Record Pressing Plants
Record pressing plants are the factories where music lovers can go to get their favorite music pressed onto vinyl records. These plants take the audio recordings of the music, and transform them into physical, tangible records.
Record pressing plants use large presses to shape the vinyl into the desired format, and then finish it with a label. The labels are custom printed with the artist name, track information, and artwork. The vinyl is then cut into its final shape and packed into a sturdy cardboard sleeve for protection. The records are then ready to be shipped off to music stores and collectors around the world.
Record pressing plants are an essential part of the music industry, as they provide the physical copies of the artist’s music that many people prefer. In addition to pressing records, these plants often also provide mastering and lacquer cutting services, which can give the records a professional finish. As the record industry continues to grow, the demand for record pressing plants has increased significantly.
Vinyl Record Pressing Plants use a record press that is a machine for manufacturing vinyl records. It is essentially a hydraulic press fitted with thin metal stampers which are negative impressions of a master disc.
Labels and a pre-heated vinyl patty (or “puck”, or “biscuit”) are placed in a heated mold cavity.
Two stampers are used, one for each of side of the disc. The record press closes under a pressure of around 155 tons.
The process of compressionforces the hot vinyl to fill the grooves in the stampers, and take the form of the finished vinyl record.
There are only a few dozen pressing plants currently operating in the United States.
Vinyl Record Pressing Plants List
The LP (from “long playing” or “long play”) is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of 33+1/3 rpm; a 12 or 10-inch (30 or 25 cm) diameter; use of the “microgroove” groove specification; and a vinyl (a copolymer of vinyl chloride acetate) composition disk. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire Record Pressing industry.