How To Purchase the Right Hot Foil Stamper Machine｜4 things ...

Since the first two phases of SBL Machinery officially launched the Regret series of blog articles, the Regret series of Die cutting machines in October, the Folder gluer machines in November, and finally the final chapter of the December is the Hot Foil Stamper machine, this regret series of articles have been widely received by many clients and have positive responses.
Back to the theme of this month’s article, the editor hopes through the article “How to purchase a suitable Hot Foil Stamper machine?｜ 4 things customers who buy hot stamping machine  regret most (Buying guide)” this month to share the 4 things that customers are most likely to regret because they have not considered and evaluated clearly. First, it can help you choose a hot stamping machine that is more suitable for your own needs, and also help you avoid falling into traps or falling into myths when purchasing hot stamping machines. I firmly believe that if you refer to the following 4 things before purchasing, you can greatly reduce the chances of everyone going wrong.

MK Product Page

Hot stamping machine manufacturers are machinery manufacturers, and gold foil is usually produced by a special manufacturer. However, most hot stamping machine manufacturers have long-term cooperation with gold foil manufacturers(ex：KURZ(germany),Univacco(Taiwan)). It is recommended that you must first communicate with the hot stamping machine manufacturer when purchasing a hot stamping machine. You need to confirm the type of gold foil, the range and shape of the hot stamping block required because different “gold foil types” and “hot stamping block ranges” will have their corresponding suitable models and setting parameters (temperature, pressure, time, skip setting … etc.), so you must first figure out the type of gold foil and the range of the hot stamping block you need, so as to avoid the risk of purchasing an unsuitable model.

Before introducing the types of gold foil, let’s clarify an important point. The material used in gold foil in the modern hot stamping process is actually not gold, but “anodized aluminum” instead, and the color can also pass through the coloring dye layer and the aluminum layer. Match each other, deploy a variety of different color codes. Gold foils of different colors and different types can be used in conjunction with each other. At present, there are dozens of types of commercially used gold foils on the market. Here I will introduce the 7 most common types of gold foils for everyone to know.

The translucent gold foil uses the latest metallization technology, making it a semi-transparent metal foil, which can show the texture of the bottom material and is full of metallic feeling. This feature can be used to combine more diverse printing visual variability. It is often used in product labeling and packaging design, such as decoration on wine boxes, cigarette boxes, labels and other products.

Generally speaking, in order to show the beauty of its design, the range of hot stamping is mostly between 10% and 30% of the whole paper. However, it is recommended to discuss the area of hot stamping with the machine manufacturer first, and you will get the following two benefits:

The models of various die cutting machine manufacturers are so dazzling and make you confused? In fact, the naming rules of the model code of each die cutting machine are quite close. The editor uses the description of the SBL die cutting machine to let everyone understand that the size or function of the die cutting machine can be seen from the model, and teach you how to choose the suitable die cutting machine model.

Most hot stamping machine manufacturers,
There must be different sizes and models to choose.
The model’s name code is usually a combination of “numbers + English characters”.
The first 3 to 4 yards range from [Number] to represent [Size], (Note: 3 yards are in cm, 4 yards are in mm)
The following [English word] stands for [functionality].
Taking SBL as an example,
There are 5 options for the size of the hot stamping machine: (the size of the number represents the maximum width of the hot stamping paper/mm)
•820
•
•
•
•
There are 7 options for the functionality of the hot stamping machine
•EF：Pure hot stamping
•EFT：Pure hot stamping + Transverse
•EFP：Pure hot stamping + Hologram
•EFPT：Pure hot stamping + Hologram + Transverse
•SEF：Pure hot stamping + Replaceable chip removal function (mobile servo frame)
•SEFT：Pure hot stamping + Replaceable chip removal function (mobile servo frame)+ Transverse
•SEFPT：Pure hot stamping + Hologram + Transverse + Replaceable chip removal function (mobile servo frame)

The composition of the “model”,
It is composed of the two aspects of “size” and “function” mentioned in 2-1.
After the cross combination, there will be many different models to choose.
As for what customers can do to make a selection and evaluation before they can buy a model that suits their own needs?
Or will not buy a model that you will regret later?
The editor provides the following model evaluation methods:

Model selection essentials,
There is also a very important environmental condition like other models,
It is to confirm the “space size” of the pre-installation factory building and “installation machine position and approach movement line” of the factory building.
There have been several cases of customers because the “factory space” or “entry line” is very narrow,
It takes a lot of extra effort when installing the machine,
It may even require a lead time for customization if necessary.
It’s like buying a car,
Instead of spending a lot of time collecting information on various car models of various brands,
You should first confirm the size and restrictions of the parking space or garage where you plan to park your vehicle.
It is the correct step to improve the timeliness of follow-up communication with manufacturers and efficient procurement.

Depends on the bronzing type required by your customers,
Generally, if bronzing is said to be in basic difficulty technology,
Hologram bronzing can be said to be an advanced technical,
Because hologram hot stamping needs to be hot stamped in a specific area,
Variables such as hot stamping position, area size, time, temperature, pressure, gold foil pulling distance, etc.
They are all related to each other and need to be considered simultaneously.
If there is a need to hot stamp anti-counterfeit laser labels and logo labels,
It is necessary to purchase a model with positioning hot stamping function.

The reason why “model” needs to be considered together with “optional accessories”,
It is the function you should need according to the needs of customers or yourself,
As a priority for models,
Take SBL machinery hot stamping machine as an example,
There is an optional function called “Gold Foil Fracture Detection System”,
Use the inductive sensor on the machine to detect the status of the gold foil,
It can issue a warning message and stop the machine synchronously when the gold foil is broken.
In order to improve product yield and high practicability optional functions,
Although this feature can be installed on all models,
But there is another excellent feature that will be mentioned later,
“Transverse” has restrictions on the models that can be installed.

My favorite example is seeing a doctor.
When we go to the doctor,
If you explain your condition to the doctor in more detail, (e.g., current physical or psychological problems, duration of the disease, frequency of pain, recent changes in daily routine or diet, genetic history, etc.)
When doctors have more information,
Isn’t it easier to make a correct diagnosis and prescribe the right medicine?
Back to the hot stamping machine is the same concept,
You must fully discuss with the original salesperson,
E.g., Blocks, colors, foil types, paper types, paper types (flat, concave, convex) that need to be stamped, etc.
Provide as much information as possible about your own needs and environmental conditions,
On the one hand, you can purchase hot stamping machines that better meet your own needs.
Second, it can greatly reduce the possibility of regret in the future.

Taking SBL machinery as an example, there are about 5 optional accessories for hot stamping machines. In the future, I will find time to write an introduction article on the optional accessories of folder gluers for you. But the editor wants to emphasize that everyone must spend some time doing homework, or ask the salesperson to clarify the “applicable timing”, “functionality” and “restrictions” of these optional accessories.

The editor knows that some people will hold opposing views. They think that. optional accessories are not too important. Isn’t it okay to add or purchase according to your own needs after purchasing the machine? The editor wants to clarify that this is a common myth among hot stamping machine customers. The reasons are as follows.

Optional accessories are usually to solve a certain problem,
Or to achieve some additional special needs or functions,
But as mentioned earlier,
If the company may need an option in the future to meet special functional requirements,
However, because the model purchased at the beginning was a model that could not be equipped with this accessory,
At this time, it may be faced with the failure to install,
In terms of hot stamping machines, the general hot stamping machine is the longitudinal gold foil conveying and hot stamping,
If you want the transverse stamping function, you need to purchase a model that supports transverse printing (increase the efficiency of hot stamping or increase the complexity of the pattern, such as SBL , SBL )
Before purchasing a hot stamping machine, you should figure out the matching of these optional accessories and models.
So as not to regret in the future.

Maybe there are many questions in your mind?
Is the most important thing in purchasing machinery nothing more than the comprehensive selection of the price and function of each brand of machinery?
What is the relationship between “the second-hand market price of hot stamping machine ” and “the 4 most common regrets”?
In fact, in the previous blog article “10 Selection Indicators That Machinery Manufacturers Won’t Disclose (Part 2)“,
We mentioned the price comparison,
And the consideration can
Apply to the issue of avoiding the pitfalls when purchasing a hot stamping machine.

Maybe there are many questions in your mind?
Is the most important thing in purchasing machinery nothing more than the comprehensive selection of the price and function of each brand of machinery?
What is the relationship between “the second-hand market price of hot stamping machine” and “the 4 most common regrets”?
In fact, in the previous blog article “10 Selection Indicators That Machinery Manufacturers Won’t Disclose (Part 2)“,
We mentioned the price comparison,and the consideration can.
Apply to the issue of avoiding the pitfalls when purchasing a hot stamping machine.

The editor once again explained the last example to let you understand the importance of second-hand prices:
Based on the premise of similar machine performance,
Company A’s machine sells for $300,000, and Company B’s machine sells for $200,000.
But after 5 years of normal use,
Because A machine may have the high market share and brand awareness,
It can also be sold for $200,000 on the market,
The second-hand machine of the B machine has a low market share and poor machine durability.
Even the resale price of the market is $100,000, the B machine will go begging.
In such a situation, is there a higher chance of regretting buying machine A or machine B in the future?
The answer is very obvious.
Simultaneously, this example also echoes a key point emphasized by the editor,
Be sure to evaluate the second-hand price of the machine before purchasing.
Because no one can surely guarantee the next 3 years, 5 years or even 10 years,
There will be no possibility of resale or replacement of the machine,
Including the second-hand price factor can greatly reduce the chance of regret.

There are numerous reasons why many around the world have fallen in love with our hot foil stamping machines - and it is not difficult to see why. 

Let us summarise a few key points as follows:-

1) British company - British design - British support
We are a a British company with 37 years of track record within the hot foil stamping industry.  Our machines are of British Design and  support is freely available by (Mon-Fri) or by 7 days a week.

2) Robust Manufacturing Techniques
Our hot foil stamping machines are solidly-built using premium grade steel.  They are also designed to be functional and versatile in their use. All machine parts are easily accessible. Foilcraft Machines are now available with matt black finish, which helps them to easily blend in within an office, shop or workshop environment.
 

3) Flat bed machine for ease of printing, positioning and location of products
In order to print onto many products, a machine with a flat print bed (such as our Foilcraft) is more desirable rather than a platen type where the print bed is located at about 45 degrees angle. This is certainly true when printing onto leather products such as wallets, bags and thicker products in general as a flat bed helps to keep the products secure and in place whilst printing.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Hot Foil Stamping Machine For Sale. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

​

4) Adjustable Pressure Screws 
We cannot emphasise enough that a hot foil stamping machine without adjustable pressure screws can lead to poor quality or incomplete print. Our Foilcraft hot foil stamping machines incorporate 4 x adjustable pressure screws which allow you to tilt the print head by a fraction of a mm.  The reason why these are so important is the fact the hot foil stamping process relies on hot foil letters or dies making a PERFECT contact with the substrate. As the letters press into the material, if the print bed is out by a fraction (not perfectly flat), you will get a partial or incomplete print. It's a bit like holding a rubber stamp at an angle and when you stamp, only part of the image is rubber stamped.

It does not matter how cheap the machine is, it has to work perfectly and in our opinion and expertise of 37 years, pressure screws are absolutely essential.  Not only cheaply made machines lack this very important feature, we have also seen this missing on machines costing far more than ours!

​
 

5) Height Adjustable
Our Foilcraft EZ Pro hot foil printing machine is probably the only one on the market and within this price range to offer the facility to print onto thicker items by adjusting the height of the print head by as much as 5 inches. This gives you far greater flexibility than machines that do not have this option.

6) Floating Bed
Our Foilcraft EZ Pro hot foil printing machine is once again the only machine on the market  (within this price range)  to offer the option of adding-on an optional 'Floating Bed'.   Coupled with the facility to adjust the height of the print head and add an optional floating bed, your life will become a lot easier to print bags etc with ease.  Please click here to watch a video showing this in action.

​

WIth CPL, you do not need to pay £'s more to buy a machine with such features, they are available at a fraction of that cost.

7) Free testing service
We are not here to make a fast buck, we want our customers to be happy with our products and we want to ensure that our machine is the correct machine for your products. This is why we are the only company that offers a  ‘free testing service’. This basically means, you send us samples of your products/materials and we will test them free of charge and report our findings back to you. This way, you can make an informed decision on whether our machine is suitable for your needs or not.  This service is invaluable and it also complies with our policy of honesty and transparency. Our T&C’s can be found by clicking here.

8) Versatile machine
Our Foilcraft hot foil stamping machines are not only portable but they are also extremely versatile. They can for example handle small or large products alike with minimum fuss, thanks to their unique and innovative design. Our Foilcraft machines can for example hot foil initials on leather products with ease or print titles in the middle of an A4 journal or diary with equal ease. 

 

9) Complete transparency & clear pricing
We would like to think that despite the technical and comprehensive nature of our website, we are clear and transparent about our pricing. We know that our customers greatly appreciate this fact without having to contact us first. There is nothing more annoying than ‘having to call’ to receive a price list as a stance which so often employed by others. Our philosophy is simple, if you have nothing to hide, why not show your prices in advance?
 

10) Price competitive
We are fully aware that a number of our competitors charge a great deal more than we do for their machines which invariably do a very similar job to what ours do, give or take a few minor differences.  Of course in fairness, we do not know what their overheads are and this could explain the greater price differential.

All we can say is that we keep our overheads low, we buy our materials in bulk and manufacture in larger volumes and this helps us to keep our prices low. Our customers naturally benefit from this by way of larger savings.

11) Honest and unbiased advise before purchase
A rare trait, we believe in being honest and frank with our customers. If we feel that a certain product is not suitable for your needs, we will advise you so. We will never oversell our products to our customers, we will always work honestly with you and give you our honest and professional advise at all times.  We have traded under the same company name for over 37 years and have done so by adopting good business and moral ethics.
 

12) Great after-sales support
Supplying our machines to you is not the end of our business relationship, hopefully, it will be the start of a longer term association. We will continue to offer our customers excellent after-sales service for an unlimited period. We are not ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ type of company - our 37 years of trading in this field is a testament and proof that we are here to stay.
 

13) In-depth training video and instruction manual
With your purchase, you will receive an in-depth training download lasting approximately 2 Hours and 30 Minutes. This DVD  will take you through the entire process, step-by-step. This is what one of customer says about the training DVD “The Training DVD is lengthy but well worth watching the whole way through - I went from never having used a foil press to knowing exactly what I was doing and why”. The good thing about the video is that you can fast forward it to the relevant section. We do however encourage you to watch the full video to gain a better understanding on how to use your machine.

We also supply an in-depth training manual (PDF) which will also take you through the entire process , step-by-step. The training manual and DVD is based on the Foilcraft 4x3 - however, as the Foilcraft Junior and EZ Pro are very similar, the one video and Instruction manual can easily be referred to both machines.

14) No waiting - prompt shipment around the world
Upon receipt of funds, we can ship your machine out promptly - often within 24-48 hours. We test each machine before it leaves our premises so as to ensure that you do not experience any issues once your machine has been received. Each machine is put on test for at least two hours for your peace of mind.

No matter where you are in the world, we can deliver to you promptly.

15) High quality in-house brass type and die making service
We can now also supply high quality brass type and dies. Infact, we can now manufacture brass type in virtually any font and in most languages. All you need to do is to send us the font folder and we should be able to quote you accordingly. Brass type and dies are preferred by professionals and also those looking to foil emboss onto soft leather as it is much more deeply etched and the chances of getting misprints are greatly minimised when compared to metal type on soft leather.

​

16) CE Marked. Out hot foil stamping machines are CE approved for safety

​

17) PAT Tested. Our hot foil machines are further PAT tested for additional safety

18) Free loan machine offer. Commencing August , if you purchase any of our new hot foil stamping machines at the full price, then, if in the highly unlikely event your machine needs to come back to our warehouse for servicing or repairs, we will loan you a machine so your work is not disrupted in anyway. We will arrange delivery and pick up of the loan machine at no extra cost to you (UK only). We will always endeavour to send you an identical machine to yours but reserve the right to send you an alternative machine, depending on our stock levels.

​

​

The company is the world’s best China Cardboard Die Cutting Machine supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.