Promotional Buttons, Custom Pinback Buttons | The Button Post

This will be post 1 of 3. The next two posts will be about manufacturing our larger, round buttons and then a separate post about our new square buttons.

This is something a lot of you have been interested in seeing. So, I thought I’d grant some of the requests. Below you’ll see a step by step guide on how to manufacture a 1″ button. This is the only button we produce that has the most steps. Now, I’ve mentioned in our previous posts that we have some innovative and proprietary equipment we use so unfortunately I will not be able to show photos of all of our equipment.

Step 1. - Printing the artwork. This step requires downloading the artwork from our CMS (customer management system), then fixing up the artwork to our exact specifications.

Layout before we print.

Layout Printed off our Xerox machine (prints at 2,400 x 2,400 dpi)

Step 2. - Die Cutting the artwork.

Order after being die cut.

Step 3. - Assembling  the button with our button machine.

- first, you will insert a button blank called a shell into the larger cavity.

- Second, you will place the die cut circle on top of the shell.

- Third, you will place a circle plastic piece on top of the die cut artwork called mylar.

In this photo you’ll see that the press operator has the mylar, artwork and shell in his fingers inserting it into the appropriate spot.

- Forth, you will now place a metal ring called a collet into the next cavity

In this photo you’ll see the collet (the circular ring) about to be pressed into a finished button. Followed by another mylar, artwork and shell. This is a step and repeat process.

- Fifth step, let the machine do the work. What happens now is the machine will actually pick up the mylar, artwork and shell and fold the mylar and artwork under the lip of the shell. Then, the collet will then be pressed into the shell. The collet is what fuses the two together. (holding the button together)

In this photo the machines arm has a magnet at the end of it and its now picking the button out of the machine.

Again, another photo of the button being picked up and dumped into a bin.

Photo of our 1″ buttons after being pressed and before Step 4

Step 4. – We will insert the pin into the back of the button.

Pin and button – not assembled yet.

A 1″ button being pinned. (Sliding the copper pin into the back of the 1″ button)

Step 5. – Finally the button is complete! You are now ready to wear your finished button. (In This case I’ve showed you our pin back button option as well as our zipper pull buttons).

Custom Pin Back Button Option
 

Below I’ve also included examples assembling a 1″ zipper pull button.

 

As you can see above we have the zipper pull option being assembled.

Simply snap the zipper pull back into the back of the un-pinned 1″ button

Finished Custom Zipper Pull Button
Custom Zipper Pull Button Option 

Interested in purchasing the zipper pull featured in this How To? Head on over to Electric Zombie. These will be on the new zip up hoody, which will be available at Merch Now in August.