Pad printing
You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.
Pad printing is sometimes also called tampo, tampo printing, or transfer pad printing. The process is related to intaglio or gravure printing.
Pad printing is used for decorating products in many industries including medical, automotive, promotional, apparel, electronics, appliances, sports equipment and toys. It can also be used to deposit functional materials such as conductive inks, adhesives, dyes and lubricants.
Pad printing which is similar to gravure printing in that an image is transferred from one surface to another is comprised of three major components: pad, ink and cliché. The cliché is made of a hard polymer or steel material and is configured with the desired design etched less than ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ in (25 µm) into it to act as a reservoir for the ink. The pad, typically made from a silicone rubber, first presses against the surface of the cliché. The pad picks up the design and transfers it by pressing against the object.
Physical changes within the ink film both on the cliché and on the pad allow it leave the etched image area in favor of adhering to the pad, and to subsequently release from the pad in favor of adhering to the substrate (material being printed).
The unique properties of the silicone pad enable it to pick the image up from a flat plane and transfer it to a variety of surface (i.e. flat, cylindrical, spherical, compound angles, textures, concave surfaces, convex surfaces)
Examples of pad printing applications:
- Golf ball logos/graphics - Decorative designs/graphics appearing on Hot Wheels or Matchbox toy cars - Letters on Computer Keyboards and calculator keys
Since the late 1960s an old printing method, which had been particularly well established in the watch-making industry, has been an unexpected boom. Pad printing was discovered for newer, broader applications and with the help of silicone pads and new machine constructions it truly blossomed. Pad printing machine manufacturers sprung up like mushrooms and satisfied the real market need for printing and decorating parts in a simple and inexpensive way. Pad printing allows new designing possibilities for engineers and designers as a result, the products are becoming more attractive and functional.
Today pad printing has reached a technical advanced state and the range is quite diversified.
Compared to the method described in the historical section not much has changed. The basic procedure has remained the same.