Home hero 2 fluted foiling

Also known as ‘Combination Dies’ or ‘Foil-Emboss Dies’, Tomlinson’s Brass Fluted Foiling Dies apply both foiled and embossed detail in a single machine pass ensuring perfect registration between foiled and embossed image areas.

Fluted finishes achievable include combinations of flat and/or textured foil areas, as well as faceted, bevelled and even sculpted multi-level emboss features - ideal for use on luxury packaging, stationery, greeting cards and labels.

In addition to perfect registration, other benefits of fluting include a reduction in machine set-up time and waste, and the need for a single die opposed to separate sets of foiling and embossing dies - saving both time and money. Please note, however, that where more than one foil colour will be used, a separate die will be required for each foil colour.

Below: In-house engraving tool manufacture; fluted die and counterforce; CNC milling machine.
Tooling
Brass counter
Datron console

Utilising the latest CAD-CAM software, Tomlinson’s experienced CNC Programmers assign optimal shapes and depths to create a die that will bring a design’s fluted features to life. All our Fluted Foiling Dies are manufactured in our brass CNC shop using our custom-made precision tooling and are made to extremely tight tolerances.

Artwork quality is especially important for this process. Please refer to our Artwork page for in-depth guidance on file types and resolutions to achieve the best fluted finish possible.

Counterforces

All Tomlinson’s Fluted Foiling Dies come with a Counterforce.

Tomlinson’s KV Counterforces are made from a custom blend of vinyl co-polymer and are quite flexible. Our Resin Counterforces consist of a robust glass-reinforced epoxy board onto which a tough, heat-resistant polyurethane polymer is cast to create a mirror-image of the die.

Both types of counterforce can be manufactured with a base thicknesses of 0.4mm, 0.6mm and 0.8mm and come with pre-drilled registration holes and a location pin system to aid accuracy of machine set-up.

Learn more about our counterforces here and to see some examples of fluted foil finishes achieved using Tomlinson’s expert fluted foiling dies, simply visit our gallery.

Brass Size and Gauge Guide

Tomlinson Ltd can produce brass Fluted Foiling Dies in a range of thicknesses and sizes to suit your needs.

Standard Gauges: 4mm, 5mm, 6.35mm and 7mm, however brass dies can also be machined to other bespoke thicknesses so please just let us know your needs at the time of ordering.

Maximum Plate Size: 730mm x 510mm