Best Pad Printing Companies for Your Project
About Pad Printing
Pad printing is a commonly used process which allows printing of text and designs on a 3D object. Look around, probably any plastic part you see where a logo or text has been printing on it was done using this technique. Common industries that use pad printing are automotive, sporting equipment, promotional products, medical devices and electronics. In many applications, a single color is sufficient, like on a golf ball. But multiple colors are able to be used and are transferred sequentially to the product.
Pad Printing Process
In the most simplest form. the pad printing process is performed in three steps.
- An etched image has ink applied
- A transfer pad removes the ink from the etched image plate
- The transfer pad presses the ink image onto the product
But let's look at each step in a bit more detail.
Image Plate
The image plate has the artwork etched into the surface to create a cavity to hold the ink. A plate is normally made out of soft, polymer coated plate or a harden steel plate. Both have advantages and disadvantage. The soft, polymer coated plate is able to be laser etched, thus fast and cheap to make. The down side is that the life cycle is only about 10,000 impressions. A harden steel plate can last for over 1 million cycles but is slower and more expensive to make. Which to use depends on your application, timeline and budget.
Transfer Pad
Pad are normally made of a rubber, typically silicone. Their main function is to transfer the ink image from the plate to the product. They have to be soft and ductile in order to conform to the product surface and ensure complete transfer of the image. They come in multiple shapes and sizes depending on the application and size of the image to be transfer. They are normally off the shelf product and do not need to be customized except for rare application.
Ink
A special ink is used that has a greater affinity for the transfer pad over the image plate and for the product over the transfer pad. Without these preferences, pad printing would not work. Most inks will dry naturally after being transferred to the final part but if desired, UV cured inks can be used which allows for final inspection of the print before curing the ink and making it permanent.
What you should know about finding the right company for your business
Finding a vendor is a stressful and difficult process, but we can make it easier for you. If you’re looking for help in fulfilling a big order for your business, or even a small one, don’t take an unnecessary risk. Use VendOp to find a company that has already proven it satisfies its customers.
See the trending Pad Printing companies with reviews
| # | Company | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CI Medical | 6 | |
| 2 | CPC Plastics | 0 | |
| 3 | CleanCut Technologies | 32 | |
| 4 | Comdec Inc | 0 | |
| 5 | Duke Empirical | 14 | |
| 6 | Flow-Eze | 0 | |
| 7 | Fluortek, Inc. | 3 | |
| 8 | Forum Plastics Inc | 0 | |
| 9 | H.N. Lockwood | 0 | |
| 10 | Henry Plastic Molding Inc | 0 | |
| 11 | Hi-Tech Products | 3 | |
| 12 | Marman Industries | 3 | |
| 13 | Medbio | 21 | |
| 14 | Medefab | 1 | |
| 15 | Medical Murray | 20 | |
| 16 | Printex Inc | 3 | |
| 17 | Printing Source | 22 | |
| 18 | Stack Plastics | 18 | |
| 19 | TouchMark | 12 | |
| 20 | VitalDyne | 2 |
