Roland DG Supports Stone Brothers Racing with Truck Wrap

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Roland DG Supports Stone Brothers Racing with Truck Wrap

South Brisbane, Australia - When you’re given the challenging task of wrapping the Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) transport vehicle and semi-trailer do you:

	A.	Try to get the job done quickly and inexpensively;
	B.	Palm it off on a sign shop to organize; or
	C.	Get corporations and educational institutions involved and make it a great day for all?

If you’re Roland DG and 3M, the answer is definitely "C."

Roland DG has had a long association with tertiary and TAFE educational institutions as part of the Roland DG education program. Students from the Queensland School of Printing and Graphic Arts (QSPGA) at the Southbank Institute were invited to help wrap the truck. The students would gain invaluable practical experience, learning on the job from some of Australia’s best applicators, and would have a unique opportunity to be part of the biggest vehicle wrap of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, and quite possibly in the world.

XC-540 Printer/Cutter

Business Manager of 3M Australia, Gino Farina explains why his company became involved in the project. “We were delighted to partner with Roland DG and SBR to work on this exciting project, which provides significant benefit to the community through the involvement of the TAFE students.”

The project took place at Brisbane’s Southern Truck Centre. Staff from Roland DG, including Scott Strothers and John Wall, along with 3M’s Chris Cook and Steven Lambourne (and support staff from Clegg Media), QSPGA’s Sean Dewar, and staff from SBR were on hand to help the students. The students, Melissa Stephenson, Nathaniel Deering, Simon Watts, Adrian Rowe and Jon Hewitt, were all apprentices completing Certificate III in Offsite Construction (Signwriting/Computer Operation) at Queensland’s Southbank Institute.

As the photos make clear, wrapping a vehicle this size is no easy task. In total, the team had to completely wrap the transporter plus the A and B trailers. A total of 450 square meters of wrap was required to complete the job. In consultation with 3M, Roland DG decided to use 3M Controltac Plus IJ180Cv2-10 with Comply v2 adhesive IK180Cv2-10 and 3M Scotchcal Gloss Overlaminate 8518. These films were chosen for their ease of application and the high gloss “wet paint” look, ideal for high quality vehicle graphics. To complement the film, Roland DG ran the project on two SOLJET PRO III’s, the XC-540 54” wide-format printer/cutter and an XJ-640 64” wide-format printer, using Roland ECO-SOL MAX inks to print the high quality graphics.

Applying the printed graphics

For the students, the opportunity to work on the project provided both practical training and exposure to the industry.

QSPGA’s Sean Dewar said, “The students thoroughly enjoyed participating in such a large scale workshop. Industry experiences like this workshop build student confidence and develop the skills necessary for succeeding in this dynamic industry. We are grateful for the support of companies such as Roland DG and 3M which provide industry partnerships and cutting edge equipment, and help us deliver industry-relevant courses.”

“Events like this are so important because they bring the industry and education facilities together,” said Dewar. “The result is a more qualified, more experienced graduate who is able to do the job right from day one, thus saving employers thousands of dollars in lost time, training and wasted materials. We hope more companies will follow the excellent example set by Roland DG and 3M.”