Portland, Oregon-based Craftsman Label is a full-service label manufacturer with conventional flexo and digital printing presses. The company specializes in high-quality labels and flexible packaging and is particularly well-known as a supplier to the high-end wine market. To better serve its customers with embellished labels, Craftsman Label has recently invested in a GM HOTFB330 Standalone Hot Foil unit.

The new HOTFB330 is replacing an older foiling and embossing unit at Craftsman to improve production speeds and capabilities for the finishing of both digital and flexo work. It will be working alongside another GM converting line, a DC330, which is already processing digitally printed labels at the company’s Portland facility. The new unit can add gold, silver or even holographic effects combined with blind embossing for great embellishment results to labels. Furthermore, the foil stamping and embossing can be performed in one pass to save on time and waste.

The HOTFB330 Standalone Hot Foil unit features 50-ton precision hot stamping action and can operate both inline and offline as a perfect solution for any digital label press, or other GM converting machines. It is a compact machine that will tackle substrates in web widths between 50 and 330 mm (2 – 13”) and 50 to 200 microns in thickness. Advanced features such as foil saver, servo-register, electronic temperature control and BST ultrasonic web guide come as standard, while a touchscreen offers easy and intuitive operation.

Despite the challenges and restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, GM was able to successfully demonstrate the HOTFB330 using online video conferencing. This meant that the Craftsman team could see an identical machine live in action at GM North America Corporate Office & Demonstration Center in Ohio and ask any questions they had before making their final decision.

“We are very happy to extend our relationship with Craftsman Label and support them to meet the demand for ever more sophisticated embellishments to high-end labels,” said GM CEO Uffe Nielsen. “The HOTFB330 will be a great value-adding tool for Craftsman, and it will no doubt help them cement their reputation as a leading label printer and also attract new customers.”