Arizona Patent of the Month – November 2021

Embossing is used in graphical design to finish off a high-end printed product. To emboss something, you use graphical dies to alter the surface of paper stock to create a raised effect. It takes two dies which fit into each other – one which is raised and the other which is recessed. These dies need to be perfectly aligned in order to produce a high end embossing. Currently, the die alignment process is largely manual and takes a great deal of precision and expertise to perfect it.

Metal Magic, Inc. has worked on developing premium quality dies since 1988. They have recently worked on developing a system to more easily install and align graphical dies for embossing. The system uses a series of support panels, dies, and positioning fasteners. The panels are designed with threaded openings in a grid-like fashion. Some y-axis indicators are positioned at the top of the die support panels and identify a particular row of these openings. X-axis indicators are also positioned there and identify a particular column of the openings. The dies have apertures which are also identified with x and y axis indicia. The fasteners then align the indicia on the dies and support panels, attaching the dies to the panels in a predetermined position. More positioners are then used to make minute adjustments after being installed on the panel. This adjustment system reduces the time and skill needed to properly align the dies, improving both speed and efficiency without compromising the quality of the embossing.

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