Miniature leather printing machine
An iconic miniature of the tannery
This miniature model of a tannery leather printer refers to a model that is now several decades old, but it is the most iconic and representative of the leather printers. It is a historic brand that has made the history of tannery machines in Santa Croce sull’Arno and beyond. The machinery works with aluminum or copper plates having designs in relief that imitate various species of leather such as crocodile or python, or even geometric or patterned designs. The plates are hooked to the upper plate of the machine which, with great pressure, hot imprints the pattern of the plate on the skin.
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Project
I started taking photos of the machine thanks to a friend who has a leather processing business and who owns this printing machine. The machine is old but still works perfectly and works daily. The biggest difficulties in building this miniature were the various passages of electrical cables inside the structure that operate the motors located in the base. I found it difficult to build a valid mechanism to raise and return the plate, as well as the mechanism that controls the opening and closing of the plates simultaneously with the raising and lowering of the plate.
Materials
For the construction of this miniature the structure was made of wood, but there are also plastic parts. The platforms and shelves which are attached to the plate supported by the central cylinder are also made of wood. The cylinder was made from a suitably machined hydraulic tube. Various mechanisms such as for opening and closing the plates are controlled through digital relays. The machine works with 6 volt batteries enclosed in the control box.
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