With the improvement of the national economy and the development of the printing and packaging industry, people demand product packaging that is high-end, exquisite, environmentally friendly, and personalized. In the post press processing of packaging products, hot stamping technology is loved by people for its unique surface finishing effect, and is applied in high-end packaging such as banknotes, cigarette labels, drugs, cosmetics, etc. Hot stamping has two main functions: surface decoration and increasing the added value of the product. Hobbies of celebration and splendor are traditional Chinese customs, combining hot stamping and embossing techniques to showcase their luxury; The second is to endow the product with high anti-counterfeiting performance, using holographic positioning hot stamping trademark identification to prevent counterfeiting and protect the brand name. At the same time, hot stamping can greatly demonstrate the personalization and safety of product packaging. Therefore, many high-end packaging uses hot stamping technology.
1、 Principle of hot stamping
After a certain temperature and pressure, the color foil instantly attaches the pattern and text of the plate to the plastic surface.
2、 Essential conditions for hot stamping
1. Temperature 2, air pressure
3. Color foil 4, hot stamping version
3、 Hot stamping version
High quality hot stamping plates are the primary factor in ensuring the quality of hot stamping.
At present, the production of hot stamping plates mainly adopts photographic etching technology and electronic engraving technology, and the materials commonly used are copper or zinc plates. The copper plate material is delicate, and its surface smoothness and heat transfer effect are better than zinc plates. Using high-quality copper plates can improve the glossiness and contour clarity of hot stamping graphics and text. The traditional photographic etching technique for making hot stamping plates is simple and cost-effective, mainly used for text, thick lines, and general images; For finer and uneven thickness hot stamping plates, secondary deep stamping or electric engraving technology should be used. The production of hot stamping plates by electric engraving can express rich and delicate level changes, greatly expanding the packaging expression ability. This process is beneficial for environmental protection, but the investment in electric engraving equipment is relatively large, and the depth of engraving is not ideal enough, which can easily cause hot stamping "paste". The production technology requirements for holographic anti-counterfeiting hot stamping plates are relatively high. Previously, they were mainly produced in Taiwan or abroad, with a long plate making cycle and only used for packaging fixed and large batch products.
The hot stamping plate is mainly made of the following materials:
(1) Silicone version (rubber wheel): suitable for general plastic shells, with a thickness of generally 1.5mm, suitable for temperatures of 180 ℃ -380 ℃
(2) Copperplate: Suitable for large-scale, deep pressed hot stamping, durable. Temperature range: 120 ℃ -180 ℃
(3) Zinc version: not resistant to high temperature and high pressure, suitable for temperatures ranging from 120 ℃ to 150 ℃
(4) Steel version: Not used anymore
(5) Magnesium alloy version: not used anymore
4、 Color foil
(1) Thickness of color foil: The thickness of color foil is 6U-35U, and factories generally use 12U color less hot stamping decoration Thick colored foil with embossed font paste, thin and clear.
(2) Color foil is divided into five layers: PE film, release agent, color coating layer, adhesive, and adhesion agent
(3) Classification of color foils:
a. Universal type: generally used for ABS PVC、PS、PC 
b. Special type (PP color foil): generally used for PP PE 
c. Shared type: Suitable for ABS and PP (this foil has good temperature resistance)
5、 Characteristics of hot stamping
The pattern is clear and beautiful, the colors are bright and eye-catching, durable and weather resistant. The application of hot stamping technology on printed cigarette labels accounts for over 85%. In graphic design, hot stamping can serve as the finishing touch and highlight the design theme, especially for trademarks and registered names, where the effect is more significant.