Frequently asked questions about pad printing

2024-10-25 11:22:38

Color pad printing technology and pad printing steel plates have been widely used nowadays, and in a perfect world, all pad printing machines should place their machines in a stable environment where the room temperature, the mixing ratio of ink to thinner, the machine cycle time, etc. are controlled and consistent. Machine operators trained today will still operate the same machines for years to come.

Unfortunately, this rarely happens except for a few customers. Too often, the pad printing process is considered to have a poor relationship with other, more compelling processes, such as injection molding or assembly operations, which are likely to be the company's main sources of revenue. Few customers appreciate the value that a printed logo, company name, or décor brings to the final product.

The most frequently asked questions related to the pad printing process are as follows:

1. Understand the process

Pad printing is not what those who have problems with their application usually call "black arts". In order to maintain the process, you need to have a basic understanding of what actually happens during the operation of any pad printing machine. Your machine or consumables supplier can best explain this process.

2. Wear life

It is advisable to always ask for guidance on the life expectancy of consumable parts. In most cases, the customer's productive life exceeded expectations. This is completely understandable, as cost is always a major factor. However, it should be understood that frequent changes of pads, pad plates, and inks are common and often necessary in order to maintain a clear, high-quality image.

3. Choice of ink and pad

Customers often have a hard time identifying the right ink for a particular substrate or a pad that can successfully transfer images without compromising image quality. If you have any doubts, your pad printing supplier is the best place to help you make those decisions. Typically, sample parts can be sent to your consumables supplier, where they can be tested, and the results will be reported to you, usually free of charge.

4. Printing untreated plastic

In recent years, the widespread use of polyethylene and polypropylene plastics and their copolymers and alloys has increased significantly. Therefore, everyone who uses these plastics is looking for a printing ink that does not require the increased cost and the hassle of pre-treatment.

Polyolefins are difficult to bond due to their non-polar, non-porous, and chemically inert surface. Their high chemical inertness to solvents often limits the usefulness of solvent adhesion as a viable printing technique. One successful method for these materials is to apply proper surface pretreatment prior to bonding. Widely accepted pretreatments include chemical wiping, flame treatment, corona discharge, and gas plasma.

Sometimes, an ink can be found that adheres to the polyolefin without any pre-treatment; Unfortunately, this is more of an exception than a rule. This is likely to continue because many of today's polyolefins consist of reground materials that are inconsistently from one batch to the next. Plastic properties are still there, but printing requirements have changed dramatically.

Since there are so many factors involved in the pad printing process, there could be as many as two or three reasons why you can't get a high-quality print. Having experience and knowledge of the process and the support of the supplier is the only guarantee to ensure the success of the pad printing operation. Hopefully, the information and tables in this article will help you with many of the more common challenges you may have, but establishing good support from your machine and consumables suppliers is just as important for your operations.