Precautions to take when applying foil over foil

The aim of our business is to provide clients with decorative foiling services for their products, ensuring the finish meets their specifications. Over the years we have had the pleasure of working with a wide array of companies from various markets. The amount of materials that we can foil is vast and includes the likes of aluminium, PVC, ASA, MDF and many others. Whatever your request, we will see to it that it is fulfilled.

It’s often the case that when an application consists of stamping one foil over another, the operator is likely to be neglectful in their concern on press. It is easy to take for granted the fact that every hot stamping foil is easily over-stampable. However, this just isn’t the case. If the foil happens to be picking or there is an uneven coverage present on the foil’s second pass, there is an issue.

There are certain hot stamping foils that are created to be over-stampable, but others aren’t designed for this. Before any job involving one foil being applied over another takes place, it’s imperative to check whether the substances are compatible. This might not be the only reason for a possible application challenge though.

If the initial stamping pass was stamped with a soft make-ready board or too great an impression force, a deep groove shall be left around the image and problems with coverage may occur on the second pass. There is a chance that an invisible indented line will appear where the second pass stamps over the top of the first.

The above can be stopped by way of a hard make-ready board, like an epoxy glass one for instance. What this will do is enable the initial foil to be applied with less pressure, preventing the first pass from stamping too much into the stock.

At Foiling Services we take every precaution necessary to ensure that your foiled products include no faults. In addition to our foiling work we also perform lamination services for our customers. If we can assist you in any way, please let us know.