Usually, people who see it do a double-take. Whether on a shirt, hat or bag, embossing your client's logo is one way to really make it pop out--literally.

　　Embossing is a decorating process that is an alternative to embroidery and screen printing and is a fairly simplistic process.  Yet it's one that is not utilized by many suppliers in the industry.  Embossing was around a couple of years ago, but the glue receiver sheet wasn't as good. Now embossing seems to have found its niche.  Apparel can be washed numerous times and the embossed look stays longer now with the better backing sheets available to the decorators.

　　The process thermally forms a three dimensional design in the shirt or garment material.  It can be done on top of an existing screen printed image or on non-imaged areas.  A piece of apparel is placed on the hot plate of the embossing machine and a non-woven piece of material, coated with a heat-activated adhesive, is applied before the head of the machine is brought down.  The backer material is similar to what is used in embroidery, but it has an adhesive on one side. On the opposite side of the glue is a side with fabric on it.  The heated mould pushes the glue into the fabric and raises the design on the material, thermally setting it into the material.  The process is capable of embossing textiles, leather, plastic and other materials using a combination of heat, time and pressure.  The technique looks best on sweatshirts because of the weight of the material. Denim can be stonewashed after embossing to create and increase the contrasting effect of the embossed design.

　　When clients choose the artwork they would like to emboss, the raised and lowered spots need to be identified. It is best if artwork is kept simple; a two-point line is as thin as you would want to go.  A black-and-white sketch of the artwork is made and given to a plate maker. The darker the lines are, the deeper the engraving. The design is etched out on a 6.25mm (1/4") magnesium alloy plate and acid is poured on the plate where gullies will appear where the material will raise when embossed.

　　As mentioned above, the backing material retains the three dimensional relief or loft, in the fabric.  Backing materials vary in thickness, loft retention and durability.  The backing has heat activated adhesive on one side that bonds and moulds to the textile material when it is simultaneously heated and pressed into the magnesium die.  Heavier fabrics require heavier backing, while lighter fabrics and those worn close to the skin will require lighter material. 

　　Embossing equipment should be able to accurately regulate temperature, time and pressure.  The temperature is dictated by the type of material to be embossed and the backing used. Temperatures will range between 165-225 degrees Celsius (330-440 degrees Fahrenheit) for most textiles, between 107-165 degrees Celsius (225-325 degrees Fahrenheit) for leather, and often below 100 degrees Celsius (200 degrees Fahrenheit) for plastics.  The mould time is also dependent upon the material and / or backing used. Leather can range between 6-15 seconds, 10-30 seconds for t-shirts and 20-50 seconds for fleece and denim.  The size of the die and type of material being used play key roles in determining the required pressure.   Air-operated equipment, which can emboss natural fibers and leather, have limited capabilities due to their lack of pressure.  They require a standard compressed airline with a minimum of .113 Cubic meters per minute (4 cubic ft./min. ) flow at 620 kPa (90 PSI) and exert pressures up to 4.9 metric tons (5.4 tons).  Hydraulic embossing machines can emboss on things like nylon, plastic and paper, to name a few.  They exert pressure from 1.82-1,814.36 metric tons (2-2,000 tons).

　　Embossing equipment is used primarily in the promotional garment decoration industry and environments where smaller items are imprinted. The equipment was designed to emboss small areas with company logos or other designs and is well suited for the purpose of applying small areas of decoration to finished garments.

[时间：2007-11-23  作者：Johnny Shell  来源：新闻中心]