: Design – a digital design library that will allow us to design any graphics onto any body shape with the confidence that panels will match and material will form around contours. Production Planning – streamlining production so we can ‘nest’ the printing of individual panels to achieve the maximum utilisation of our capital equipment, labour utilisation and reduction in waste materials. Fitting – development of panel templates for vehicles, which can be fitted remotely by trained fitters not necessarily under our direct control.