Let's take a look at the recommendation form I compiled for you, so that you can understand the difference.
Soft platen and hard platen are different in nature and use. For your convenience, I have sorted out their differences in the following table.
Soft platen is suitable for soft substrate and can provide balanced printing pressure; Hard platen is suitable for hard substrate, which can provide greater pressure and higher printing accuracy.
Soft board is a kind of elastic rubber or polymer material, usually made of rubber or polymer sheet. It has high elasticity and flexibility, can adapt to the uneven surface of printing plate and printed matter in the printing process, and provides balanced printing pressure. Soft platen can be used to fill the gap on the printing machine, thus reducing the uneven distribution of printing pressure and making the printing effect more uniform and clear. Soft platen is suitable for printing and packaging materials, paper, plastic and other relatively soft substrates.
1. Advantages:
Good elasticity: the soft platen is made of rubber or polymer material, which has good elasticity, can adapt to the unevenness of the surface of printing plate and printed matter, and provide balanced printing pressure.
Strong adaptability: Soft platen is suitable for soft printing substrates, such as packaging materials, paper, plastics, etc. It can fill the blank in the printing machine, reduce the uneven distribution of printing pressure and make the printing effect more uniform and clear.
2. Disadvantages:
Pressure limitation: the elasticity of the soft platen may make it difficult to keep the printing pressure stable, especially in high-speed printing, which is prone to elastic deformation and affects the printing accuracy.
Poor wear resistance: due to the soft material, the wear resistance of the soft pressure plate is relatively poor, and its service life is short, so it needs to be replaced regularly.
Hard board is a hard material, usually made of metal or metal-like materials. High hardness, good stability, can provide higher printing pressure and maintain consistency. The hard platen is suitable for printing hard materials that require great pressure, such as metal and glass. It can ensure the close contact between printing plate and printed matter, and provide clear patterns and higher printing resolution.
1. Advantages:
Good stability: the hard platen is made of metal or metal-like material, with high hardness and good stability, which can provide stable printing pressure.
High pressure: Hard impression plate can provide high printing pressure, which is suitable for hard substrates such as metal and glass that need high pressure printing, and can realize clear patterns and high printing resolution.
2. Disadvantages:
Poor adaptability: Hard platen requires high flexibility of the substrate and is not suitable for soft printing substrate because it cannot provide enough elasticity to adapt to uneven surface.
Vulnerability: Because the hard pressing plate is made of hard material, it is relatively easy to be damaged or scratched, and its service life is relatively short.
Soft platen is suitable for soft substrate to provide uniform printing pressure; The hard platen is suitable for hard substrates, providing greater pressure and high printing accuracy. When choosing soft platen or hard platen, we should comprehensively consider the flexibility of printing substrate, printing requirements and conditions, equipment configuration and experience, budget and other factors, and make a reasonable choice according to the specific situation.
Flexibility of printing substrate: Soft platen is suitable for soft printing substrate, such as packaging materials, paper, plastics, etc. , and can provide balanced printing pressure; Hard platen is suitable for hard substrates such as metal and glass, which can provide greater pressure and high printing accuracy. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to select the appropriate platen type according to the flexibility of the printing substrate.
Printing demand and printing conditions: consider the printing demand and the characteristics of the printing machine. If you need to print fine patterns or high-resolution printing effects, a hard platen may be more suitable because it can provide higher printing accuracy. Soft platen is suitable for general printing requirements, especially when uniform printing pressure is needed.
Equipment configuration and experience: the configuration of printing equipment and the experience of printing plant should be considered. Different types of printing machines may have different compatibility requirements for soft platen and hard platen, so it is necessary to know the specifications and requirements of the equipment. At the same time, the experience of the printing factory is also an important factor in the choice. They will make corresponding choices for different types of printing work according to their past experience and practice.
Budget consideration: The price of soft platen and hard platen may be different, and the appropriate platen type can also be considered according to budget constraints.