MANUFACTURED BY: Malahide Design & Manufacturing Inc.

                                                209 Griffith Road

                                                Stratford, Ontario

                                                N5A 6S4

                                                Phone/Fax: (519) 273-0603

                                                Toll-Free: 1-800-667-2156

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1/ Introduction

2/ Technical Specifications

3/ Operating Instructions

3.1 Control Panel and Control Switches

3.2 Manual Printing

3.3 Feeding the Foil

3.4 Mounting the Dies or Type

3.5 Adjusting the Foil Pull

3.6 Adjusting Pressure

3.7 General Set-Up Comments

4/ Troubleshooting

5/ Regular Maintenance

FIGURES

Figure 1 - Overview of 1023DA Hot Stamping Press

Figure 2 - Foil Path for 1023DA

1/ INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing a 1023DA Hot Stamping Press! To assist you in obtaining maximum benefit from the features of this press, we offer the following suggestions:

Read the manual in its entirety. Obtain a general overview of the various features and functions of your 1023DA prior to setting up and operating the press for the first time. Please see Figure 1 for an overview of your press. The overview details the main features of your press.

Experiment with different makes and types of foil to find those best suited to your applications. Remember - the least expensive foils are not always the most cost effective!

Should you require any assistance or service, we are available on our Help Line from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Eastern time, Monday to Friday, toll-free 1-800-667-2156 or (519) 273-0603.

2/ TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model No. 1023DA

Pressure Rating: 1-2-3 tons

Impression Area: 9" x 12"

Maximum Speed: Manual Feed

Power:                 115 v.a.c., 60 cycles, 15 amps

Dimensions:               21"W x 24"D x 32"H

Weight:                     500 lbs.

3.1 Control Panel and Control Switches

3.1.1 Control Panel

The switches and controls located on the press control panel are described as follows:

POWER: "ON/OFF" supplies power to the print head heat control, counter, dwell timer, foil delay and OSHA hand switches.

TIMERS: With the "TIMERS" switch in the up position, the press will be in automatic operating mode, such that when the OSHA hand switches are pressed, the print head will cycle down and back up again. This action will be repeated every time the OSHA switches are pressed.

SETUP: The "SETUP" switch is used for setting up the press. With this switch in the up position, when the press is activated using the OSHA switches, the print head will stop at the bottom of its stroke. Turning off the "SETUP" switch will put the press in automatic mode (if the "TIMERS" switch is up).

BATCH COUNT:  Counts and displays the number of impressions that have been made. Can be reset to zero using the RESET button on the counter.

HEAT CONTROL: Set the desired print head temperature by turning the dial to the desired heat setting. When the red light on the heater dial goes off, the set temperature has been reached. Most foils require a temperature of 250 to 300 °F (125C to 175C).

DWELL TIME:  This is the amount of time that the print head stays at the bottom of its stroke when the press is in automatic mode. Dwell time is adjusted during setup and is a function of pressure, temperature and foil type. It is typically 0.25 to 1.0 seconds, but you will have to experiment to determine the best dwell time for your application.

FOIL DELAY: This is the amount of time between the print head pulling away from the impression area and the foil advancing. This ensures the print head is clear of the print area before the foil is pulled. When printing manually, this timer should be set at about 0.25 to 0.5 seconds.

3.1.2 Control Switches

OSHA SWITCHES:  The OSHA switches are located at the front of the machine (large green buttons) table. Both switches must be pressed within ½ second of each other to activate the print head.

3.2 Manual Printing

a) Position the item to be printed on the 6" x 12" impression area and press the OSHA hand switches to cycle the print head. If you expect to be printing many of the same item, it is recommended that you have a jig made up to allow you to easily position the item quickly and accurately in the impression area. A piece of aluminum with small screws in the proper position serves the purpose well. Be sure the screws are low enough that they are not hit by the die or the print head.

3.3 Feeding the Foil

a) Mount the roll of foil on the foil bar to the right of the print head. The foil comes off the top of the roll. There should be just enough tension on the roll to keep it from unravelling. Position the foil guides to ensure that the foil is properly positioned under the die. No other positioning should be required to achieve perfect foil tracking.

b) Route the foil under the in-feed stripper bar, across the print area and under the out-feed stripper bar.

c) Route the foil under the knurled drum to the left of the print head and up between it and the pinch roller.

d) Continue over the top of the pinch roller and onto the rewind roller. Be sure to route the foil onto the underside of the foil rewind roller. If using an empty foil core to capture the used foil, ensure a clean and even rewind by making sure it is not slipping on the rewind roller. A piece of masking tape on the roller should do the trick.

See Figure 2 below for the 1023DA foil path.

3.4 Mounting the Dies or Type

To remove the chase from the print head of your 1023DA, loosen the two nuts on the right side of the print head and slide the chase out towards the front of the machine using the handles provided.

Your press has a 2" x 12" quick chase for mounting magnesium dies. The mag dies snap into the quick chase very easily. Put one side of the die against the side of the chase which has the springs, and push the die against the "spring" side of the chase which has the springs, and push the die against the "spring" side to snap the die into position. To remove a die, slide it out either end of the chase with a screwdriver. Be sure not to damage the die or the chase.

3.5 Adjusting the Foil Pull

Adjustments are made by adjusting the travel of the foil pull air cylinder, located horizontally behind the print head. There is a small block mounted on the stem of the foil pull air cylinder. It is held in place by a machine screw. The block controls the travel of the foil pull air cylinder. Loosen the machine screw with an Allen Key and slide the block to the desired position. Re-tighten the screw. See Figure 1 for location of foil pull air cylinder.

3.6 Adjusting Pressure

The 1023DA pressure is adjustable from ½ to 1 to 1½ tons. Figure 1 shows the main air cylinder for the press and its three sections, one on top of the other, each able to deliver ½ ton of pressure. The tonnage can be adjusted by opening or closing the air inlet valves to the top two cylinders. The valves are located at the back of the top two cylinders. Set the required tonnage based on the amount of coverage of your print die.

If you are printing thick items and need to increase the distance between the print head and the base, you can adjust the height of the print head. The print head is attached to the air reservoir column directly behind the main air cylinder. Loosen the four screws at the back of the reservoir where the print head is connected and adjust the height using the nut on the threaded rod at the front of the air reservoir column. The print head can be moved up to eight inches vertically. See Figure 1.

Once the main tonnage and the print head vertical position are set, minor pressure adjustments can be made to adjust the print quality. It is important to only increase the pressure when it is clearly needed, and only by small increments. Pressure is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the distance between the type face and the item to be printed.. It can be done in three ways:

a) By using a thicker or thinner make-ready.

b) By adjusting the travel of the print head. This is done by adjusting the travel stop at the bottom of the main air cylinder assembly. Turn the nut/stud on the top of the assembly to adjust and lock the desired travel in place. See Figure 1 for these items.

c) By adjusting the press bed levelling screws that are located inside the press mounting channel. Adjusting these screws can help correct for tooling errors.

3.7 General Set-Up Comments

The 1023DA is a user friendly press, designed for operators of all experience levels. The following list details items to avoid when setting up the press:

a) Uneven pressure on the die face. Low areas of the print should be corrected using tape to thicken the make-ready in that area. Do not attempt to correct low areas by overpressuring other areas. This will damage the dies, the print media, or both.

4/ TROUBLESHOOTING

a) PRESS WON'T RUN:

1. Check that main power is on and the "RUN" switch is in the up position.

2. Ensure air supply properly set at 80 psig.

b) HEAT PROBLEMS:

1. Machine too hot - short in thermocouple wire.

2. Machine not warming up - broken thermocouple wire or heater.

c) PRESS NOT CYCLING PROPERLY:

1. Check that the print head is contacting the microswitch located on the right side of the print head. Adjust the position of the microswitch if required. Be sure the check this especially after you have changed the vertical position of the head.

2. Always be sure to press both of the hand switches at the same time and hold them both for at least half of a second. If the switches are pressed and then released very quickly, the press may not cycle as the switches were not held long enough to engage the electronic timing circuit.

5/ REGULAR MAINTENANCE

1. A drain plug is provided under the table, beneath the air reservoir column. Be sure to drain the water from the air reservoir column on a regular basis - at least once per month.