Quantitative design of "walking and jumping" of electrified aluminum foil
Anodized aluminum stamping is a rapidly evolving surface finishing technique. To achieve the desired hot stamping effect, it's essential to carefully manage the temperature, pressure, and speed during the process, while also making full use of anodized aluminum foil. From the very beginning of the design phase, it's important to consider the size of the stamping area and leave enough space to determine the roll size of the electrochemical aluminum foil. As the foil moves, specific data on "walking" and "jumping" must be designed. High-volume production requires high-quality electrochemical aluminum foil, which can be costly—both imported and domestic options are expensive. If the design isn't optimized, it can lead to repeated stamping, material waste, or excessively long patterns on the foil strip, all of which increase costs significantly.
In production, paper, ink, and electrochemical aluminum foil make up a large portion of the cost. Especially for large-area, high-volume hot stamping jobs, the cost of the aluminum foil can rival that of ink. In some cases, imported foils like those from Libra may even exceed ink costs. This makes the calculation of "walking" and "jumping" a critical technical challenge in the hot stamping process.
During my time working on the front lines of production, I've seen many designers struggle with determining the best jumping data. Without clear guidelines, they often resort to trial and error, which can take days and reduce efficiency. After some research and thinking, I developed a few practical formulas. When I shared them with the team and applied them in real-world scenarios, they found the method simple, accurate, and easy to implement. I'm now sharing these calculations with you for your reference.
(1) Walking and Jumping
Taking the Yahua TYM1050 automatic hot stamping machine as an example, the electrochemical aluminum foil is fed by a servo motor, and there are three groups that can simultaneously stamp three sets of products with the same pattern. If the motor needs to operate automatically under pressure, the machine will run automatically, with the three motors installed on the delivery section's transmission side. The initial position of the foil is fixed, but the motor's traction and friction can cause uneven force, leading to breaks or reduced stamping accuracy. In foreign machines, such as Bobst’s embossing machines, two servo motor-driven systems are used, with multiple motors placed at the feeding and receiving points to ensure smooth movement and consistent tension on the foil strip.
"Walking" and "jumping" refer to how the electrochemical aluminum foil is driven by the motor and synchronized or unsynchronized. "Walking step" means the foil moves in sync with the printed product, with the motor controlling the fixed length of the foil each time. "Jumping step" occurs when the foil and product pass through several hot stamping units, then the motor suddenly accelerates, allowing the foil to move ahead without repeating the stamp, before starting the next cycle.
(2) Jump Calculation Formula
For easier discussion, let's define some parameters during the movement of the electrochemical aluminum foil:
L: The spacing between two hot stamping patterns;
a: The maximum dimension of the hot stamping pattern, usually the outline. If the sizes differ slightly, use the larger one;
A: The length of the electrochemical aluminum foil required for one set of patterns;
c: The pitch between two consecutive hot stamping patterns, a constant value;
x: The step distance—the length the foil moves during one jump;
B: The jump length—the amount of foil wound between jumps;
y: The length of the hot stamping pattern plus the gap during walking;
D: The length of the coiled aluminum foil taken out.
To simplify, we represent the hot stamping pattern as a small circle. On an electrochemical aluminum foil strip, the smaller the spacing between patterns, the more economical it becomes. However, several factors must be considered: the faster the foil moves, the larger the spacing; the shorter the feed length, the smaller the spacing; and the larger the diameter of the foil reel, the smaller the spacing. Additionally, the automatic adjustment of friction on the foil holder, the elasticity of the foil itself, and the tightness of the coil should all be taken into account. The foil strip should be cut to an appropriate width—typically 10 to 15 mm wider than the hot stamping image—and then tightly secured after cutting.
Dog Latex Toys,Latex Pet Toy,latex squeaky dog toys,Squeaky Crocodile Dog Toy,Dog Toy Squeaky Latex,Dog Toy Latex Crocodile,Latex Crocodile Dog Chew Toy
Dongguan King Pet Toys Co.,Ltd , https://www.kingpettoys.com