Branding the finishing line

21 September 2015



Branding the finishing line


Branding the finishing line

To make your product stand out on the shelf, you need effective packaging. Specifically, you need embossing, which is a finishing technique with endless possibilities and suited to the majority of products across the value chain. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to industry experts to learn more.

Embossing is a flexible and cost-effective way to add value to your product. It can be used on many substrates, adds luxury to retail goods and provides a long-lasting branding opportunity. It's an artistic technique with an impressionistic finish when the dies and stock meet under high pressure.
And it can be used on materials such as paper, metal, fabric, leather and wood.

The embossing sector of the converting industry is changing as the benefits of the technique are being more widely appreciated and so the people at the heart of it are ready to be heard.

For co-owner of packaging mockup specialist Litmus Mockups, Kevin Wilkinson, it is an exciting time to be in the industry. His company works with leading global brands such as Mondelez, Unilever and Philips to offer a preliminary packaging service.

Wilkinson said: "We show the customer how their proposed packaging will perform, how it will be printed, how it will be constructed, right up to how it will be delivered, packed and displayed on the shelf. This means that they understand the packaging completely and can try it out well before they heavily invest in full scale production runs."

Litmus Mockups offers plenty of packaging services including embossing, UV and spot varnishes, foil blocking, colour tinting and shrink wrap labels and special finishes, including die-cutting, CAD, commercial litho-finishing, 3D printing and vacuum forming capability.

To further maximise its successfully niche role of previewing how their packaging will perform, the company has recently appointed dedicated business development manager Sophie James.

James said: "The products offered by Litmus are second to none and, from a personal point of view it's an exciting time to join the company. The team at Litmus want the company to become an industry leader, renowned for the quality of their mockups and I'm looking forward to helping them achieve that goal."

Manufacturers of embossing machinery are also excited about the thriving industry. US-based Frost Converting Systems Inc does both prototyping and manufacturing of 2D and 3D male/female embossing dies, with engraved cylinders and turnkey provisions, giving special attention to ultra-fine, reliable details to be engraved for 100 per cent performance.


A senior marketing representative at Frost Converting Systems Inc Said: "Our vision has always been to engineer, build, service and sell the highest quality rotary dies for embossing, creasing and cutting of paperboard packaging."


A key area for Frost is the global tobacco and gum markets, where advice and provision of embossing is used to show brand identity when regulatory limitations exist.


Frost's embossing cylinders are finish-plated for wear resistance and the company's focus is to provide machines for wide-width paperboard presses. The representative said: "Our embossing dies are typically machines that cut directly into steel. For embossing tools that require ultra-fine detail we usually engrave into a built-up image layer of copper or aluminium to ensure the highest quality for the longest time."


The representative added: "All our embossing dies utilise our advanced 3D CAD/CAM software which means we can control die profiles to an accuracy of approximately five microns, which is incredible. We can even offer segmented dies for special applications where certain embossed elements can be removed and for the newest generation of servo-driven sleeve-change embossing stations we can supply embossing sleeves."


The high profile manufacturer of embossing machines, Double R Henderson, based in Lancashire, thinks that the finish is essential for a happy customer.


Their ethos that the 'finish is everything' runs throughout its processes from conception to completion. With a focus on engineering, the company creates machines for embossing films, papers, foil, aluminium sheets, steel strips and boards. Double R Henderson works with many of the world's major embossing producers and can make machines with up to a 200-tonne nip pressure in variations of steel-rubber, steel-superelastic and steel-steel mating rolls.


Company director Neal Rothwell said: "We have over 40 years of experience in developing and manufacturing converting machines, including those for high quality embossing. We specialise in the design of wide web converting equipment and we're especially well-known for our extensive range of customisable embossing, coating and laminating machinery."
Double R Henderson can produce matched steel-mating embossing roles which ensure a perfect male/female matched fit with optimum embossing definition, which is imperative when quality is king.


"As the world leader in holographic embossing and origination equipment too, it's fair to say that we know embossing. It's a growing market as it offers a fresh take on packaging while being cost-effective and highly appealing to customers," Rothwell said.
Embossing is a creative technique that adds luxury and originality to a product's packaging. While some brand owners might not be sure how different finishes such as embossing can be used to add value to their product prototype, experts such as Litmus Mockups are ready to advise. Clear stamp manufacturer Photocentric is also eager to be part of the process.


With offices in Arizona, US, and Peterborough in the UK, Photocentric designs, develops and manufactures stamps for small and medium scale embossing applications. Its extensive understanding of how high-quality embossing provides extra appeal on the shelves is evident in its ability to convert its customers' designs into embossing sheets that can work on any embossing machine.

Photocentric's sales director Sally Tipping said: "Our clear embossing stamps produce stunning images when pressed into paper or card. It's a great way to create value. We have a unique manufacturing method that enables us to make embossing sheets or dies from very hard photopolymer. This provides our customers with high-definition embossing sheets in far lower quantities than if they had needed them to be made from moulds. And there are no tooling costs. Once customers have their Photocentric stamp, which are tested to a million impressions, they can be used with pigment and dye-based inks or even solvents."


Brand owners are looking to differentiate their product on the shelf without spending more on raw materials. They are battling high transportation costs and ecologically frustrating conditions. So now more than ever, they need a technique that looks great, defines their brand and does not break the budget. Fortunately, they now know about embossing



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