Mr. Sam Mc Elree, product and sales manager of KURZ Transfer Products, pointed out: “The packaging of perfumes, chocolates, chewing gum, film, CDs, DVDs, cigarettes and foods, like the fine labels of wine, champagne and liquor, also requires high standards. With the intensification of competition in the market, the promotion of packaging has become more and more popular. In general, attractive packaging and the use of holographic foil to achieve brand awareness."
At present, hot stamping has become an important method for surface finishing of metallic effects, and it is an effective way to enhance the visual effects of labels, paper boxes, and trademarks, and has been widely used. Hot stamping methods mainly include hot stamping and cold stamping. Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, in practical applications, suitable stamping methods should be selected according to specific conditions, especially in balancing the cost and quality. More attention should be paid.
Hot Stamping Technology
Hot stamping technology refers to the use of a dedicated metal hot stamping plate to transfer the hot stamping foil to the surface of the printing material by heating and pressing.
1. The advantages and disadvantages of hot stamping technology
The advantages of hot stamping technology mainly include the following points.
(1) Good quality and high precision. Edges of hot stamping images are sharp and sharp.
(2) The surface gloss is high and the hot stamping pattern is bright and smooth.
(3) Wide selection of hot stamping foils, such as hot stamping foils of different colors, hot stamping foils with different gloss effects, and hot stamping foils suitable for different substrates.
(4) The hot stamping process also has a prominent advantage, that is, can carry out three-dimensional hot stamping. Using computer numerical control engraving (CNC) method to make a three-dimensional hot stamping version, so that the hot stamping processing into a graphic with a clear three-dimensional level, the formation of relief on the surface of printed matter, and produce a strong visual impact. Three-dimensional hot stamping allows the package to have a unique feel.
It is the hot stamping process that has many advantages as mentioned above, and it is widely used by users and consumers. However, the hot-stamping process requires the use of special equipment, the need for a heating device, and the need for a hot stamping plate. Therefore, obtaining a high-quality hot stamping effect also means paying a higher cost.
Mr. Chris Corbett, International Sales Manager of ITWFoilmark, pointed out that the price of rotary hot stamping cylinders is relatively high, which accounts for a large proportion of the cost of hot stamping processes. It is the main cost factor for hot stamping processes. At the same time, he also pointed out that in the past five or six years, the price of hot stamping cylinders has been reduced to a great extent, and a drop of up to 50%. In addition to lowering the cost of the stamping cylinder, hot stamping system suppliers have also challenged the hot stamping speed limit. Previously, due to the limitations of the hot stamping speed, most of the hot stamping work was done off-line, and the situation is now quite different. A few years ago, the hot stamping machine's hot stamping speed reached less than 5,000 sheets/hour. At present, regardless of whether it is a platform-type hot stamping machine or a roller-type hot stamping machine, the speed can reach 7500 to 12,000 sheets/hour. Of course, the speed of hot stamping is also related to the type of machine used. The continuous increase in production speed has greatly reduced the cost of hot stamping.
2. Development trend of hot stamping technology
One of the development trends of hot stamping technology in the future is online hot stamping.
The improvement of the chemical properties of the hot stamping foil provides a reliable guarantee for the rapid increase of the stamping speed. Therefore, the hot stamping process can already be completed online, and the application of the online hot stamping process will become more and more common in the future. In addition, sheet-fed folding carton printing is moving in the direction of web printing, which also creates conditions for on-line hot-stamping processes.
Another development trend of the hot stamping process is the first hot stamping, that is, after the stamping, the overprinting is performed on the hot stamping foil. The first hot post-printing process also benefits from the improvement and improvement of the chemical properties of the hot stamping foil so that UV ink can be used to print on the hot stamping foil. The first hot post-printing process can provide more excellent decorative effects and enhance the visual appeal of the image.
After printing, opaque or transparent color inks are overprinted to achieve fascinating results, providing package designers with endless design solutions and providing designers with ample space to fully express their creative talents.
Cold Stamping Technology
Cold stamping technology refers to the use of UV adhesive to transfer the stamping foil to the printing material. The cold stamping process can be further divided into dry film cold stamping and wet film cold stamping.
The dry film-covering cold stamping process is to cure the applied UV adhesive before the stamping. Ten years ago, when the cold stamping technology was just introduced, the dry film-covering cold stamping process was used. The main process steps are as follows.
(1) The cationic UV adhesive is printed on the roll printing material.
(2) Curing UV adhesives.
(3) Compress the cold foil with the printing material by means of a pressure roller.
(4) The excess hot stamping foil is peeled off from the printing material, and the desired hot stamping image is left only on the part coated with the adhesive.
It is worth noting that the use of dry film cold stamping process, the UV adhesive curing should be fast, but can not be completely cured, to ensure that it still has a certain viscosity after curing, so that it can be very hot stamping foil Bonding together well.
The wet film-covering cold stamping process is after the UV adhesive is applied, the first stamping and then the UV adhesive curing, the main process steps are as follows.
(1) Print free radical UV adhesive on web printing materials.
(2) Composite cold stamping foils on printing materials.
(3) Curing the radical-type UV adhesive, since the adhesive is sandwiched between the cold-stamped foil and the printing material, the UV light must pass through the hot-stamping foil to reach the adhesive layer.
(4) The hot stamp foil is peeled off from the printing material, and a stamping graphic is formed on the printing material.
It should be noted that: First, the wet film-covering cold stamping process replaces the traditional cationic UV adhesive with a free radical UV adhesive; second, the UV adhesive has a strong initial adhesive force and cannot be cured after curing. Adhesive; Third, the aluminum foil of the stamping foil should have a certain light transmission, so as to ensure that the UV light can pass through and trigger the UV adhesive curing reaction.
The wet film-covering cold stamping process can connect hot stamping metal foils or holographic foils on a printing press, and its application range is also becoming wider and wider. At present, many narrow-width paper boxes and label flexographic printing presses already have such cold hot stamping capability.
1. The advantages and disadvantages of cold stamping technology
The outstanding advantages of cold stamping technology mainly include the following aspects.
(1) There is no need for special hot stamping equipment, and the prices of these equipment are usually relatively expensive.
(2) It is not necessary to make a metal hot stamping plate, and an ordinary flexible plate can be used. Not only the plate making speed is high, but also the cycle time is short, and the production cost of the hot stamping plate can also be reduced.
(3) Fast hot stamping, up to 450fpm.
(4) No need for heating devices and energy savings.
(5) The use of a photosensitive resin plate can be used to simultaneously finish the registration of the halftone image and the on-site color patch, ie, the halftone image and the field patch to be hot stamped can be formed on the same hot stamping plate. Of course, just like the reconciliation of the real-world color block system to the same printing plate, both the hot stamping effect and the quality may have a certain loss.
(6) The hot stamping substrate has a wide range of applications. Hot stamping can also be performed on heat-sensitive materials, plastic films, and in-mold labels.
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