UV/EB printing inks have limited market share but great potential

In recent years, with the continuous improvement of technology and the increase in market demand, radiation-curing inks have achieved rapid development in Europe. Especially in the packaging field, UV / EB printing ink, a typical representative of radiation curing inks, has been widely used. It has improved the quality of printed products and increased the visibility of product brands.

The so-called UV / EB ink, is the use of UV curing or electron beam energy curing ink. Compared with traditional drying inks, it has some unique features: First, UV / EB inks have fast curing speed and high production efficiency. Generally, they can be completely dried and fixed on the surface of the substrate in only 1 / 10 seconds. Second, After the UV ink is printed, the glossiness of the printed product is very high, and the surface is even and uniform. Thirdly, the printed material obtained by printing with the radiation-curing ink has strong resistance; Fourth, UV / EB inks do not contain organic volatiles ( VOCs ) and are more environmentally friendly. Fifth, energy-curable inks are less irritating to human skin and are beneficial to the health of workers. Finally, the curing process saves energy.

However, the wide application of UV / EB inks in printing will take time, and the biggest challenge comes from the technical aspects, including ink manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and suppliers of chemical materials such as surface additives and other manufacturers on related technologies. development of. Specifically, the problems of UV inks are mainly manifested in issues such as odor, substrate adhesion, high-speed production, and the cost that printing service providers consider most. In fact, these problems have been affecting the development of UV inks since they were first applied in the printing field in the 1970s , and they still plague the entire industry.

Of course, once the problem is solved, UV inks will replace water-based inks in certain areas and become the most environmentally friendly and durable ink. With the European Union's legislative restrictions on VOCs , the use of solvent-based inks has a certain degree of restriction. Water-based inks have used this good opportunity to enter a considerable market and become the new darling of the printing industry. However, printers are increasingly dissatisfied with water-based inks because their quality has not yet reached their expectations. At the same time, suppliers in various fields, such as inks, equipment, and raw and auxiliary materials products, have been working together to solve problems related to UV / EB systems. Fortunately, some technologies have also been improved and developed to make radiation curing more efficient and less costly.

Status quo: Technological improvements make us confident

According to the data, at present, the proportion of radiation-curable inks in the total printing ink is less than 10% , which is mainly due to its difficulties in the promotion and application of offset printing and narrow-width rotary flexo printing. According to data analysis provided by Pira, a British packaging consulting company, in the area of ​​European packaging printing, UV / EB ink accounts for about 65% of the total sales of offset inks, which is equivalent to about half of the total sales of UV / EB inks in the packaging field.

For UV flexo inks, 80% to 90% are used for packaging printing, most of which are used for label printing. In the printing process of gravure printing, digital printing and screen printing, the application of UV / EB ink is not satisfactory. The market share is relatively low, but with the continuous breakthrough of new technologies, especially the adhesion of ink. In terms of improvement, UV / EB inks have also begun to develop steadily in areas where the original amount was not so good.

In the improvement of ink adhesion, the professional company dedicated to the control of static electricity, Eltex Germany, made a great contribution. At present, they have successfully developed professional systems to offset the adverse effects of static electricity in print production. For example, by reducing the need for photoinitiators and reducing the inhibition of oxygen on the surface of printed substrates, the effectiveness of UV inks in sheet-fed and web offset press applications is increased and production costs are reduced. The biggest innovation of the Eltex system is that it requires less photoinitiator than many UV systems: its demand is only 1% to 3% , and some systems are as high as 10% . It is reported that Eltex also applied innovative curing technology to the field of gravure printing. In this field, this new curing technology ensures that the UV coating of the magazine cover is completed on the gravure printing unit without the need to resort to an off-set thermosetting offset press. At the same time, the speed of UV coating can be coordinated with a print speed of value="420" UnitName="m">">420 meters /hour or 25,000 print/hour.

A sales manager at Eltex once described this at a meeting of the European Gravure Society: “Publishing and printing is a potential area of ​​development for radiation-cured inks, as the glazing production of magazines (especially covers) and booklets is A development trend. In addition, the application of new curing technology in packaging and other fields has also improved the ability of UV inks to use under harsh environmental conditions."

For this improvement, a technical officer of the European Gravure Association also expressed encouragement: “ Eltex 's improvement of the curing technology has been welcomed and paid attention to in the gravure field. Especially in the gravure of packaging, UV ink has obtained further Development and wider application At present, many brand owners are recommending that printing service providers use UV inks for packaging and printing production in order to obtain a powerful visual impact effect, which in turn helps the brand's marketing and construction. ”

Business Opportunity: Huge Potential Makes Us Hopeful

In recent years, the electronic industry and digital technology have developed rapidly, and the demand for radiation-cured materials has further expanded. Current UV