pad-printing
Pad printing for plastic, metal and technical parts. Suitable for manufacturers, component suppliers and brands that need precise and repeatable product printing in small and medium production runs.
The technology is suitable for printing on flat as well as shaped surfaces, offers good detail reproduction and makes it possible to assess the suitability of the process in advance based on the material, part geometry and the required print durability.
Pad printing is suitable for smaller print areas on technical and product parts where detail accuracy, clean coverage and repeatability in series production matter. It is often used for plastic mouldings, control elements, caps, housings, packaging components and other functional parts.
We have been operating pad printing technology for more than 26 years and can propose a suitable process even for parts with embossed or shape-complex elements.
The gallery shows examples of industrial printing, including printing on the body of a BOSCH drill. We choose the inks used with regard to adhesion to the substrate, motif legibility and the long-term durability of the resulting product.
Alongside industrial marking and part printing, this technology is also well suited to selected promotional items and product applications where detail, precision and repeatability matter.
What is pad printing and how does it work
Pad printing works on the principle of transferring ink with a silicone pad. First, the print motif is prepared in a special plate, then the ink is transferred to the pad and from the pad to the printed part. Thanks to the flexibility of the pad, the technology is suitable for smaller areas on flat as well as shaped parts and allows precise transfer of fine details.
In practice it is often used for technical parts, plastic mouldings, control elements, caps, housings or selected packaging components. For shape-complex or rotary items, it is always advisable to assess in advance how pad deformation may affect the final motif and which process will be most suitable for the production run.
For a more detailed explanation of the complete process, suitable materials and production preparation, see Pad printing on plastic and metal parts.
Materials that can be printed
Plastics, metal, glass, paper, wood and others. We always assess the suitability of the technology according to the material, part geometry, required motif size and the expected durability of the print in use.
Our pad printing machines
Our machine facilities include several single-colour pad printing machines of various brands. We have machines with both open and closed ink cup systems. With these machines we can offer prints up to 9 cm wide and ensure repeatability for recurring production runs.
For multi-colour prints we have a Morlock machine capable of four-colour printing up to 5.5 cm in diameter. Before production, we are happy to recommend a suitable solution according to the substrate, part geometry and the required motif.
Reference
The core of our production is industrial printing. We print functional machine parts, product parts and packaging components and, where required, also provide printing for selected promotional items. We place emphasis on detail accuracy, repeatability and the suitability of the chosen process for the specific production run.
Send us your B2B inquiry, a photo or a drawing of the part and we will discuss the suitability of the technology with you. Please include the material, dimensions, expected production run size and the print location in your message; based on that we will suggest the next steps and prepare a quotation.