The concept of stamping services revolves upon the use of dies or punches in order to create three-dimensional outputs. At times, it also extends to providing definition to a surface. Examples of which are flat sheets or letterings. The stamping process may be applicable not only to ferrous and nonferrous metals but also to alloys and thermoplastics. What then is the concept known as hot stamping?
Hot stamping is one of the types of stamping services. As a process, it is defined as the method of transferring an engraved image to a particular surface. Heating is an essential part of the process because it makes the transfer possible. With the aid of a stamping die, the image is heated before it is transferred to what is called a marking foil. The marking foil on the other hand, leaves the ink on the surface where the image is being transferred.
Benefits of this stamping process
When compared to other stamping services, hot stamping is favored because of several advantages. It is flexible, meaning it can be used in any type of material including plastics. Products such as paper, pencils and stamping wire insulations are but a few of the outputs of the process.
Furthermore, the process is valuable because it is more of a dry method. There is no need to learn about complicated procedures like mixing inks just to produce the output from the procedure. The machine can be operated manually without much complex interventions needed.
What one actually needs to do is to attach the die to the plate. The foil simply needs to be loaded to the heated plate. Then, a part of the fixture should be left popping out. This makes the process more of a permanent one. With this, the output is said to be capable of adapting to even the harshest of conditions. Using a metal die in the process will allow for branding, meaning, if the color ever fades out, the brand name will remain on the plastic.
How are images created?
This stamping process can create a wide array of images from different materials. Metal dies from copper, brass, hardened steel or magnesium is the first technique. Comparing all these four materials for metal dies, magnesium is said to be the least expensive but also the least in terms of durability. Hardened steel is the most expensive but is favored because of its extreme durability.
Silicone rubber dies are also used in the hot stamping process. This material is further subcategorized according to hardness. They are simply favorable with images that are not flat however they are not as firm as the metal dies.