Make Professional Grade Front Panels-Quickly & Economically

Here is a simple way to make professional looking front panels for your home-brew gadgets.

1. Make front panel drawing using Corel Draw / Paint Brush / CAD or any other program on your PC. Use as many colours, fonts, lines, shapes, shades and markings to give front panel an attractive and agronomical look.
2. Take a coloured Laser / Inkjet printout in 1:1 scale on an ordinary sheet of paper.
3. Go to market and get the printout laminated.
4. Cut the laminated sheet to correct size using sharp knife.
5. Paste this sheet on the front panel of the instrument / gadget (which has holes and cut-outs for the switches / displays etc.) with Araldite. Let it completely dry.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut out laminated sheet covering the holes and cut-outs.
7. Panel is now ready for use!

(You can take the dimensions and get the panel drawing done from the market. The same vender will take out the print and get it laminated)

Given below are a few samples of  front panels made using above technique.

 Fig.1 > Front Panel layout drawing on PC

Fig.2 > Front Panel print laminated and cut to size with holes and slots for controls

Fig.3 > Laminated sheet pasted on front panel 

You can also very easily make a transparent RED window for digital displays / LED DPMs using the above procedure:

After step 2 above, cut out the window area on the paper sheet where you create the RED transparent window.

Laminate the drawing sheet. A transparent window of lamination will appear on the cut-out portion of the window. Purchase a small bottle of Red Glass-stainer ink from the stationary store. Apply an even coat of red ink on the back side of laminated sheet over the window area. Let the ink dry completely – you have an excellent Red window created without any glass or Perspex sheet!

Fig.4 > RED transparent window for digital display 

Fig.5 > Example of another type of Front Panel 

Fig.6 > Example of Meter Scale panel using laminated drawing

Any Questions? Please feel free to ask !!