Pad printing is a printing method based on sillicone rubber that allows one to transfer patterns, symbols, descriptions etc. on uneven items or various materials without a loss in quality.
Examples
optical components (apertures), housings, panels, cylinders, keyboards etc.
Technology
This intaglio method is suitable for the imprinting of items of different shapes. The surface condition (shagreened, structured and the like) is almost irrelevant. The layout is transfered on a photosensitive plate. The print image forms cavities on the printing plate (cliché). It is flooded with ink and pulled off by a scraper cutter. with a print-image and inked. Surplus ink is stripped off by a metal blade and ink stays only within the etchings.
The silicon-tampon runs over the cliché, soaking up the ink from the slots. Afterwards the print is transfered to the respective material or part.
