Embossing polyester film for commercial mass production is completed in six steps.
Embossing polyester film is completed in six steps that begin with mastering, electroforming and embossing. After embossing, you can complete the process by metallizing, converting and finishing. This process is used for commercial mass production.
Mastering
Select the object you will use to create a hologram, which will be created with a laser. Illuminate the object with a laser, ruby, helium-cadmium or krypton argon-ion. Clamp a photoresist plate onto a work surface. Pre-treat the plate with iron oxide, then coat it with photoresist material. The photoresist will chemically react to the specific wavelength of light that will be used to create the hologram. Simultaneously, the reflected light and the reference beam light from the laser will fall directly on the photoresist plate. Their interference patterns react with the coating to record a holographic image of the object onto the master plate.
Electroforming
Expose the master for 1 to 60 seconds. Process it in a chemical bath using standard photographic developers. Inspect the master to confirm that the image has been properly recorded. Mount the master into a jig, and spray it with silver paint, which causes good electrical conductivity. Lower the jig into a tank with a supply of nickel, which causes the master to be electroplated. Remove the jig, and wash it with deionized water.
Successive Shim Generations
Peel the thin, nickel coating, called the metal master shim, off the master plate. It contains a negative image of the master hologram and is a mirror image of the original. Now, numerous copies of the original image can be duplicated in rows on one shim that can be used to print multiple copies with a single impression. Successive generations of shims are called "stamper shims" that are used during production runs to print the final holograms.
Embossing
Mount the stamper shim in an embossing machine. Smooth a roll of polyester film with an acrylic coating, and run it through the embossing machine. Due to the intense heat and pressure, the shim will press the holographic image onto the polyester film. Wind the embossed film onto a roll.
Metallizing
Load the roll of embossed film into a vacuum chamber in which the air has been removed to create a vacuum. Add aluminum wire to the chamber and heat it to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit to vaporize the aluminum. When the film is exposed to the vaporized aluminum and wound on another roll, it becomes coated with aluminum. Remove the film from the chamber, and treat it with a moisture restorer. Apply lacquer to create a surface that can be imprinted with ink. If needed, you can now slice it into more narrow rolls.
Converting and Finishing
Convert and finish the steps by either laminating the film to paper board to give it strength, cutting it into shapes desired for the final product or printed with messages. You also can apply heat-sensitive or pressure-sensitive adhesive to the back of the holograms and affix them to objects or use them as stickers. You also can package them for shipment.
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