The roots of Pad printing or Tampo printing originated in the watch industry of Switzerland nearly 1 hundred years ago.
The first off-set type of hand transfer printing was done using a bag of soft gelatin material to transfer the image. The first transfer printing plates were crafted from copper and were meticulously engraved by hand. Today they are photo-chemically etched onto hardened steel. This type of hand transfer was originally used in the transferring of images onto “blue” china plates and dinnerware. The first true industrial application using a mechanical pad printer was accomplished much later in Switzerland to imprint watch faces. Soon there after a German firm was known to have develop a pad printer and the first application was reported to be for the imprinting the multi-color eyes of the china dolls. This industrial process was implemented to help speed production along and eliminate intensive skills.. Although the early machines were quite simple compared to the machines that we have today, the motion and principle has remained basically the same. It wasn’t until the late 1960′s with the advancement of the silicon pad and solvent containing inks that the industry took off. In time, as the process became more widely practiced, the hand-machines were gradually improved and eventually replaced with more complex and sophisticated equipment. In the latter 20th century these machines developed electric motors and various configurations of chain-drive systems. With further improvements came the installments of hydraulics and pneumatics. With the with the recent installations of advanced electronics, we have arrived at the present pad printers of today.
Pad-Printed Keyboard
Further advancements with inks, solvents, mixtures and the closed ink-cup system have made pad printing easier than ever. This formerly temperamental procedure has now become easy enough to use for things like water-washed plates and other short run items.
Still today, pad printing is not well known as a printing process, but we see and touch pad printed items every day. For example:
- Electronic micro components, such as cables, connectors, IC chips, relays, etc.
- Industrial Buttons and Keys as found on calculators, telephones and computer keyboards
- Electrical Household Appliances such as iron, VCR, TV, coffee pots, telephones, etc.
- Large Industrial Appliance panels such as on dishwashers, washing machines and dryers
- Toys such as figurines, dolls, cars, infant bottles, pacifiers, rattles and night lights.
- Advertising Specialty Items like pens, lighters, key chains, clocks, watch faces
- Sporting Goods such as golf balls, baseballs, tennis rackets, footballs
For more information on tampo printing we also have information on the Basics of Pad Printing, Practical Applications of Pad Printing and the Advantages of Pad Printing. We also offer information on How to Make A Plate and offer custom plate-making services.
All American’s Pad printer line is second to none. Effortlessly print 2D images on 3D objects. This versatile technology is always adapting to new market demands. With 2 hundred models to choose from, we have a machine to exactly match your needs.
