Winner - Innovation in Holographic Technology: Stensborg A/S for HoloPrintTM
First in-line hologram for printed material wins at industry awards
A new development for the production of embossed holograms in-line on printed material has won the 'Innovation in Holographic Technology' category at the International Hologram Manufacturers Association's (IHMA) Excellence in Holography Awards 2011.
HoloPrintTM from Stensborg A/S is the first successful in-line hologram production process and was pioneered by Jan Stensborg, founder and proprietor of specialist research company Stensborg A/S, for printing press producer Nilpeter.
The HoloPrintTM unit is an additional station which can be supplied with new presses or retro-fitted to existing presses. It spot-applies a UV-curing lacquer to the printed material, then immediately moulds the holographic surface-relief pattern in to this lacquer from a master mounted on to a cylinder.
A notable aspect of the invention is that the UV light source is mounted within the moulding cylinder, and both the cylinder and the masters carrying the surface-relief pattern are UV transparent, so that curing and hardening the production hologram takes place simultaneously.
German hologram company Rako was commended in the same category for its holo-inlay in shrink sleeves, as was Optaglio, Czech Republic, for its achromatic hologram with colour shift effect.
The award given for innovation in the way holograms are made was presented at Holopack•Holo-print®, The Holography Conference, in Las Vegas, Nevada in November.
