Frugal Foil Usage

Several stamping and embossing equipment manufacturers offer this feature, but new features to help in this endeavor are emerging. One such feature, exclusive to Weidhaas, is a time-delay function that allows users to control the amount of time between the last impression and the next release of foil. "This is important because foil will stick to the die, and the timed delay can be critical to the success of a job, particularly a job with a large foiled area," Weidhaas said. "In many cases, operators can avoid wasting the material and the substrate they are stamping by delaying the next stamp by one-tenth of a second to avoid the problem of the foil roll not releasing from the stamped job. This causes the foil to rip or the job lifts from the platen and sticks to the advancing foil roll. The foil delay on the Weidhaas foil unit allows an operator to control the timing of the foil release between impressions to customize the release based on the type of material used. This programmable servo foil puller with a timed delay feature saves users 50-60 percent in waste material in addition to the time associated with rethreading foil."