The best way to Make Rubber Stamps – Comparing Strategies of Manufacture
Vulcanized Rubber Stamps
The standard red rubber stamp that everyone is familiar with will happen to be manufactured in a vulcanizing press. The very first rubber stamp vulcanizing press was patented in 1890 by Charles Schultze in New Orleans USA. Vulcanizing is today one of one of the most price successful techniques of generating rubber stamps for mass made stamps. Each batch of stamps is created applying a mould. This method of manufacture is extra suited to stamp making where exactly the same moulds are made use of more than and over once more. Making custom created stamps with a vulcanizing press requiring ‘once only’ moulds will drive the cost of manufacture up drastically.
Making the mould – before a mould will be produced it’s essential to possess a master plate manufactured from metal or polymer, the master plate has the important relief (the artwork is raised) to produce an impression within the mould. Getting a master plate produced each time a mould is needed is what drives up the cost of manufacture for vulcanized stamps. Pressing the master plate into a Matrix board creates the mould that may accept the rubber. Heat and pressure is applied for the master plate and matrix board inside a Vulcanizing press. The Matrix follows the shape on the relief supplied by the master plate, this then hardens on cooling.
Making Rubber Stamps – Producing stamps is really a very simple method when the mould is created. Raw rubber stamp gum is placed on best with the mould then placed inside the stamp press. Hydraulic pressure is placed upon the rubber and the mould from within the stamp press causing the rubber to melt in to the places from the mould that include the images and text, curing and hardening takes about 10 minutes. When cured the sheet of rubber is pulled away from the mould and cut up into individual stamps to become affixed to mounts.
Price of a vulcanizing technique is around $12,000 AUD
Benefits – Low expense of production for mass made stamps, superior ink transfer.
Disadvantages – Expense of producing master plates and moulds for custom created stamps.
Laser Engraved Rubber Stamps
The conventional raw rubber used for vulcanizing stamp dies is quite unacceptable for the production of laser stamp dies, the laser procedure needs an incredibly even thickness and blemish totally free surface to produce an acceptable printed image from a stamp die. The rubber must also be subjected to a precise curing method before it can be exposed for the elevated temperature of a laser beam.
The depth of the engraving is determined by the laser speed, its wattage and also the density in the rubber. For example, a 50 or 100W engraver will engrave the rubber deeper and more quickly than a 25W machine, which may require a second pass to realize a similar outcome. Normally supplied in an A4 size sheet type, an excellent good quality laser rubber is essential for engraving stamp dies and ought to also have appropriate compression strength and ink transfer properties.
To assist the engraving course of action, it really is essential to get rid of the excess dust which is regularly made by the laser cutting action with an efficient exhaust filtration program. As pretty few, if any, CO2 laser engraving machines were initially objective built for engraving and cutting rubber, installing and maintaining an efficient dust extraction technique pays long term dividends. Mirrors, lenses and any exposed bearing surfaces ought to be cleaned thoroughly as part of a typical maintenance plan. Any neglect in this location will probably be detrimental to general trouble absolutely free laser operation, as the create up of dust and residue will impact running efficiency and also the top quality from the completed stamp die. Lasers are controlled straight from a computer, the software program drivers supplied with lasers function with a lot of graphic applications which include CorelDraw.
Approximate price of a 25 watt Laser suitable for stamp making is $40,000
Advantages – Production is laptop or computer controlled, custom created stamps might be made easily
Disadvantages – High capital investment, maintenance costs and running are going to be a great deal higher than vulcanizing or polymer strategies of manufacture.
Liquid Polymer Rubber Stamps
Converting rubber stamp polymer from a liquid into a solid to produce stamps is pretty fascinating. Polymer stamps are manufactured between two sheets of glass using precision controlled UV light which passes through an unfavorable containing the stamp artwork solidifying the polymer. Negative production has been simplified together with the introduction of water based unfavorable technologies, photographic chemicals for creating negatives are now a factor from the past.
The initial step in creating polymer rubber stamps is always to print your images, clipart or text onto Vellum, an almost transparent paper like film. To generate superior stamp artwork you have to use a laser printer, inks from bubble jet printers are translucent permitting UV light to pass exactly where it should not. Water based negatives are quickly washed out following getting exposed for a couple of minutes in an UV exposure stamp machine.
Polymer contained in a sachet is now replacing the older cumbersome process of utilizing foam tape to create a dam and pouring of rubber stamp polymers, the sachets have also addressed the age old challenge of removing air bubbles from the poured polymer.
The negative of one’s artwork and polymer sachet is sandwiched among two sheets of glass spaced 2-3mm apart that is then exposed inside the machine for a few minutes. When you might have completed the exposure it can be an easy course of action of cutting open the sachet and washing away the excess unexposed polymer prior to returning the stamp die back for the machine for a ten minute curing. The moment the stamps are cured they can be cut up individually. Polymer sachets are out there inside a range of sizes up to A4 size.
Processing time is about 30 minutes for a batch of polymer stamps.
Price of polymer stamp creating machines range from $3,500 AUD for an Australian made unit designed specifically for stamp generating up to high finish imported units with pc controlled washout for $15,000 AUD.
Benefits – Lower capital investment, polymers make nearly clear stamps generating them perfect for scrapbooking and card producing. Stamp relief might be simply controlled throughout exposure.
Disadvantages – Early polymers didn’t accept inks along with polymers accessible right now, this as well as becoming new technology caused initial resistance to polymer stamps.
Summary
Most substantial stamp manufacturers possess a mix of the above equipment. The unmounted rubber stamp dies produced with any of these manufacturing methods may be cut up and affixed to uncomplicated hand stamps, dater stamps or self inking stamps. Craft stamps are typically affixed to wooden blocks or within the case of polymer stamps affixed to clear acrylic blocks with adhesives or InstaGrip mounting mat. Numerous manufactures produces stamp mounts. Astron Industries in Australia manufacturer the clear hand stamp ‘Vuestamp’ and also distribute the Excellent range of self inking mounts. Other brands of self inking mounts are Trodat, Colop and Shiny.
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