In general, thick steel printing plates are only used for very large runs. They are made out of hardened steel. We purchase this steel from a foundry in Sweden. This steel allows the print image to last a very long time. These can be supplied with a photosensitive layer. This way the pad printing clichés can be made similar to the thinsteel pad printing clichés.
We can also supply these pad printing plates without the photosensitive layer, which makes them suitable for laser engraving. The advantage of laser engraving is that you can engrave it very accurately, up to an accuracy of one micron. Also the positioning of the artwork on the cliché can be done very accurately.
Automark can also provide laser engraving for you.
These pad printing plates can be used in conjuction with magnetic ink cups as well as mechanical pressed ink cups. They are also very suitable for open inkwell pad printing machines.
These pad printing plates are available in any size required. One side printing is standard but they can optionally be purchased so both sides contain images or can be engraved.
Thick steel pad printing plates are available in a standard quality and in an alloy with 12% chrome. The chrome quality pad printing plates are even more durable. Chome coated plates cannot be etched with nitric acid.