In pad printing, one of the most persistent challenges is achieving consistent, high-quality prints on large-area, high-curvature, and irregularly shaped products. Conventional pads with standard hardness often fail to make full contact with curved surfaces, resulting in broken patterns, missing ink at the edges, and ghosting — all of which reduce production yield. Shenzhen Hongyejie Technology Co., Ltd. (Hongye Silicone) has introduced the 916 extra-soft Pad Printing Silicone specifically to address this issue. Why Extra-Soft Matters for Curved Surfaces
Pad printing relies on the elastic deformation of the silicone pad to transfer ink from the etched plate onto the product. When the product surface has a large curvature or a large area, the pad needs significant deformation to achieve full contact. A pad that is too hard will leave edges untouched, while one that is too soft may collapse, lose resilience, and distort the image. The 916 silicone strikes an optimal balance: at just 13±3 Shore A, it is soft enough to conform to complex curves, yet resilient enough to recover quickly and maintain print accuracy cycle after cycle.
Core Advantages of the 916
First, exceptional conformability. The ultra-low hardness allows the pad to naturally follow the product's curved surface during pressing, maximizing contact area and ensuring uniform ink transfer — especially valuable for toy figurines, craft gifts, and lampshades. Second, outstanding resilience. Despite its softness, the 916 recovers rapidly after each press, with no residual deformation, guaranteeing consistent print quality in high-volume production. Third, durability. The formulation delivers high tensile and tear strength, so the extra-soft pad resists damage and offers a long service life. Fourth, print clarity. The fine, impurity-free texture ensures even ink pick-up and release, producing sharp, clean patterns with no particles or bubbles.
Proven Performance Across Industries
The 916 extra-soft pad printing silicone is already widely used in toy manufacturing, craft gifts, lighting, home appliances, and automotive interiors. Toy manufacturers report that print yield on large-curvature figurines has improved significantly, with far fewer rejected units. Lighting customers praise its stable performance on lampshade curves, where large solid-area patterns print without ink breakage or color variation.
Selection Guidance
Hongye Silicone's technical team recommends matching pad hardness to the application: standard hardness models like the 912 for flat or small-curvature products, the 916 extra-soft for large-curvature and large-area surfaces, and higher-hardness models for fine, small-pattern printing. Free samples are available for testing, and the team can recommend the optimal silicone based on each customer's specific product geometry and printing requirements. Founded in 1998, Shenzhen Hongyejie Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in the R&D, production, and sales of silicone and silicone rubber products, serving customers worldwide with consistent quality and professional technical support.
Shenzhen Hong Ye Jie Technology Co., Ltd
