How you can Make Rubber Stamps – Comparing Techniques of Manufacture
Vulcanized Rubber Stamps
The traditional red rubber stamp that everyone is acquainted with will have been manufactured within a vulcanizing press. The first rubber stamp vulcanizing press was patented in 1890 by Charles Schultze in New Orleans USA. Vulcanizing is at this time certainly one of essentially the most cost effective methods of creating rubber stamps for mass created stamps. Every single batch of stamps is produced employing a mould. This system of manufacture is additional suited to stamp producing exactly where the same moulds are utilised more than and more than again. Producing custom produced stamps using a vulcanizing press requiring ‘once only’ moulds will drive the cost of manufacture up substantially.
Producing the mould – ahead of a mould might be made you have to have a master plate manufactured from metal or polymer, the master plate has the required relief (the artwork is raised) to create an impression in the mould. Having a master plate made every single time a mould is required is what drives up the cost of manufacture for vulcanized stamps. Pressing the master plate into a Matrix board creates the mould which will accept the rubber. Heat and pressure is applied towards the master plate and matrix board inside a Vulcanizing press. The Matrix follows the shape in the relief provided by the master plate, this then hardens on cooling.
Producing Rubber Stamps – Creating stamps is usually a basic procedure as soon as the mould is created. Raw rubber stamp gum is placed on leading in the mould and after that placed inside the stamp press. Hydraulic pressure is placed upon the rubber plus the mould from within the stamp press causing the rubber to melt into the areas of your mould that contain the pictures and text, curing and hardening takes about ten minutes. As soon as cured the sheet of rubber is pulled away from the mould and cut up into individual stamps to be affixed to mounts.
Cost of a vulcanizing system is around $12,000 AUD
Advantages – Low price of production for mass created stamps, fantastic ink transfer.
Disadvantages – Price of producing master plates and moulds for custom produced stamps.
Laser Engraved Rubber Stamps
The regular raw rubber applied for vulcanizing stamp dies is rather unacceptable for the production of laser stamp dies, the laser course of action demands an extremely even thickness and blemish absolutely free surface to generate an acceptable printed image from a stamp die. The rubber ought to also be subjected to a particular curing procedure ahead of it might be exposed towards the elevated temperature of a laser beam.
The depth of your engraving is determined by the laser speed, its wattage and the density of the rubber. By way of example, a 50 or 100W engraver will engrave the rubber deeper and more rapidly than a 25W machine, which may well demand a second pass to reach a related result. Typically supplied in an A4 size sheet type, a good top quality laser rubber is needed for engraving stamp dies and have to also have appropriate compression strength and ink transfer properties.
To help the engraving approach, it is necessary to remove the excess dust which can be continually designed by the laser cutting action with an efficient exhaust filtration technique. As incredibly handful of, if any, CO2 laser engraving machines had been initially objective built for engraving and cutting rubber, installing and keeping an effective dust extraction method pays extended term dividends. Mirrors, lenses and any exposed bearing surfaces need to be cleaned thoroughly as element of a regular upkeep program. Any neglect in this region will be detrimental to general difficulty cost-free laser operation, as the construct up of dust and residue will affect operating efficiency and the quality of the finished stamp die. Lasers are controlled straight from a laptop, the software drivers supplied with lasers work with numerous graphic applications including CorelDraw.
Approximate cost of a 25 watt Laser suitable for stamp producing is $40,000
Positive aspects – Production is pc controlled, custom produced stamps may be created quickly
Disadvantages – High capital investment, upkeep charges and operating is going to be substantially increased than vulcanizing or polymer methods of manufacture.
Liquid Polymer Rubber Stamps
Converting rubber stamp polymer from a liquid into a solid to produce stamps is really fascinating. Polymer stamps are manufactured amongst two sheets of glass working with precision controlled UV light which passes by way of an unfavorable containing the stamp artwork solidifying the polymer. Negative production has been simplified with all the introduction of water based negative technology, photographic chemical compounds for creating negatives are now a thing of your past.
The initial step in producing polymer rubber stamps is to print your pictures, clipart or text onto Vellum, an just about transparent paper like film. To create good quality stamp artwork you must use a laser printer, inks from bubble jet printers are translucent allowing UV light to pass exactly where it should not. Water based negatives are simply washed out after becoming exposed to get a few minutes within an UV exposure stamp machine.
Polymer contained within a sachet is now replacing the older cumbersome system of using foam tape to make a dam and pouring of rubber stamp polymers, the sachets have also addressed the age old difficulty of removing air bubbles from the poured polymer.
The negative of your artwork and polymer sachet is sandwiched in between two sheets of glass spaced 2-3mm apart that is then exposed within the machine to get a handful of minutes. As soon as you’ve got completed the exposure it truly is a simple approach of cutting open the sachet and washing away the excess unexposed polymer before returning the stamp die back towards the machine for a 10 minute curing. When the stamps are cured they’re able to be cut up individually. Polymer sachets are offered in a range of sizes up to A4 size.
Processing time is about 30 minutes for a batch of polymer stamps.
Cost of polymer stamp making machines range from $3,500 AUD for an Australian created unit created especially for stamp creating as much as high finish imported units with computer controlled washout for $15,000 AUD.
Advantages – Lower capital investment, polymers make just about clear stamps creating them ideal for scrapbooking and card generating. Stamp relief may be effortlessly controlled during exposure.
Disadvantages – Early polymers did not accept inks in addition to polymers available these days, this in addition to being new technology induced initial resistance to polymer stamps.
Summary
Most massive stamp manufacturers possess a mix of your above equipment. The unmounted rubber stamp dies developed with any of these manufacturing procedures will be cut up and affixed to straightforward hand stamps, dater stamps or self inking stamps. Craft stamps are generally affixed to wooden blocks or in the case of polymer stamps affixed to clear acrylic blocks with adhesives or InstaGrip mounting mat. Various manufactures produces stamp mounts. Astron Industries in Australia manufacturer the clear hand stamp ‘Vuestamp’ and also distribute the Perfect range of self inking mounts. Other brands of self inking mounts are Trodat, Colop and Shiny.
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