This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Nuevos sistemas de decoración de miniaturas de juguete mediante tampografía

New systems of decoration of miniatures of toy by means of tampografía

Aurora Serralta (Guisval), Asunción Martínez (Aiju)01/03/2013

The decoration of a lot of products of toy realises in the actuality by means of the employment of adhesive labels, given the geometrical complexity of many of the pieces to decorate as well as by the variety of designs and colours that allow the adhesive and the simplicity of the process. Apart from the painted manual, that comports big hand-held dedication of work, east is the system of usual use in the decoration of vehicles of toy, so much conventional as of miniature.

However, exist some derivative problems of the use of adhesive labels, as they are the hand-held employment of work for the hit of these and the low durability sobres substrata soft. But especially the high cost of coin, films, designs, etc. that do that so that it was profitable, have to include in a same plate a lot of adhesive and for distinct models. This limits to his time the changes in the design of the miniatures and in the impressesion of the adhesive preventing a continuous renewal of the products.

The decoration by means of tampografía of vehicles of toy in miniature is not employing in the actuality due to the fact that these systems of decoration do not allow the easy adaptation to products with complex geometries, like surfaces curves and irregular. However by means of this system achieve speeds of production higher, changes faster and the capacity to print with more colours.

The company Guisval, together with the support of the technological centre Aiju, has developed a project of R&D whose main aim is the development and optimisation of the process of decoration of toys in miniature of irregular geometry by means of the technician of tampografía with similar costs to the current, substituting in this way the use of adhesive labels.

The specific technical aims pursued initially were mainly three: Development of accessories and complementos specific and other modifications in the system of tampografía studying diverse forms to adapt products with irregular geometries to the team. Optimisation of the adhesion painting-sustrato for each type of ink and combinations and for each type of figure and material. Optimisation of the process of decoration regarding automation and flexibilización. Technical and economic validation.

Like result, Guisval has achieved to be the first Spanish and world-wide company that has put in the market motorbikes in miniature decorated by means of tampografía.

Development and results

The activities realised summary to continuation:

In the first place llevar a review of the state of the art in decoration by means of tampografía as well as of the complementos and adaptable articulations that exist with the end to investigate the last existent novelties and select, from among them, the most appropriate elements to automate the process, adapting it to all type of pieces and the positioning of the pieces in his distinct locations.

A research of patents of the last 10 years shows that it has innovado in the following relative appearances to obtained it decoration by means of tampografía: Optimisation of the process of impressesion of spherical objects. Application of the process to new products like lens of contact, parts of vehicles, pieces to dress, rivets of footwear, candies, etc. Procedure by means of a plate of transfer. New machines printers that facilitate the process of the ironinging of impressesion and do the global process more economic. New processes that include mixed concepts (sublimation- tampografía).

Besides realised a research in publications and magazines of reference in which it observed in this case the potential applicability that this technician has in the realisation of solar cells, the impressesion of textile using reactive inks, the generation of electrodes desechables and in labels RFID. Incidentally, they study parameters like the deformation of the tampon of rubber and systems of positioned of the cliché. The tampons see subjected to big deformations during the process, by what the strength of impressesion has to regulate with the purpose to obtain a good impressesion without engaging the definition of the image. So much the hardness like the friction affect to the distortion of the tampon and, therefore, the dimensions of the images that are critical in applications such like miniatures for collectors and/or promotion.

The future developments of the technician go allocated to the generation of machines that include more functions like cleaning of automatic tampons, integrated cheese cheese control of the viscosidad (addition of diluent), electronic control of all the functions, selection and optimisation of system of opened or enclosed ink, aptitude to join up special accessories, independently of the degree of complexity, which goes on line with the development realised in the company.

Regarding the specifications of the pieces to decorate selected for the project, realised an evaluation to determine the common characteristics that gather the pieces to decorate and the distinct tonalities of colour. In this way, they have defined :

the characteristics, sizes and geometries of the pieces to decorate and his angle of positioning
the zones, areas and geometries of the most usual articles object of decoration
the decorative reason more common in function of the article and the zones to decorate
the type of sustrato and the best method to optimise the adhesion of the paintings
the colours to employ, nuances and combinations
the inks in function of the plastic material of the motorbike

The products of Guisval are very miscellaneous in forms and sizes. Thus, after a classification according to the previous criteria selected finally the articles: Motorbikes of competition and Motocross and Truck of distribution, because of the complex geometries that present and that suppose a challenge for his decoration by tampografía. It treats of vehicles to scales 1:29 and 1:22 in which it is necessary to decorate the streamlining, where at present carry the adhesive in the case of the motorbikes as well as to the trucks cisterna with geometry rounded. The decorative reasons are miscellaneous (colours, numbers, flags, marks and promotion, etc.) being in the case of the motorbikes imitation to real motorcycles of competition, with what employ corporate colours of the sponsors, identical forms, etc. put that they are faithful reproductions. In function of the level of detail, the objective public of these vehicles are the collectors or the childish public.

Motorcycles to distinct scales.1.29 and 1.22

Has worked then in the development and improvement of the equipment of tampografía inside the following critical appearances:

- The positioning and placing of the piece of automatic form and, in consequence, the system of subjection. When treating of pieces so small the most minimum trip can produce some errors of considerable impressesion (a movement of 0,5 mm for example drives to a failure in the impressesion of enormous proportions). Thus, from the start the aim of the project has centred automate and systematise it subjection and positioning of the distinct pieces of precise form. They have developed for this supports so much customised like versatile with the end to realise a comprobación previous of the correct placing of the motorbike and avoid like this travel and vaivenes no wished that it alter the precision of the decoration, such as it appreciates in the following Figure.

Supports of support to the subjection and positioning of the pieces

- Joined to the obtaining of new useful and complementos for the correct positioning of the pieces finds the design of the different reasons of decoration to adjust it later to the surfaces to decorate, to generate the fotolitos for tampografía, development that realises also in the company.
- Regarding the applicable colouring, can observe that exists a high diversity of tonalities that, in a lot of cases, is very specific. Like example includes in the Figure 4 a photography of the plate of adhesive labels employees until the moment in which they appreciate all the zones to cover by the decoration and the necessary colours for one of the types of motorcycle, and that has substituted finally by tampografía, appreciating the complexity of the product. Thus, it has developed a systematic of creation and adjust of the designs to the zones to tampografiar and obtaining of colourings.

Plate of tread of the motorbikes Champion, in which they observe the distinct colourings used in the motorbikes of competition

- The tampons obtain the decorative reason of the cliché and prints it on the sustrato to decorate. His production realises in a variety endless of forms, hardness and size. It has realised a study with the purpose to value the diverse forms and hardnesses of existent tampons for each type of geometry and colouring looked for. For example tampons with angular form provided greater versatilidad and adaptation to the irregular geometries. Tampons with greater hardness can transfer very well the image and has a greater length because of his high mechanical consistency, however on a surface very curvada, has to use a more flexible tampon since this can adapt more easily to this.
- Another of the aims of this project was the adaptation of complementary dryers with the aim to accelerate the process of dried of the pieces and, like this, increase the productivity, realising an assessment of energetic efficiency.
- Together with the technological centre Aiju worked in the development of a systematic process for the obtaining of new colourings. For this realised in the first place a study of the properties of adhesion of the distinct substrata plastic that they can be employed for the manufacture of the plastic parts of the motorbikes and trucks, a priori ABS, PP and PE. It has considered the application of superficial treatment by means of plasma of low pressesure to improve the adhesion of the painting. With this study has determined the material that better adhesion with the paintings of tampografía provides before injecting the final pieces.
Realised later a characterisation of distinct inks of tampografía, to define the most adapted for the sustrato plastic selected.
- Once realised the previous actions for the adaptation and integration of the complementos developed, had to automate this process in high speed to achieve an uninterruptible production and, to his time, attain the maximisation of the process with the end to save in costs of manufacture.
- Finally, and with pieces already injected with irregular geometries have realised numerous proofs of impressesion evaluating the correct painted, the sufficient initial adhesion of the painting to the sustrato, potential additional modifications of the team and the efficiency of the process.

Conclusions

With the tasks realised has achieved develop a technological jump in these developments headed to the significant improvement in: automation of the process, development of tools and accessories, being especially notable the so much customised supports like versatile for the hold and positioning of the piece, development of a process to obtain the design of the decorations of direct form for the tampografía, as well as new colourings and optimisation of the process and materials not to increase the cost of production.

Gratitudes

The company appreciates to the CDTI the financial support of the present project (Ref. IDI-20120149).