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Home » Why should you try the latest 3D Hot Stamping?

Why should you try the latest 3D Hot Stamping?

If you are a fan of hot stamping and want your logo and initials (hot) stamped on everything, wait till hear about 3D Hot Stamping (aka 3DHS)!

3DHS is one of the hot (pun intended) trend in printing world. It is a new process developed by KURZ Transfer Products, that allows a single-component panel to be partially coated with a metallic, patterned or pigmented foil. This finishing method eliminates the need for an injection mould, along with the associated moulding operation and assembly step and, therefore, offers significant cost advantages. Another special characteristic of this specific decoration application is that the air vent has a pronounced 3D geometry that would not have been able to be coated in a conventional hot stamping process.

3DHS Applications could include automotive interior and exterior applications, household appliances, electronics, consumer goods, health and beauty aids and various daily product packaging.

How does the 3DHS process differ from normal hot stamping?

The 3DHS coating process requires three components that have been optimally tailored to one another: a special hot stamping foil, a 3DHS die system and the 3DHS hot stamp machine. The hot stamping foil has been specially formulated to meet the requirements of three-dimensional decoration. It has a high elasticity, which enables it to be thermally shaped to match the geometry of the plastic part in a work operation prior to the stamping process

In a normal hot stamping process with heat and pressure, pressure is applied in a vertical motion to the foil and the substrate to make a transfer. In this application, a vacuum is pulled down over the foil and the foil is pre-heated to give it the elasticity it needs. The vacuum is then pulled even tighter over the part, and a heated die is brought down to ensure adhesion and make the impression.

What are the advantages of 3DHS?

  1. One of the main advantages of the process is the ability to avoid wrinkles. In the past, if a designer wanted to decorate the outer ring of a part, that normally only could be done if the part geometry was flat and consistent. In traditional hot stamping, wrinkles can become an issue if the part geometry has not been designed for a suitable hot stamp, but the vacuum and the flexibility of the foil in the 3DHS process eliminates that concern.
  2. Cycle time, however, as it relates to alternative decoration mediums, is very competitive. It often could be considered to be faster because of the modular design and ability to place the decoration inline in the manufacturing process.
  3. The 3DHS technology is more environmentally friendly and versatile since design changeovers can be performed simply by exchanging the hot stamping foil. Colour changes in chrome plating require a change and disposal of the plating bath, which typically consists of hazardous solutions; either a chromic acid solution or a less toxic solution based on trivalent chromium salts. The traditional metalizing process involves application guns and either combustible gasses or compressed air. The 3DHS is a dry and solvent-free process that makes a spraying tool and a spray procedure unnecessary, which again leads to cost savings.

How does this impact the design process?

This technology gives designers a little more freedom of design. They can think in three-dimensional shapes and still avoid some of the hazardous processes, such as chrome dipping and plating, by using a hot stamping solution. 3DHS could be a fraction of the cost of a traditional coating or plating process. This is, of course, part size- and volume-dependent.

At Craftwerkz, we are offering our clients the latest 3DHS as a printing options on a variety of products such as Chinese New Year red packets, mooncake boxes, greeting cards etc. Explore how you can apply this innovative technology to bring a new dimension to your branding.

 

 

Contact us at 65 9876 1869 to make an enquiry.

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