Tampo pad printing on high gloss surfaces

We are frequently asked to carry out repeat and precise printing in high-definition for high surface finishes - our team excels in this field

The challenge

A recent customer set us the requirement of printing with absolutely no distortion of images over the various contours of their component, and for these to be completely eligible and precisely positioned. The high surface finish cosmetics of these components could be any combination of colours in all positions, to be manufactured in a cost-effective manner and with a process capability in excess of 3,000 units per week.

All the inks had to be resistant to household cleaning agents and the print on constant contact items such as the 'On/Off' button had to be abrasive resistant to handle continuous use in a showering environment.

With more than 25 years' of pad and silk screen printing knowledge, we were able to advise on ink types, artworks, materials and printing techniques.

We've worked closely with most of the major suppliers of inks and printing consumables, so we were able to offer valuable expertise to our customer, from when the artwork may need to be distorted, to the type of pads required.

The solution

When printing on to the complex surfaces of components, our knowledge proved invaluable. We advised on how best to control the image laydown on the component's compounded angles, reversing the pickup by changing pad profiles.

We brought a wide range of printing equipment and expertise to the project, from small single colour open tray printing machines to much larger ones. That included five-colour multi axis plot print machines that allow for different images of the same colour to be created on the same print cliché and 10-colour machines which allow for throughputs to be managed cost-effectively.