Anyone use Silicone Foil Stamping dies?

I am having difficulty with a foil stamping project.
The paper is folded and needs to foil over the folds which are not consistent at all piece to piece. I am using a .250” copper die now on a Heidelberg Platen 10 x 15, with some bizarre make ready to get even a few decent impressions.
I was wondering if a Silicone Die might make things easier.
Where can I get one made? Are they expensive?

Thank you all.

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What are you stamping against…phenolic or epoxy glass board? I have had good luck with this product .https://www7011.ssldomain.com/infinityfoils/store/Details_new.cfm?ProdID=44&category=7
but I believe it would be too thick for your heidelberg.

How is the fold not consistent? I have foiled over envelope folds with good results. Copper die and glass board on my windmill.

GWAK-

I did try that and it was too thick for the Heidelberg.

Right now the best I have come up with is a “Sticky” back offset blanket, but this gives a very deep deboss effect and customer does not like it.

They are paper bags, like a lunch sack.

to answer your question, yes. i have used them for a very long run on plastic. they require a LOT of heat as silicone is an insulator. they are soft and do not provide a nice crisp image. finally i think they are expensive as first the die maker makes an embossing die, or mold. then the silicone die is made from that. during the curing process the silicone layer is usually bonded to a metal. ours were aluminum, i think i still have some if you wanted to try one before you buy. i would think the die maker would have something laying around also, that you could try to see if it solves your problem.

You need a hard die, copper is fine, if you can;t get a glass board in or a offset blanket, use a cut off from the metal sheets you can get from the roofing department at home depot. But describe your setup first or picture, this type of bags usually run pretty nifty once set up correctly

what is a LOT of heat 500 F or more?

160 F -180F

not 500. but for the foil we used on the plastic. (These were children’s names on little state license plates, miniature copies of those on autos, for bicycles) we were upwards of 425F or so.
I must admit, these were mounted to a kluge honeycomb. not direct to plate as with bunter posts. this probably had something to do with the heat.

Here is a reply I received from a Silicone Die Maker:
“Your customer will not be satisfied at all with a silicon die – he should just put in an epoxy plate (or anything similar) in each bag (this is only the way of stamping for already finished/folded bags!) to have an even area and stamp with a normal brass die – no silicon die for paper!!!

Just for your information: At higher quantities, the stamping process has to happen before cutting/folding the paper roll into bags.”

Which I knew, but we need to deal with what the customer wants and how it comes.
Die maker was no help.