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Highlights
of our plant:
- We
are in our 17th year as a replicator/duplicator
- We
have 16 Singulus optical molding lines and are, quite literally,
the state-of-the art in terms of equipment:
-
Fourteen (14) Skyliners for manufacture of CD and DVD-5
- 1
is dedicated to molding 3" mini CDs which hold about 200
Mb
- 1
is dedicated to molding rectangular business cards which hold
approx. 70 Mb
- Two
(2) Spaceliners for molding of DVD-5, 9, or 10
-
We can also make 3" mini and shaped DVDs
- We
mold 5" WonderDiscsTM (a full size CD with only 3" of
the disc metallized! A nice visual effect.)
- We
have our own SONY Glass Mastering/Stamper Manufacturing system
in house
-
We have ample screen printing capacity with 5 of the very latest,
Hanky printing stations, all equipped with sophisticated, automatic
Vision Systems.
- We
have a brand new HANKY OFFSET printer, too! 175 lines of resolution.
- We
are the fourth largest VHS manufacturing plant in the United States
- We
dupe audio cassette
- We're
an IRMA Certified plant!
- We
offer HEXALOCK Copy Protection as well as Macrovision, CSS and
now Star Force.
- Vinaseal
operates it's own glass mastering lab whereas other replicators
may send your project to an external service bureau for mastering.
This typically takes 5-7 days, is costly and is even more expensive
if you have to expedite the process. The average turn-around time
for mastering from Vinaseal is 48 hours, therefore there is no
need to expedite and there are no delays or external dependencies
that could affect your production run.
How
does the process of duplication work?
Step
1: Pre-Mastering
In
this stage Vinaseal inspects and checks the media that is supplied
by the customer. The inspection begins with an anti-virus test on
the source followed by a format/structure check.
Step
2A: Mastering
A substrate treated with a photosensitive layer is prepared.
Step
2B: Mastering
An LBR (Laser Beam Recorder) is used to transfer your data/music
and forms the pits and tracks onto the substrate.
Step
2C: Mastering
A developing solution enables the zones that were exposed by the
laser to be removed.
Step
2D: Mastering
The substrate is placed into a vacuum deposition chamber and covered
with a layer of silver.
Step 2E: Mastering
The end product is a metalized glass master. It is then inspected
and analyzed for electrical signal properties.
Step 3A: Electroplating
Glass master is mounted and immersed into a solution of nickel sulfamate.
Step 3B: Electroplating
A process of electrolysis takes place between two electrodes, the
anode and the cathode. This creates a nickel layer which is separated
from the glass master in order to obtain the stamper.
Step 3C: Electroplating
The
stamper is rinsed, dried & covered with a protective film.
Step 3D: Electroplating
The back face is sanded and polished in order to prepare it for
pressing.
Step 3E: Electroplating
The
stamper is then punched in the center and the outside and checked
for uniform thickness.
Step 4A: Molding
The stamper is placed in a special mold and clamped together under
very high pressure. Molten polycarbonate is then injected into the
mold and after a few seconds of cooling, a clear disc is ejected,
now containing the information or pit track from the stamper.
Step 4B: Molding
A fine layer of aluminum is sputtered onto the surface of the transparent
disc. This allows the disc to be read by the reflection of the laser
on the layer of information.
Step 4C: Molding
A fine layer of clear lacquer is then deposited on the metallic
surface of the disc, then dried under a UV lamp. This is done in
order to protect the CD and
prepare it for screen or offset printing.
Step 4D: Molding
Each CD is then inspected for physical imperfections and common
molding flaws using a high speed camera inspection system.
Step 4E: Molding
All orders are tested at the beginning and the end through the High
Tech Optical Testing Equipment to Phillips and Sony specifications.
Step 5A: Pre-Press
The film or file is initially reviewed by trained graphic staff
and checked for conformity, colors, size, resolution, fonts etc...
Step 5B: Pre-Press
Pre-stretched screens are coated with a light sensitive emulsion,
dried and measured.
Step 5C: Pre-Press
Once dried, a film positive is positioned upon the coated screen
and exposed in a light unit for a set time.
Step 5D: Pre-Press
After exposure, the developed emulsion protected by the film is
washed away with water. This leaves a hardened stencil with print
area free of exposed emulsion.
Step 6A: Screen Printing
Press-ready screens are mounted on the printing press.
Step 6B: Screen Printing
Ink is placed on the screen and a squeegee passes across the image
area pressing ink through the screen and onto the CD surface. One
screen is required for each color.
Step 6C: Screen Printing
Once the ink is applied, it is instantly cured or dried under a
UV light before the next color is printed.
Step
6D: Screen Printing
Each CD is inspected through sophisticated optics for correct inner
hub identification and print quality.
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