Pad Printing PLET 370 Benton Lewis Ben Mc

Pad Printing PLET 370 Benton Lewis, Ben Mc. Elhaney, Luke Miller

Overview • Pad Printing is a decorating technique • Commonly used for printing small letters or logos • Very useful in many markets

Outline • • • I. Background II. Equipment & Technologies III. Process IV. Advantages V. Disadvantages VI. Applications

Pad Printing Background • Also known as ©Tampo Printing • Dates back over 200 years in Switzerland, Germany • Compared to screen printing, ink jet marking, hot stamping, and ink stamping

Equipment & Technologies • Transfer Pad – Generally made from soft silicon rubber – Tip should never contact graphic – Pad should not compress > 1/3 of thickness • Cliché – Made of steel or polymer (typically nylon) – Artwork critical; photoengraved into cliché – Normal detail -. 001” deep

Equipment Cont’d • Ink – Most cured by evaporation – Extremely high pigmentation levels – Polyolefins and Thermosets need pretreated • Part Fixture – Steel or plastic – Parallel to cliché, held firmly • Doctor Blade – Wipes cliché, use minimum amount of pressure

Process • Ink Flooding -Cliché is flooded with ink • Pad Wetting -The pad is pressed down into the ink • Head Stroke -Pad is lifted

Process Continued • Ink Deposition -Pad is pressed onto the part • Pad Release -pad is lifted away

Process Cont. • Degreasing molded parts -clean with organic solvent • Surface treatment -corona discharge etc. • Ink curing process -thermal curing -UV curing

Advantages • • Variety of geometries and surface finishes Works on most materials Wet on wet capabilities Very fine detail -widths to. 003” • Permanent decoration • Multi-color process • Low pressures required

Disadvantages • • Some materials difficult to decorate Cost of waste Large graphics difficult to print Cannot print in confined areas

Applications • • Cell phones Alarm clocks Shower heads Anything with small lettering or graphics