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 Excellent Pad printing results are attributed to the following inputs:

• An excellent pad printing machines (visit www.spinksworld.com/pad-printing-machine.htm for more detail)

• Pad printing inks (visit www.spinksworld.com/inks-spinks.htm for more detail)

• Proper pad printing pads (visit /www.spinksworld.com/Printing-Pads.htm for more detail)

• An Excellent pad printing plates or clichés

Traditionally the plates are generally of thick steel material which is made by a very special process of hardening and etched by chemical milling process. These plates are sized, ground, toughened, lapped, polished  and etched. The whole process cycle take about 25 days. Hence standard sizes are mostly in stock and special clichés/ plates need time.

Standard clichés/ plates sizes

1. 70   X 100 X 10     mm³

2. 70   X 140 X 10     mm³

3. 100 X 100 X 10     mm³

4. 100 X 210 X 10     mm³

5. 100 X 215 X 10     mm³

6. 100 X 250 X 10     mm³

7. 150 X 200 X 10     mm³

8. 150 X 300 X 10     mm³

Generally they fit most machines. We use Japanese and German machines for making these plates.

The plates are made in a material contain properties to last at  least 3,00,000 impression but our plates are known to last more than 1.5 million impressions depending on machine, designs, pressure etc.

 A good clichés will need a very accurate depth. The selection of depth is very important. For example if the lines are thin then 18-20 microns are enough but if the design has a patch the depth will need to be increased upto even 30-35 microns.

Printing on ceramic with ceramic colors will require more depth, hence only a specialist with years of experience can make these clichés.

Nowadays the cost of steel has really gone up hence most of companies find the cost of 10mm thick plates very high and they want thin steel plates. We also make thin steel plates, some sizes come in very high surface finish of ra value <0.05 - 0.09 mu. Both are extremely polished surface. The hardness of both type is 50 - 52 HRC.

Generally the following sizes are available

• 70 X 140 X 0.5 mm

• 100 X 210 x 0.5 mm

• 100 X 215 X 0.5 mm

• 100 X 250 X 0.5 mm

• 150 X 300 X 0.5 mm

• 150 X 325 X 0.5 mm

• 250 X 270 X 0.5 mm

• 100 X 600 X 0.5 mm

As clichés or plates for pad printing have very high importance hence selection of proper plates or clichés is extremely critical for quality.

Selection of Clichés or Plates- The selection of plates or clichés depends on many requirements:

Based on nature of pad printing jobs

• Is the need to make clichés for long term production? One design for high mileage. : Thick metal clichés or Ceramic clichés.

• Is the frequency of change over very high? but each design needs only a few thousand prints, : Thin Micro Clichés/Aloxid clichés or thin metal clichés.

• Is the production unplanned? Which means clichés by an easy process in-house? : Classic use of POLYMER Clichés.

• Unique requirement could to print with liquid chocolate on biscuits or candies. You need resistance of clichés to water as the inks are alcohol or water based. Also non toxic effects and high mileage are required. This is a classic example for use of Ceramic clichés.

Based on machines size requirements of clichés
General sizes:  100×100 ×10mm & 70×100×10mm

We are making world class pad printing plates or clichés.

• Thick steel, clichés/plates.

• Thick Ceramic /plates.

• Thin pad printing ALOXID plates.

• Thin pad printing steel plates.

• Roller Ceramic for rotary pad printers.

• Steel Rollers for rotary pad printers.

• Thin Nylon plates.