From our name alone you may have been able to guess that our speciality lies within foiling services. With the skills and equipment available to us, we have the means to supply a considerable array of functional and decorative hot transfer foils to a number of wood, metal, and plastic based products. We’re capable of adding foil to profiles in addition to reel and sheet materials. No matter what your requirements are, we shall use our knowhow to ensure that they’re met.
To apply foil to a substrate, the most important thing you need is a die. This is a plate with an indentation that has been raised off the exterior. Your die is heated up and utilised to press your foil onto the substrate. The vast majority of foil dies are flat in design. Roll foil/cylindrical do exist, but they aren’t as common.
To create dies, one of the most typical approaches used is that of acid etching. What happens here is that a metal plate is covered using a photosensitive coating. Your artwork is printed onto film and exposed onto the die plate via UV lighting. The plates are washed afterwards, only leaving the design behind. This is then placed inside an acid bath and every exposed area is etched away. The impression is left raised and is all prepared for foiling.
Foil dies are comprised of a group of metals; magnesium is one of them. This is by far the least expensive die metal and takes between 5 to 15 minutes to etch. Dies made from it heat up rapidly and are rather lightweight, but are somewhat soft. If any paper jams occur, your die can become damaged.
Copper is another option, being pricier, heavier, and taking longer to etch than magnesium. The greatest thing about this substance though is its durability. This quality makes it more difficult to damage and longer lasting.
At Foiling Services, in order to present you with the best possible finishes, we work alongside trusted manufacturers like Poli-Film, Renolit, and Novacel. Our impressive collection of interior and exterior grade foils includes but isn’t limited to, woodgrain, granite, and uni-colours. If you are interested in working with us, please get in touch.