A flatbed hot stamping machine is a special post-printing device that transfers metallic hot stamping foil onto the surface of a flat or near-flat product. Its hot stamping elements include a hot stamping plate, fixtures, and hot stamping foil. The most important action of a flatbed hot stamping equipment is the raising and lowering of the stamping plate. When lowering, it contacts the product to perform hot foil stamping; when raising, the hot stamping is completed, and the product is removed. Hot foil stamping machine where the raising and lowering of the stamping plate is controlled by compressed air are called Flatbed pneumatic hot stamping machines. This is the most widely used type of hot stamping machine, accounting for over 60% of the market.
Main Structure of a Flatbed foil Hot Stamping Machine
1) Worktable: The worktable is used to place the product. The worktable should be adjustable in all directions to ensure the hot stamping area conforms to the user's specifications. Small hot stamping machine worktables can be made of aluminum profiles, while high-pressure hot stamping machine can use high-strength steel plates.
2) Stamping Plate: The stamping plate is the most important component of the hot stamping machine; it is the main source of heat and pressure. Manual hot stamping machine and low-pressure pneumatic hot stamping machine can use cast aluminum, while high-pressure pneumatic and hydraulic hot stamping machine require hot stamping plates made of high-strength steel to ensure stability. The hot stamping plate should have a built-in heating element to heat it, and a precision temperature control system should adjust the temperature to suit different materials. The contact between the hot stamping plate and the worktable generates significant pressure; for safety, the hot stamping plate should be equipped with protective measures, such as dual operating buttons, safety light curtains, anti-touch devices, or even safety doors to prevent accidental burns. The distance between the hot stamping plate and the worktable should be adjustable; some hot stamping machines adjust this distance by raising and lowering the hot stamping plate, while others adjust it by raising and lowering the worktable.
3) Control Panel: Parameter settings can be performed using a microcomputer program or a touchscreen. Semi-automatic hot stamping machine often use microcomputer panels, while more complex machines often use touchscreens. The most important parameters for adjusting a hot stamping machine are temperature, pressure, and time. Matching and continuously optimizing these three elements is the key technology for completing various high-difficulty hot stamping tasks.
Fully Automatic Hot Stamping Machine:
While a hot stamping machine generally has a built-in complete hot stamping program, functionally it is not considered fully automatic. Only a hot stamping machine that can automatically feed, automatically stamp, and automatically unload can be considered fully automatic. Fully automatic hot stamping machines completely or partially replace the operator's steps in placing products, thus greatly improving production efficiency and gradually freeing operators from heavy, repetitive labor. Their development has been rapid in the last five years, especially in the cosmetics, stationery, and plastic container packaging industries, where their market share has increased significantly.
The main difference between fully automatic and semi-automatic hot stamping machines is:
Automatic Material Handling: This involves arranging products from a chaotic state into an orderly arrangement. Crawlers, material handlers, and vibrating discs are all very mature devices in this field.
Automatic Feeding: After the products are arranged in an orderly manner, how is the hot stamping machine's transport system handled? The worktable of a fully automatic hot stamping machine can be a vertical turntable system, a flat turntable system, or a chain conveyor system. Depending on the characteristics of the product, various types of push rods or robotic arms are designed as the main methods of automatic feeding.
Pre-press Treatment: To ensure hot stamping quality, dust removal, plasma treatment, flame treatment, silane spraying, and other devices can be used to clean and activate the surface of the product.
Hot Stamping: Hot stamping can be controlled by pneumatic, hydraulic, or servo motors. More and more automatic hot stamping machines are adopting servo motor control for easier adjustment, resulting in increasingly complex and precise movements.
Automatic Unloading: Automatic unloading also uses robotic arms of various structures to remove the product from the fixtures on the worktable.
