by Scott Sabreen, The Sabreen Group, Inc. . Coloring plastics is integral to most products both aesthetically and functionally. Improperly formulated color compounds can have harmful effects on secondary processes, including bonding and printing. Many colorants can be used only in a limited selection of polymers. For example, dyes have low solubility in polyethylene … [Read more...] about How Coloring Plastics Affects Secondary Processes
ENews
Plastic Assembly Trends: Utilizing Infrared Energy
By Kyle Harvey, Extol, Inc. . As plastic assembly demands and designs continue to evolve, engineers continue to refine plastics joining technologies. The process of utilizing infrared (IR) energy to join plastics certainly falls into that category. Extol's InfraStake® technology led the trend of infrared energy in plastic assembly many years ago by applying IR energy in … [Read more...] about Plastic Assembly Trends: Utilizing Infrared Energy
Five Keys to Successful Pad Print Project Management
by John Kaverman, Pad Print Pros LLC Companies that are unsuccessful in pad printing usually fail to observe one or more of the five keys to successfully launching any pad printing operation. 1. Assign someone responsibility for the success of the project. Often, no one is in charge of dealing with pad printing projects from cradle to grave. It is imperative that someone … [Read more...] about Five Keys to Successful Pad Print Project Management
UV Printing Technologies Can Add Variety to Decorated Plastics
by Hiroshi Ono, Group Product Manager, Roland DGA Corp. . Traditionally, the plastics decorating market has been served by processes such as pad printing, hot stamping and screen printing technologies. And while these technologies have a place in most shops, advances in digital UV printing technology quickly are changing the landscape. This is because of the … [Read more...] about UV Printing Technologies Can Add Variety to Decorated Plastics
Q&A: Cliché Choices
Not long ago, the only real choice for creating a pad printing cliché was to chemically etch a steel plate. However, advancements with photopolymer technology and laser-based CTP systems have created more choices for pad printing operations to consider. What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Steel Clichés? Steel clichés for pad printing continue to be the mainstay for … [Read more...] about Q&A: Cliché Choices