Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based World Emblem just announced the launch of a new patch application product called Flexbroidery, which it bills as “a more cost-effective and sustainable solution than traditional direct embroidery.”
Rather than weaving the fabric onto the product, it uses a low-melt heat seal to apply the patch directly.
“Thanks to its convenient heat pressing application method, Flexbroidery opens up a new realm of possibilities for achieving an embroidered appearance without threads, hoops, or machinery,” Randy Carr, president and CEO of World Emblem, said in a press release. “From corporate branding to personal projects, Flexbroidery patches are built to last, making them an ideal choice for uniforms, accessories, and apparel.”
World Emblem’s site page dedicated to the Flexbroidery patch indicates that they’re best used on a variety of surfaces, such as fabric, glass, wood, metal, and plastic, meaning the patch look isn’t limited to apparel.
The heat-seal patch allows for a mixed-media look on plastic items like drinkware. Just this year, Tervis Tumbler released a line of “Star Wars” drinkware items that used patches inside the double-wall insulation, blending thread and plastic together.
Heat seal patch decoration itself isn’t a new phenomenon in the promotional products industry, but it is gaining steam. It’s an attractive choice for suppliers and decorators who don’t want to invest in embroidery machines, or at least provide a product that doesn’t need them and saves the buyer a little bit of money.
“A heat seal looks very similar to a sewn-on [patch],” Grace Schettler, vice president of sales for Cap America, told Print & Promo Marketing during the 2023 PRINTING United Expo. “A heat seal has gone a very long way as long as the stickiness and adhesive behind it. The adhesive, you can’t pick off. I would say two years ago, you could get your finer under it. And they’ve done a really good jo, the patch manufacturers, of making sure they stay.”
World Emblem, which works with big-name companies like New Era, Aramark, Cintas, and Levis, is continuing what the industry has already started by developing product decoration techniques that limit machine investment and save money, as well as resources and materials.
