How to make carton foil more perfect

Hot Stamping, also known as hot press printing, is a generic term for printing various foil images on substrates by heating and pressing. According to the different hot stamping materials, it can be divided into gold foil hot stamping, silver foil hot stamping, paint film hot stamping, hot stamping stamping, electro-aluminum hot stamping, etc.; according to different hot stamping processes, it is divided into hot stamping, negative hot stamping, Embossing hot stamping, level hot stamping and so on. Foil stamping is a type of stamping. Foil materials usually include various types of gold foils, silver foils, copper foils, powder foils, and the like. In the implementation of hot stamping, the foil shall be cut into strips according to the size of the text and graphics, then laid on the graphic part of the printing plate, and then put on the printing part, and finally pushed into the hot foil pressing machine to heat the printing plate. The graphic foil adheres firmly to the substrate. Hot stamping is characterized by bright and colorful printed images, colorful, brilliant, elegant and hot stamping graphic is not easy to fall off. Foil stamping is mainly applied to the decoration of high-end food, beverages, supplements, medicine, clothing, gifts and other packaging cartons.

The quality of hot stamping depends to a large extent on the correct choice of stamping foil material. Different hot stamping methods, hot stamping techniques, and even different hot stamping graphics all have strict requirements on the foil used. The foil material used must match the material of the substrate. In addition, in the hot stamping process, the control of temperature and pressure is extremely demanding. In other words, it is quite difficult to obtain perfect stamping quality. Recently, the paperboard die-cutting and hot stamping expert of the folding carton department of Bobst USA Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the world's giant multinational Bobst Group, wrote an article to discuss the key to high-quality hot stamping. This article will talk about what it is going to do, with a view to drawing reference from relevant readers.

Foil stamping is used to mix and decorate the surface of the product packaging carton, which can significantly enhance the glossiness and brightness of the carton decoration, making it bright and colorful, and more luxurious. On the shelves of supermarkets, in the dazzling array of colorful packaging products, high-end packaging cartons decorated with foil stamping are more dazzling, attracting attention for a long time, forming a strong sense of goodwill and desire to purchase, which has greatly increased The competitiveness of beautifully packaged goods. If you are just engaged in the production of foil stamping processing plants, or are considering preparing to step into this technical field, let us discuss several related issues together, which may lead you to avoid detours on the road to beginners.

In order to obtain the perfect high-quality foil hot stamping effect, we must first carry out meticulous all-round planning and overall design of the processing process, that is, from the structural design of the paper box, graphic design and layout, to the hot stamping surface. The final decoration must be correct. The selection of hot stamp foils, the precision of the foils, and the precision of the stamping are all very important. Both die-cutting and measurement data must be as accurate as possible. In addition, to ensure the precise position of the foil, if the position of the foil is inaccurate, then the accuracy of the press molding is no longer effective.

The specific hot stamping operators and quality monitoring personnel must undergo special technical training and require the necessary relevant knowledge. Because this high-tech foil stamping technology requires skilled workers with sufficient expertise and practical experience to be competent. In general, operators and quality control personnel should be encouraged to spend more time learning, researching and exploring foil foil stamping technologies and processes, and constantly review positive and negative experiences in order to continuously improve operational skills and technological level, and improve foil stamping accuracy. Quality level.

One of the thorniest and most important issues for people entering the gate of foil stamping is how to choose the most suitable foil material. In general, beginner foil stampers often believe that the correct choice of hot stamping color is the most important, but the fact is the opposite, because the right choice of the most appropriate foil material is more important than the correct choice of color. The key to the correct choice of foil material is that the selected foil material must match the material of the substrate; the second is to truly meet the requirements of the processing technology. These two points play a decisive role in the quality of the foil stamping effect.

The stamping effect obtained when selecting different types of foil materials is also different. The foil materials purchased from different suppliers also have different degrees of difference in color and machinability. Therefore, it is necessary to earnestly inspect the credit of the foil suppliers to ensure that the selected foils are not only of high quality, but also need to comply with Corresponding process requirements. In addition, before starting the hot stamping process, you must obtain the user's approval of the foil of your choice, so as to avoid the problems caused by the inconsistent selection of materials and the unnecessary economic losses caused by the replacement of the foil material. .

Correct selection of the foil material is also crucial, depending on the specific conditions of the substrate. Table-coated and non-coated substrates have different requirements for hot stamp foils. Some hot stamp foils are made specifically for substrates with surface coatings or surface printing layers. Some stamping foils are specially used for stamping other textures.

Some prints require the foil to be printed first, and some prints must be foiled and then printed. Whether the pre-press foil or the post-print foil, it must be ensured that the surface of the printed part to be foiled must not contain any type of waxy or oily trace, and it requires a pressure of 38 dyne or more. Prior to foil stamping, the coating and printing ink on the surface of the substrate must be completely thoroughly dried before the foil can be stamped. In addition, there are various types of surface coatings or inks on the substrate. When foil stamping is performed on a specific coating or a specific printing ink, a matching foil stamping material must be selected. The characteristics of the layer or printing ink, specially formulated to customize the corresponding stamping foil, only in this way can guarantee the foil stamping quality. To this end, it is recommended that prior to the implementation of foil stamping, it is necessary to discuss with the coating supplier, the ink supplier and the stamping foil supplier to jointly implement the best matching scheme among the three in order to avoid mismatches due to material properties. The resulting quality problems.

In the correct choice of suitable stamping foil material, the implementation of the hot stamping process and the design of the cartons are also two factors that should be considered and very important. If you implement a large area of ​​hot stamping, you can use more easily peeling foil foil material; if you want to hot stamping a small area, that is, hot stamping of the graphic thin, such as hot stamping text or lines, must use texture Solid and non-peelable stamping foil.

When selecting a stamping foil, flat foil stamping differs from foil used in rotary stamping. The formulation and production of stamping foils are strictly targeted. According to the difference between the hot stamping process and the processing methods, there are strict differences in the foil materials used. In addition, during the hot stamping process, accurate calculation and determination of the correct time to maintain the maximum thermal pressure is very important. Different hot stamping processes and processing methods need to maintain the maximum hot-pressing time is very different. In the high-speed hot stamping processing conditions, the hot press time of the flat plate hot stamping is obviously longer than that of the hot press time of the rotary hot stamping. Therefore foil materials used for rotary stamping should have easier or faster demolding properties than foil materials used for flat plate stamping. It is important to properly select the right stamping foil material according to the different hot stamping speeds.

In short, we must strictly monitor the entire process of foil hot stamping, process high quality stamping products that fully meet the requirements of users, so as to win the trust of your users and establish the status of your stamping experts in the hearts of users, so as to avoid Users question the quality of your stampings and cause you to make unnecessary financial losses. It is also beneficial to strengthen the good relationship you maintain with your customers.

Whenever possible, you must choose and determine the type and quality of the stamping foil material you use. In the field of high-grade carton packaging foil hot stamping, if you are the user's most convinced expert, you must strictly control the entire process of quality selection and strict processing technology and quality control. Allowing others to choose and determine the stamping foil material will reduce your choice, delay production and seriously affect the quality of the final product.

Your supplier of foil material may be your best source of information and the best staff for choosing and determining the foil you need. If possible and time permitting, it is best to provide your stamping foil material supplier with a sample of the substrate you are going to stamp on, so that they can provide you with the best matching foil stamping foil material.

Take the time to study and understand the fundamentals of hot stamping technology and hot stamping process, analyze and eliminate the drawbacks of hot stamping process, and then select the most appropriate foil material on the basis of this to be successful in the hot stamping process. , Produce perfect products with excellent quality and beautiful designs.

Reprinted from: China Packaging News