The History of Kensol/Foilmark
Kensol/Foilmark’s origins go back to the early 1920’s
when the first Kensol Press was designed. Initially, the machine was created
for hot stamping lettering onto the covers of rebound library books. As time
passed, these machines were adapted to apply stamping foil onto items
fabricated from leather, wood, cloth and paper products.
After World War II, Kensol-Olsenmark, Inc., the company equipment
manufacturing division, designed the first hot stamping power press driven
by compressed air. This technological break-through made Kensol machines
ideal for marking and decorating plastics.
As the plastic industry grew, the stamping applications became more
diversified. Today, all full service plastic fabricators will include hot
stamping as a decorating technique in their finishing departments. Hot
stamping is also extensively utilized in the graphic carts industry for the
application of bright metallic and pigment finishes onto book covers,
greeting cards, packaging and similar graphic products.
In the early 1950’s Kensol began distributing stamping foil at the request
of customers requiring a “turnkey” package. As the demand for foil
increased, Kensol found that they could no longer rely upon outside
suppliers if Kensol was to remain a reliable source of quality materials.
That need was addressed in the mid ‘70s, when the Olsen family, the owners
of Kensol from its inception, acquire a foil manufacturer located in
northeast Massachusetts and Foilmark, Incorporated was established.
Foilmark utilizes the latest in specialized film converting equipment, much
of which was designed and built by Kensol. That versatility enables the
company to custom convert for others who also require specially coated,
treated or metallized film.
In recent years, Kensol has become involved in the design of automation and
integrated systems. These systems incorporate other decorating and assembly
techniques such as ultrasonic welding, high frequency heat sealing, pad
printing, spray painting and similar process.