Pad printing machines are mainly divided into monochrome, two-color, four-color, six color, and eight color categories in terms of color; In terms of automation, it can be divided into manual, semi-automatic, and fully automatic types, and currently there are also transfer printing machines with CTP systems, which further improve the automation level in the printing market. Here, we mainly analyze the printing market of the main pad printing machines in the current market from the overall structure of the pad printing machine and some key local components.
Main types of transfer printing machines
1. Manual transfer printing machine
This type of transfer printing machine has the simplest structure, and some people think that this type of machine should disappear from the market. However, until now, many high-end watches and other equipment panels are printed using this type of transfer printing machine as equipment consumables. Of course, this type of machine generally does not appear in large printing enterprises, but is widely used in many small workshops for printing technology. Its disadvantages are very obvious, such as low production efficiency. Once the printing volume is large, it is difficult to ensure the consistency of the quality of all printed materials. However, it is easy to operate and requires small investment, so it is still very active in the printing market.
2. Open ink tank transfer printer
The transfer printing head can move up, down, left, and right. There is a transfer printing steel plate below it, and the ink in the ink tank is scraped into the steel plate by the ink scraping device on top. The transfer printing head contacts the steel plate and supplies ink equipment. This design scheme is simple and widely used in the printing market for high-volume transfer printing machines.
3. Closed oil cup system
This system was considered a universal transfer printing design in the past, and a Swiss watch company has been using it for 35 years in terms of material prices. The ink is stored in a closed oil cup, which can move parallel to supply ink printing tools to the steel plate. When the oil cup is directly above the steel plate, ink can flow to the graphic and textual parts on the steel plate, and when the oil cup leaves, the ink scraper ring on the oil cup scrapes off the ink on the non graphic and textual parts of the printing tool.
4. Wheel transformation transfer printing machine
This structure is derived from the design of gravure printing and is more suitable for printing rolls or continuous single substrate printing alliances. The machine is mainly composed of transfer printing steel plate, ink tank, and transfer printing silicone roller. The drum type steel plate is immersed in the ink tank, and during printing, the steel plate rotates clockwise, and the ink on it is scraped off and scraped off; The transfer roller rotates counterclockwise and presses against the steel plate drum, so that the ink on the steel plate is transferred to the transfer roller; Finally, the transfer roller comes into contact with the substrate and transfers the ink to central China.
5. Hybrid pad printing machine
This machine was originally designed for ceramic printing, using a hybrid printing tool of transfer printing and screen printing. It does not use transfer printing steel plates. The ink is screen printed onto the silicone resin coating below, and then the transfer head comes into contact with the silicone resin layer, taking away the ink on top, and finally printed onto the substrate in central China. This structure combines many advantages of screen printing and transfer printing, such as being able to print many surfaces that cannot be achieved by screen printing (such as double curved surfaces), and having stronger ink selectivity than screen printing.
6. Satellite based
This transfer printing machine is a multi-color printing machine designed on a rotary plane, controlled by a central cam, capable of up to 750 revolutions per hour. If printing four colors per hour, it can produce 250 pieces per hour. This machine is suitable for small and medium volume printing tools. The machine is mainly composed of two rotating platforms and a central control component for central printing. One platform holds the substrate, while the other platform holds the printing plate printing tool. This type of machine is more suitable for companies that mainly accept external orders, because the printing volume of these live parts is relatively small and they are multi-color. Choosing this model is more cost-effective for printing alliances.
7. Pad printing machine with CTP system
In the field of printing, CTP is not a new thing. Currently, it has been widely used in offset printing and flexographic printing. Even in the field of screen printing, the continuous popularity of CTP can be seen in the printing alliance. However, for the field of transfer printing, the application of CTP systems in printing technology has just begun. The CTP system is applied to gravure transfer printing, ensuring that users obtain digital image files and produce high-quality gravure transfer printing plates using laser methods without the need for printing tools such as film, exposure equipment, and chemical agents. The improvement of automation, production efficiency, cost savings, and high fidelity imaging quality give gravure transfer printing a significant advantage over other existing plate making technologies as a printing tool. Of course, investment in this area is the first consideration for many users regarding equipment and consumables.