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‘Water Printing', digital impressesion and plates of transfer

Technologies of personalised decoration in toys

Centre of Investigation of the Toy (Aiju)15/03/2012

15 March 2012

The ‘Water Printing' and the digital impressesion result two technicians of big aptitude so as to the investigation of the Centre of Investigation of the Toy (Aiju) has developed during the two last years the project Decoratoy, directed to the study of the applicability of diverse technicians of decoration to the personalised decoration of three-dimensional plastic pieces, mainly of the sector of the toy, realising proofs of decoration by means of several technologies. Those that have showed big applicability are the ‘Water Printing', the digital impressesion and the plates of transfer, between others.

The ‘Water Printing' consists in printing on a film of alcohol polivinílico (PVA) that it is soluble in water, the image with which wants to decorate the piece. This film places on the tank of full immersion of water so that the film of PVA in direct contact with the water dissolves and the ink remains floating on the water. To continuation rocía the ink with an activador chemical and enters the sample in the water, so that the ink goes wrapping the sample and adheres to his surface. Finally once clean and dry the surfaces of the piece that has decorated , applies a transparent coating to increase the durability and resistance to the intemperie of the piece. This technology has constituted one of the newest and optimum for the decoration homogénea of pieces geometrically complex (Figure 1). Miguel Ángel León, technician of the project, indicates: “we Think that this will facilitate notably and will reduce the costs associated to the decoration 3D in series of pieces of these characteristics”.

It appears 1. Miniatures of toy decorated with ‘Water Printing'.

The digital impressesion consists in the direct reproduction of a digital archive on a half physicist, usually in 2D. A priori, when working by means of this technician with three-dimensional geometries present two difficulties: the distance and the relative inclination between the cabezal of impressesion and the sustrato. The technology has showed to be interesting and valid to decorate of personalised form pieces in which it do not surpass a maximum distance of some 12 mm between the highest point and lower of the geometry of the piece and that the relative angle between the cabezal and some face of the piece do not exceed the 30°.

Regarding the plates of transfer of vinyl with digital impressesion, exist references with a big flexibility so that they adapt to surfaces 3D. In the most complex surfaces can be necessary apply him heat for adapt perfectly to the geometry of the piece (Figure 2).

It appears 2. Decoration by means of plate of transfer.

Previously, investigated in depth the technicians of impressesion tampográfica (and his new systems of glasses sealed of ink and controller with microprocessor), impressesion serigráfica, (that they require to develop the cured ultraviolet of inks on substrata difficult like the poliolefinas, acetales and other thermoplastic resins), and the impressesion with offset (that they allow the impressesion to two faces). All they allow to employ crowd of colours, obtain greater productivity, a register improved and greater versatilidad. Other newer tendencies use the marcación laser with this purpose, although they still have some restrictions to obtain adjust of colours and shines, by what use in applications no aesthetic.

“This project has supposed a big challenge and has carried out with the convicción that the industry juguetera goes to be able to adapt the systems to the purpose pursued, having present his advantages and inconvenient, goodnesses and limitations, so that they can apply for each case concretise the best option”, explains León.

This investigation, funded by Impiva and cofinanciada by bottoms Feder, inside the program of R&D (number exp. IMIDIC/2010/56), has arisen because of the worry that organisations of the sector have showed by the new tendencies observed in his field of performance, that characterise by an increasing demand of personalised products, in time of delivery increasingly short, and with thrown of production reduced, explains Aiju.