1. Brock Allen Kyle Astor Tom Lacey
Pad Printing
Brock Allen
Kyle Astor
Tom Lacey

2. Presentation Objective
The pad printing process
Parts of the machine
Different forms of the process

3. Theory & Background
Inexpensive and efficient way of decorating plastic parts.
Original use on watch faces
Difficult to fully master

4. Basics of the process Ink applied to the cliché Excess ink is removed
Pad picks up ink
Ink is applied to the part

5. Machine parts
The cliché
The pad
Inks

6. The Cliché Contains the image that will be printed
Polymer coating on a hard steel backing
Doctor blade

7. The Pad Made of silicon Ink only temporarily adheres to pad
Varying durometers of the pad
Varying sizes for certain applications

8. Inks Predominately solvent based (fastest drying)
Available in gloss and matte finishes
Perform best with thermoplastics

9. Various forms of the process
Manually operated
Open ink trough
Partially covered ink trough
Sealed ink cup
Reciprocating Cliché
Rotary printing

10. Manually Operated
Primitive, rarely used
Small run jobs

11. Open Ink Trough
Original semi-automatic

12. Partially Covered Ink Trough
Prevents solvent evaporation

13. Sealed Ink Cup Eliminates doctor blade
Nearly eliminates solvent evaporation

14. Reciprocating Cliché
Less vibration of the pad
Faster cycles

15. Rotary Printing
Fastest part output

16. Design Requirements Most materials and shapes are printable
Rub solvent onto part to see if part melts
Surface cleanliness is essential
Minimize mold release use

17. Conclusions Relatively simple process
Three main components to the process
Ideal for printing on irregular shapes