Gold Beating: How Gold Leaf is Made

Dating back to the days of the pharaohs, 5000 years ago, men have hammered strips of gold into thin sheets of gold leaf in a manufacturing process known as gold beating. While the tools have changed through the centuries, the basic process remains the same. In the days of the ancient Egyptians, gold beaters used stones. […] Read more »

What You Must Know When Plotter Cutting Heat Transfer Vinyl and Flock Films

Heat transfer materials are comprised of either polyurethane, vinyl or flock facestocks coated with a heat-activated adhesive, and laminated to a plastic release liner or carrier film. Using a plotter cutter to cut heat transfer vinyl is a little different than cutting pressure sensitive vinyl. Some problems have resulted from using a dull blade. Other […] Read more »

Intercoat Adhesion

Intercoat adhesion refers to either the bond of a primer coat to a substrate, or to the adhesion of one coating to another. In many cases, a primer or top coat bonds to the primer or another coating mechanically.  Although you may not see microscopic imperfections on a surface, a primer or paint will grip […] Read more »

What You Need to Know About Air Purifying Respirators

Identifying Airborne Health Hazards Depending on the type of products that you manufacture, you and your employees can encounter a variety of airborne hazards. Most of us know that we should wear some type of air respirator in many of our work environments. What can be difficult  is identifying the particular hazards and determining what […] Read more »

What You Should Know About Heat Pressing on Dye Sublimated Fabrics

 What is Dye Sublimation? Most polyester fabrics, such as many of the popular “Performance Garments”, are dyed using a sublimation process. The dye sublimation process uses high heat to permanently fuse   the colorant   into a polyester fabric. Heat serves two critical functions in this dying process.  First, the heat causes the pores of the polyester fabric to open up, so the material […] Read more »