About
Hot Stamping Dies :
As discussed in Hot Stamping Basics, most
traditional hot stamp presses employ metal "dies" to produce the image which is
transferred onto the product being printed. This page discusses some of the
issues and methods of diemaking as they relate to Malahide Hot Stamping
Equipment.
Terminology
Dies : Available
in a variety of forms and materials, dies are normally made of metal. Etched upon their
surface is the image, graphic or text that is to be hot stamped. The die
is held in the hot stamp press by a chase, is heated
to 250 ~ 300 F, and then pressed against the foil and the substrate
to create the finished hot stamp. Dies can be made of several materials including :
- Magnesium
- Copper
- Lead
- Steel
- Silicone
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Die Plates :
Since Malahide Hot Stamping Presses are high-speed and high-tonnage,
we prefer that you use die plates can be made from magnesium, copper, or steel.
Produced by an outside diemaker (don't try this at home!) a good die will last
for tens of thousands of impressions and many years. Die plates cost
between $2.00 - $5.00 sq".
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Advantages :
- Easy to handle
- Combine text & graphics in one format
Disadvantages :
- Cost
- Not practical to produce 'in-house'
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Mounted Dies :
Not all machines and setups use a die plate. The
E4-PK for example is most commonly used with a plate that is mounted "type-high"
(.918) on a steel, aluminium, or magnesium
base.
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Advantages :
- Can be printed simultaneously with type
Disadvantages :
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Ludlow Line Type :
Produced with a 'Ludlow' machine,
line type is type-high by 3.5" long. Also known as 'bonded' type, Ludlow slugs bear
an entire word on one piece (as opposed to printer's type which produces a word with 1
piece per letter). Produced by casting molten lead into inter-changeable moulds, this is the
method of choice for type making within the ribbon industry.
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Advantages :
- Reusable
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Easy to handle
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Prints evenly
Disadvantages :
- Produces text only
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Lead concerns, handle with care !
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Emits a fume when being cast = proper ventilation required !
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Ludlow machines are antiquated and only available 2nd hand
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Printer's Type :
Printer's Type are small, type-high blocks
with a single letter etched upon their surface. A series of type pieces can be
grouped together to spell words (i.e.: Malahide would require the assembly of one of:
M-A-L-A-H-I-D-E). Since working with many small pieces is time consuming
hand work, using type is generally the least preferable method of
diemaking.
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Advantages :
Disadvantages :
- Time consuming & repetitive in set-up
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Can wear and chip
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Uneven print depths
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