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 Feeding the Ribbon

3.3 Manual Printing

3.4 Feeding the Foil

3.5 Mounting the Dies or Type

3.6 Adjusting the Ribbon Pull

3.7 Adjusting the Foil Pull

3.8 Adjusting Pressure

3.9 Adjusting the Position of the Cut

3.10 Mounting and Levelling Cutting Knife

3.11 General Set-Up Comments

4/ Troubleshooting

5/ Regular Maintenance

FIGURES

Figure 1 - Overview of 515RF Hot Stamping Center

Figure 2 - Ribbon Path for 515RF

Figure 3 - Foil Path for 515RF

1/ INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing a 515RF Hot Stamping Center! 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 515RF 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

Pressure Rating: ½-1-1½ tons

Impression Area: 6" x 8"

Ribbon Length:        24"

Ribbon Width:        5/8" to 3"

Maximum Speed: 1,200 per hour

Power:                 115 v.a.c., 60 cycles, 10 amps

Dimensions:        24"W x 60"L x 42"H

Weight:                 400 lbs. (181 kg)

Additional Features included:

(a) General hot stamping capability - manual feeding

(b) Variable pressure from ½ - 1 - 1½ tons

(c) Adjustable print head height for printing on thick items 

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 stop/run switch for the ribbon feeder.

RUN: With the "RUN" switch in the up position, the press will be in automatic operating mode, such that when the "Stop/Run" switch is used to start the ribbon feeder, the press will print the ribbon, advance it, and cut it until the "Stop/Run" switch is used to stop the press. The OSHA switches for manual printing are also enabled when this switch is in the up position.

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 "Stop/Run" switch or the OSHA switches, the print head will stop t the bottom of its stroke. Turning off the "SETUP" switch will put the press in automatic mode (if the "RUN" 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 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.

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.

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. With the ribbon feeder in operation, this timer is also used to control the cycle time of the print head. Therefore, be sure this timer is set long enough to ensure that the ribbon pull is complete before the print head comes down. Otherwise, print registration on the ribbon will be incorrect.

3.1.2 Control Switches

STOP/RUN: This switch is located on the wooden table at the front of the machine. This switch is used to start and stop the press when the automatic ribbon feeder is in use.

OSHA SWITCHES:  The OSHA switches are located at the front of the machine (large red buttons) and are used when items are being manually hot stamped. Both switches must be pressed within ½ second of each other to activate the print head.

3.2 Feeding the Ribbon - 515RF

a) Mount the roll of ribbon on the ribbon unwind bar. Be sure to mount the ribbon roll such that the printing will be done on the outside of the ribbon, ie. the ribbon should come off the roll between the roll and the press. Tighten the ribbon roll in place, but not too tight - the roll must be able to spin freely on the ribbon unwind bar.

b) Remove the weight over the centring guides on the ribbon in-feed, and feed the ribbon between them. These guides will position the ribbon for printing. The guides are adjustable using the screw knobs on either side of the ribbon in-feed. Do not forget to replace the weight when ribbon feeding is complete. Without it the ribbon can jump out of its track. For additional tension, use a rubber band over the weight between the two adjusting knobs. If you have a minor static problem, wrap a sheet of "Bounce" around this weight.

c) Feed the ribbon across the print area, under the ribbon out-feed weight and between the centring guides (identical to in-feed arrangement described in b) above). Continue under the idler roller and over the registration roller. See Figure 1 for these items.

e) From the registration roller, feed the ribbon between the pinch roller and the knurled drum. The pressure of the pinch roller is factory set for standard satin badge ribbon, but may require adjustment for your material. The pressure must be equal on both sides of the ribbon for straight tracking, enough to pull but not so much as to cause the clutch to slip. If you can pull the ribbon from between the rollers without allowing the rollers to move, then the pinch roller must be tightened. If adjustment is necessary, then it must be done in very small increments. To increase pressure, open the clamp and turn each locking nut clockwise; an eighth of a turn should be sufficient to make a noticeable difference.

f) Feed the ribbon through the cutting knife assembly.

See Figure 2 below to see the proper ribbon path through the 515RF.

3.3 Manual Printing

a) Position the item to be printed on the 6" x 8" 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.

3.4 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 3 below for the 515RF foil path.

 3.5 Mounting the Dies or Type

To remove the chase from the print head of your 515RF, loosen the two nuts on the outboard side of the print head and slide the chase out towards the front of the machine.

The 515RF requires no special treatment for mounting dies or type, but good habits are worth practicing.

a) Position the die or type in the centre of the chase.

b) Avoid using dies permanently mounted on lead. The lead deforms over time, resulting in an uneven die which requires excessive pressure to print. Compensating for this will result in poor print quality and may put undo stress on the machine.

3.6 Adjusting the Ribbon Pull

Adjustments are made by adjusting the travel of the ribbon pull air cylinder, which is located horizontally on the wooden table at the front of the press. The 9/16" travel adjustment nut is located on the front of the mounting plate for the cylinder, right at the front of the machine. A tool has been provided to loosen and tighten the nut. Move the nut to the right to increase the ribbon pull.

3.7 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 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. See Figure 1 for location.

3.8 Adjusting Pressure

The 515RF 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. The print head can be moved up to eight inches vertically. See Figure 4.

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 ribbon. It can be done in two 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.

3.9 Adjusting the Position of the Cut

This is one of the easiest adjustments to make on the 515RF, and is a major improvement over most ribbon machines.

Simply loosen the registration roller by turning the knob on the back end of the roller counter-clockwise, and turn the front end of the roller to raise or lower the roller. Then re-tighten the knob on the back end. Raising the registration roller will move the print away from the cut, and lowering the registration roller will move the print on the ribbon closer to the cut.

For short ribbon pulls, you may find that you can achieve the desired print/cut position at two different settings of the registration roller. One roller position will be higher than the other. Be sure to use the lower roller position in these cases to minimize wander (variation in cut position).

3.10 Mounting and Levelling Cutting Knife

a) Knife blades or die cutters are attached to a mounting block which is attached to the cutter assembly using two 7/16" bolts. These bolts come are located on top of the main ram plate, one on either end. Loosening these two bolts will allow you to remove the mounting plate to which the cutter is attached. This will allow you to change blades or die cutter attachments using the screws on the mounting plate. Change blades by simply loosening the machine screws and the small aluminium piece that forms part of the mounting block.

b) You can level the cutting blade or die in the exact same way as was described for the print head in section 3.8 above. Simply loosen the 7/16" locking nut and turn the 3/4" adjustment screw in the particular corner or on the particular side or end that needs levelling.

c) When the cutting blade is level, every part of the cutting edge contacts the cutting surface at the same time.

d) For clean cutting and long die life, the blade should always be level and cutting with just enough pressure. Excessive pressure will wear out the cutting blade. We recommend a strip of masking tape or firm fibreglass board on the cutting table for making cleaner cuts and extending die life.

3.11 General Set-Up Comments

The 515RF 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, ribbon or both.

b) Excessive pressure on the feed rolls. The correct pressure is set when there is about 0.010" (the thickness of a playing card) compression on the pinch roller.

c) Foil sticking to the ribbon. This is the most common cause of bad registration. If the foil is stuck tight to the ribbon, the feed roll will slip when it starts to pull the ribbon. If the temperature and pressure are properly set, change the foil.

d) If you start to print exclusively on thin, narrow ribbon, please contact our factory to obtain a modified ribbon pinch roller. The modified roller will have a ridge made on it for the thin, narrow ribbon. Without the ridge, a groove will form in the pinch roller and it will begin to slip, regardless of how much it is tightened.

e) Be sure that you are pulling the proper length of ribbon and the proper length of foil to ensure that your prints look right. Watching your foil pull length will ensure that you are using just enough foil.

4/ TROUBLESHOOTING

a) IF RIBBON PULL LENGTH VARIES:

1. Check that ribbon is unreeling properly from the supply roll.

2. Ensure the weight is in position between the ribbon in-feed guides. As mentioned earlier, a rubber band put over the weight between the two guide adjust knobs will give added tension. This may improve ribbon pull accuracy.

3. Check the tension on the ribbon pull pinch roller. If more tension is required, release the clamps and tighten the lock nuts 1/8th of a turn (clockwise). Re-tighten clamps.

4. If there is a loud "snapping" noise on each cycle, the heat or pressure may be excessive - adjust pressure or temperature accordingly. If the foil is sticking regardless of pressure or temperature, change the foil.

b) POOR REGISTRATION:

1. Foil sticking to the ribbon - see Item a), Part 4. above.

2. Ribbon pull length adjuster loose - tighten locking screw.

3. Ribbon pinch roller out of adjustment - adjust to proper tension.

4. Ribbon pinch roller worn - replace or re-grind - contact factory.

5. Worn clutch. Replace clutch assembly - contact factory.

c) 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.

d) HEAT PROBLEMS:

1. Machine too hot - short in thermocouple wire.

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

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.