The production of metal badges (possibly a typo of “metal badge”) requires different equipment based on the type of process (such as baking varnish, enamel, stamping, printing, etc.). The following is an analysis of the professional equipment and functions required for mainstream processes, covering the entire process from raw material processing to finished product quality inspection:
I. Basic processing equipment: Metal billet forming
1. Press (punch press)
Function: It is used for cutting and punching metal sheets and stamping the main body shapes of badges (such as circular and irregular contours).
Type:
Mechanical punch press: Suitable for mass production, with a tonnage typically ranging from 10 to 50 tons. When equipped with custom molds, it can punch materials such as copper, iron, and aluminum (with a thickness of 0.5 to 3mm).
Hydraulic press: The pressure output is stable, suitable for high-precision stamping (such as fine line relief patterns), and the tonnage can reach over 100 tons.
Supporting molds:
Upper die (convex die) : A male die for engraving patterns, used to press the metal surface to form a relief.
Lower die (concave die) : Fixes the metal plate and provides support, with a cutting edge on the edge.
2. Shearing machine/CNC cutting machine
Shearing machine: It is used to cut metal coils/plates into fixed-size billets (such as 50cm×50cm copper sheets), with an accuracy of ±0.2mm.
CNC cutting machines (such as laser cutting machines) : Suitable for cutting irregular blanks or complex hollowed-out patterns, capable of processing 0.3mm ultra-thin metal plates, with smooth cutting edges free of burrs.
Ii. Surface treatment equipment: Enhance texture and adhesion
Polishing machine
Function: Remove the oxide layer and scratches on the metal surface, enhance the gloss (such as mirror polishing), and prepare for subsequent electroplating or coloring.
Type:
Centrifugal polishing machine: Polishing is achieved through the friction between the grinding stones inside the drum and the workpiece, suitable for batch processing of small badges.
Magnetic polishing machine: It uses a magnetic field to drive the stainless steel needle to vibrate and polish, which can reach into complex grooves without damaging details.
Manual polishing machine: Equipped with wool wheels, cloth wheels and polishing wax (such as green wax, red wax), it is used for polishing fine parts.
2. Electroplating equipment
Function: Through electrolytic reactions, nickel, gold, silver, bronze and other coatings are plated on the metal surface to enhance corrosion resistance and endow the metal with color.
Composition:
Electroplating tank: It holds electroplating solution (such as cyanide plating solution, environmentally friendly cyanide-free plating solution), and the temperature needs to be controlled (usually 50-60℃).
Rectifier: Provides a stable DC power supply. The current density is adjusted according to the thickness of the coating (for example, gold plating requires 0.5-1A/dm²).
Hanger: Made of stainless steel or titanium alloy, it is used to suspend workpieces and conduct electric current.
3. Sandblasting equipment
Function: By bombarding the metal surface with a high-speed sand flow (such as alumina sand, glass beads), a matte frosted effect (such as background texture) is formed, or the adhesion of the baked paint is enhanced.
Type:
Dry sandblasting machine: Wide application range, requires to be equipped with a dust removal system;
Wet sandblasting machine: Sand particles are mixed with water and sprayed out, reducing dust pollution and suitable for precision pattern processing.
Iii. Coloring process equipment: Achieving color representation
Baking varnish/enamel filling equipment
Oven: The high-temperature curing equipment detailed in the previous text, which needs to be matched with the characteristics of the pigment (for example, enamel requires sintering at a temperature above 800℃).
Coloring tool:
Syringe pen/dropper: Used for filling in fine lines or color separation areas (accuracy up to 0.3mm);
Pad printing machine: Suitable for batch single-color printing, it transfers ink to the metal surface through the rubber head.
Screen printing plate: It is used for flat printing (such as LOGO text), with a mesh size usually ranging from 150 to 250. It needs to be used in conjunction with an ink scraper.
2. Drip rubber equipment (optional)
Function: Cover the surface of the baked paint with transparent epoxy resin adhesive (drip adhesive) to form a raised glossy layer, protecting the pattern and enhancing the three-dimensional effect.
Equipment:
Dispensing machine: Precisely control the amount of glue (such as 0.1-1ml per time), suitable for dispensing the center of circular badges.
Vacuum deaerator: Removes air bubbles from the adhesive solution to prevent pinholes from appearing on the surface after curing.
Iv. Assembly and Quality Inspection equipment: Ensure the precision of the finished products
Soldering equipment
Function: Weld badge accessories (such as pins, butterfly clasps, safety pins), or fix multi-layer structures (such as the base and main body of three-dimensional badges).
Type:
Manual soldering station: Equipped with a constant-temperature soldering iron tip (temperature 200-400℃), suitable for small-batch soldering.
Automatic soldering machine: Programmable path, equipped with a visual positioning system, suitable for large-scale production.
2. Laser marking machine
Function: Engrave the number, brand LOGO or production information on the back of the badge. The marking depth is 0.05-0.2mm and it is permanently non-erasable.
Type:
Fiber laser marking machine: Suitable for metal materials, fast speed (able to mark 100 characters per second), low energy consumption;
CO₂ laser marking machine: Used for marking non-metallic coatings (such as baked paint surfaces).
3. Quality inspection instruments
Hardness tester: Measures the hardness of electroplated layers or baked paint layers (such as pencil hardness tester, Shore hardness tester);
Gloss meter: Measures surface brightness (such as 60° Angle measurement, standard value ≥80GU);
Salt spray testing machine: Simulates corrosive environments to test the salt spray resistance of electroplating layers (such as no rusting for 48 hours).
V. Auxiliary Equipment: Enhance production efficiency
Ultrasonic cleaning machine
It is used for cleaning workpieces before electroplating or coloring. It removes oil stains and fingerprints through high-frequency vibration and is used in combination with special cleaning agents (such as neutral degreasing agents).
Mold engraving machine
It is used for making stamping dies or etched plates, equipped with a CNC numerical control system, capable of engraving relief patterns with a precision of up to 0.01mm, and supports importing CAD/AI design files.
Vibrating disc/screening machine
During mass production, the badge blanks are automatically sorted by size or shape, reducing the time spent on manual sorting.
Post time: May-17-2025