OFT Metal Foil Cold Stamping Solution

OFT metal foil cold-stencil technology adopts "one-pass" technology, which realizes the traditional multi-process finishing of the surface after printing on the offset printing machine. It can not only achieve the traditional finishing effect of the surface after printing, but also can achieve some traditional techniques. Surface finish effect achieved.

OFT Technology Co., Ltd. is a newly established company headquartered in Cheshire Cheadle, UK. It specializes in providing innovative solutions for lithographic offset presses, while also improving product appearance and reducing costs.

OFT's philosophy is to integrate post-press processing into offset printing. From the printing industry, OFF foil cold foiling technology is based on product demand, effectively combining the existing printing equipment and operational staff skills. The features of foil cold foiling technology ensure its successful implementation and application.

The traditional surface finishing after printing needs 2 to 3 processes. The cumbersome process means investment, cost, registration, and various other quality issues. The OFT metal foil cold-stencil technology adopts the “one-pass” technology and is implemented on the offset printing machine at one time. The traditional multi-process finishing of the surface after printing can not only achieve the traditional finishing effect of the surface after printing, but also can achieve the surface finishing effect that cannot be achieved by some traditional techniques, and also has the characteristics of simple operation and low cost.

John Hopkinson, director of OFT, explained: This integrated technology has been applied to production, but also can effectively save the cost of customers. In addition, OFF metal foil cold-stencil technology provides designers with a great deal of freedom in the process of offset printing and can even directly realize the transfer of 3D images.

Foil-tone technology

OFT's Foil-tone technology transfers the metal foil to a printed proof sheet by an offset printing process. The metal foil is not heated, die-cut, and cumbersome during the transfer process. In this process, the metal foil, like the ink, can achieve foiling effects such as full-length, small dots, and halftones. Therefore, through the Foil-tone technology, the metal foil is overprinted like an ink and can achieve some special effects and various colors of foiling effects.

In Foil-tone technology, the process of attaching the foil to the substrate is a complete offset printing process, which is achieved by conventional offset printing plates. The fit between the metal foil and the ink is like the fit between the ink and the ink. This process does not have a template for molding, saving cost. In addition, the Foil-tone technology's prepress preparation time is only the time of change, there is no other preparation time. Therefore, compared with the traditional foiling process, OFT's Foil-tone technology greatly saves operating time, and its foiling speed is the offset printing speed. If no metal foil is used, regular inks can be printed as usual, without any influence from Foil-tone technology. The finishing effect that can be achieved by the traditional hot stamping foil process is fully realized through the Foil-tone technology, and the Foil-tone technology can also achieve some special finishing effects that cannot be achieved by the traditional hot stamping process.

The Foil-tone module consists of four units, two metal foil reels and two units of the press. The Foil-tone module does not need to be embedded inside the press. When the metal foil is not used, the two printing units of the press applied to the Foil-tone module can be used for printing ink without any mechanical and electrical adjustments. The Foil-tone module can be installed in most Series 74 and 105 presses. In the Foil-tone module, the two units of the printing press can be either two printing units of the printing press or a printing unit and a coating unit. The Foil-tone module provides the required post-press finishing results. Can be placed anywhere on the press.

Foil-tone technology requires a special foil adhesive and transfers the metal adhesive to the printing substrate through the printing plate of the first printing unit. The unheated metal foil can act on the pressure and adhesive through the second printing unit. Transferred to the substrate, Foil-tone technology can achieve high-resolution metal foil hot stamping, but also can achieve half-tone, full-length metal foil hot stamping.

The Foil-tone module can be installed between the last printing unit of the press and the first coating unit. This installation method can achieve surface effects similar to the traditional foiling process. (The traditional soup foil process transfers the ink to the printer. After the object, the metal foil is transferred to the substrate.) In addition, since the Foil-tone process has no pressure, there is no embossed mark on the print after foiling.

If the metal foil is transferred to the substrate before the ink, precise registration between the ink and the metal foil or overprinting of the ink and metal foil is required. Foil-tone technology enables solid or halftone CMYK color on metal foil. This allows companies to save a large amount of non-ferrous metal foil, that is, through the transparent pigment ink and metal foil overprint can obtain color metal foil. Therefore, the Foil-tone technology makes the layout of the printing proofs simpler. Metal foils of different colors can be transferred to the substrate at the same time. This cannot be achieved in the traditional foiling process. When the Foil-tone module is installed at the front of the press, a built-in UV drying unit is required.

No matter if the Foil-tone module is installed in front of the printing unit or after the printing unit, it can achieve the speed that the traditional process can not achieve, and there is no additional processing cost. In addition, both installation methods allow one-step processing and multiple-step processing. The two-color machine can also obtain the required foiling effect through multi-step processing. Foil-tone technology can replace the offline foiling process.

Foil-tone technology enables the design and design of traditional foiling processes, but Foil-tone technology overcomes the technical difficulties of some traditional processes, such as the trimming of small prints. Foil-tone technology can realize half-tone hot foil, which provides a wider space for novel product design.

Foil-tone technology is more convenient. For example, in the traditional foiling process, full-surface hot foiling is very difficult and very slow, while Foil-tone technology can be realized at normal printing speed without using various expensive products. Metal foil composite board. The adhesive part of the carton does not require foiling, and Foil-tone technology does not require the use of a paper foil composite panel in these areas. In addition, this technology can also be used for printed circuit boards, greeting cards and other lights with a decorative ornament.

If the design of the product requires that the metal foil be used to print different parts of the proof, such as the sides of the proof, the metal foil of the two rollers can be used at the same time. One roller is used on one side and no other complicated operations are required. Foil-tone technology can realize many new design concepts on cartons, greeting cards, books and trademarks at a low cost.

Fli-tone technology

Fli-tone technology can realize the post-print finishing in the ordinary offset printing process, and the definition is very good. At present, most of the powdered decorations used in greeting cards, cartons and gift wraps require two to three processes. During the operation, dust is very large and the operator cannot accurately control the amount of gold powder, but Fli-tone's “one pass” Technology can overcome the above difficulties.

The Fli-tone technology transforms a coating unit of a printing press with a UV drying function with a specially designed chamber-type doctor anilox roller system. OFT provides a specially designed coating system for Fli-tone technology, which can control the amount of gold powder in the correct proportion to ensure the required post-press effect. Fli-tone technology achieves the application of gold powder through anilox roller and UV drying system. It can ensure that the gold powder is in the correct position and adheres to the surface of the printing material with an appropriate thickness. It has a high gloss and Fli-tone technology will not Scattered gold powder is generated to avoid contamination of other printed materials, and it will not cause physical harm to workers. Combined with other applications of OFT's "One-pass" technology, it can ultimately significantly improve product quality and reduce product costs.

to sum up

OFT's foil foil cold foiling solution integrates the traditional post-print foiling process into the offset printing process. On the one hand, it simplifies control, reduces operating difficulty, improves efficiency, and saves costs. On the other hand, OFT's metal The foil cold foiling solution can not only achieve the finishing effect of the traditional foil stamping process, but also can achieve the post-print finishing effect that cannot be achieved by some traditional techniques, providing designers with a wider space.

Source: "Global Box Industry"