With the continuous development of flexographic technology, the flexographic printing process has become one of the major printing methods. This has brought great influence on the flexo ink manufacturing industry. More and more ink manufacturers are involved in the development of high quality. In the ink campaign, each company is looking for a production model and a technology model that can take a place in the field of flexo printing and can open up more opportunities.
Flexo printers use a wide range of technologies. This is one of the reasons for the bright future of the flexographic process. For example, UV, EB, and water-based ink technologies are still new and unproven technologies in other processes. In the field of flexo printing, it has become more mature and has occupied a certain market share.
In an article in 1995, Ink World magazine predicted that the market value of flexo printing inks is US$736 million; today, they estimate that the value of this sub-sector will exceed US$1 billion, which will be used by flexo ink manufacturers. It is undoubtedly a good news.
Bob Mullen, vice president of packaging and printing at Sun Chemicals, said: “Over the past few years, the growth momentum of flexo printing has been very significant in the world. Its main reason is the expansion of the existing market, and from the existing concave The Indian and offset printing industry has seized a certain amount of business, in order to occupy more market share, the flexo printers must continuously improve the production process, have the ability to print multi-color products, and can guarantee the consistency and repeatability of color. At the same time, other types of printing methods are constantly improving, which makes the competition in the industry increasingly fierce, and printing customers are the ultimate beneficiaries."
On the other hand, due to the development of digital plates, the image quality of flexographic prints has become higher and higher, and the gap between the quality of gravure printing has narrowed. A considerable number of printers have turned from gravure printing to flexo printing.
The demand for new inks is inseparable from the improvement of equipment. We can see that the progress on narrow-web 4-color printing presses is very obvious. The number of fine anilox rolls can even reach 1,000 per square inch. line. In turn, this in turn requires the ink manufacturer to configure inks with higher strength and better transferability. The ink is usually transferred from the anilox roll to the printing plate and finally to the printing material to achieve printing. It is also maintained during the transfer process. The performance of the ink, such as premature drying in the apertures of the anilox roller, causes the ink to fail to transfer or transfer incompletely.
The expanding market for packaging products printed by flexo printing has the broadest prospects. People's demand for upright handbags, fresh-keeping products, and pharmaceutical products in this area is clearly rising. In the corrugated paper products market, Consumers demand that high quality images be printed on traditional brown cartons. The internal ink distribution system will be more and more popular among paper product processors. The system will bring more profits to enterprises. The ink “kitchen†together with the corresponding technical services will improve the production efficiency and be used by many carton manufacturers. Brought standardized ink management.
With the increasing demand for cartons, the folding carton market also provides a huge market opportunity for flexo ink suppliers. The printers will adopt a variety of processing methods for production, and more manufacturers will use flexo printing technology. .
In the narrow-web rotation labeling and packaging market segment, the demand for high-quality images at reasonable prices will continue to increase. At the same time, consumers are demanding that they be able to print on demand, and that the length of their operations will be shorter and shorter.
In the field of flexo printing, packaging that is in direct contact with food is another promising branch. As the flexo process continues to improve, it has the ability to print high quality images at faster speeds, and food companies have found that flexo printing is a very attractive option in terms of economics, as compared to traditional offset printing. Printed packaging products can be in direct contact with food without any undesirable effects. At the same time, the food company also found that the flexo ink had a properly formulated, properly dried, and offset printing product that had a lesser effect on the smell and taste of the food.
Colorcon recently introduced the NT23BR series of inks, a new type of water-based inks and coatings that NoTox has direct contact with food. This series can be used on packaging products that come into direct contact with food. In the past, it was necessary to isolate the food from the outer packaging with a transparent wrapper or a functional barrier.
Water-based ink ink manufacturers have been trying to develop flexo-based water-based inks. Water-based inks can be used in various market sectors such as paper and cardboard, corrugated cartons, multilayer kraft paper bags, Toilet Paper, and the like.
In the printing of cardboard boxes, flexographic printing of water-based inks is also increasingly used. In addition, the next step in the development of water-based inks is expected to be further improved in terms of solubility, and to find new types of surfactants as well as being easy to coat.
Although narrow-web rotary printers have been using water-based inks for some time now, some wide-web rotary film printers have also generated great interest due to the environmental protection of water-based inks and the harmlessness of workers' bodies. In the wide web market, solvent-based inks will still exist for quite some time, especially for those companies that invest heavily in the company's VOC emissions within the scope of national standards, they will continue to use solvent-based inks, in addition to water-based inks. Can only be applied to a few kinds of film bases, mainly polyethylene and film covered, and the quality of printed matter using solvent ink is slightly higher than that of water based ink, which limits the water-based ink Widely used.
Overall, environmental factors are the biggest advantages of water-based inks. They are very suitable for areas where VOC emissions and restrictions on environmental safety are restricted. Workers are free from exposure to harmful air because they are not flammable. The cost of transportation and preservation is also not too high. With the continuous improvement of resin and additive technology, the function of water-based inks will be further strengthened and will have sufficient strength to compete with solvent-based inks and energy-curable inks.
Deciding whether to use a water-based ink or a solvent-based ink depends on the cost of the investment, which is fundamentally an environmental issue. In some areas where VOC emissions are limited, if the printer does not have sufficient financial resources to invest in incinerators that process VOCs, water-based inks should be selected. Water-based inks only emit a small amount of VOCs and the cost of the input is low.
UV/EB inks UV and electron beam (EB) technologies have become new highlights of the ink industry and are one of the most consulted technologies for flexo packaging printers. Some narrow-web rotary label printers have taken the lead in successfully applying this technology and have achieved good returns from a highly competitive market.
From the point of view of quality, UV flexo is undoubtedly the best flexo printing method, and it is better than both solvent-based and water-based flexographic products. Deco-Chem, a manufacturer of screen printing, flexo printing inks, and various coatings, recently introduced a rotary screen printing ink that can be used with UV flexo inks, water-based flexographic inks, or other rotary screen printing flexographic inks. Eric Springer, the company's marketing director, said: "RLP (Rotary Label Plus) inks can be printed on flexo inks or other rotary screen printing inks, and can also be printed under them; RFP (Rotary Flexo Plus) inks are designed for use with RLP. Developed with rotary screen printing inks, these new products bring packaging manufacturers much convenience."
In the first half of this year, the flexo printing division of Braden Sutphin Ink Company introduced a UV flexo and rotary screen printing ink production line, which improved the production performance of hybrid printing. This UV ink production line produces products with high strength, low viscosity, and almost no silicon.
Although UV/EB technology has made great progress and progress, it also faces many challenges, just like the emergence of various new technologies. The biggest obstacle is that this technology does not support traditional printing processes, such as when printing commercial water-based inks instead of solvent-based inks, it is very easy to implement, does not require a lot of capital investment, there is no need to transform the printing machine; but in adopting Prior to UV/EB technology, ink-curing equipment had to be installed. Although the cost of the equipment had declined, it was still a large sum of money. It can also be seen that the main reason for hindering the large use of energy-curable inks or coatings is cost, raw materials and related equipment are somewhat expensive, and the cost of raw materials may be 3 to 4 times that of conventional materials.
Another reason for the slower development of UV/EB's market is the problem of odor. It is not suitable for food packaging, and the market share of this part is relatively large. Many people think that it will not replace water-based or solvent-based products. Ink, substantially occupying the market.
The future of flexo printing inks is very promising. Flexographic technology continues to improve. More and more printers are aware of the benefits it can bring. This is undoubtedly a good news for ink manufacturers. It is predicted that the market for flexo inks will exceed $1 billion.
There are two main reasons for the growth of the flexo printing process. First, more and more printers are printing in 10 colors, and 6-color printing companies are very common. This multi-color printing method can reproduce a wider range of colors. The second reason is the emergence of hybrid printers. In the narrow label market, hybrid printing is the online use of various printing and processing technologies, including water-based flexo, UV flexo, rotary screen printing, embossing, and offset printing. , gravure, hot film, cold film or pressure convex and concave and other processes mixed. More and more packaging manufacturers combine UV flexo, UV rotary screen printing and thermal lamination processes to achieve on-line operation.
In addition, some printers who currently do not use the flexographic process are also interested in adding flexographic equipment. For example, many offset printers are planning to expand to flexo printing and are looking to expand their business scope.
Although flexo printing continues to grow, the cost issue remains a major factor hindering its rapid entry into the market. End users put a lot of pressure on packaging manufacturers and ink manufacturers, hoping they can reduce costs. Recognizing the potential market for flexo inks and further reducing the cost of inks, many companies have taken actions to acquire and merge companies. Braden Sutphin acquired Roli Ink last November and expects to further strengthen their position in the market. Now the company has a complete UV and water-based product line for printing processes such as narrow-width rotation, wide-width rotation, packaging cartons, and form printing.
Flint Ink acquired Alper Group in 2000, which is a major move in the industry. Flint and Alper are the two largest flexographic ink suppliers. The combined products, experts and manufacturing equipment have become very strong. They can confidently provide the products needed by various markets. The advantages are obvious.
In the next few years, more companies will be involved in the flexo printing market, flexo printing ink products will be more secure, more environmentally friendly, and lower cost.
Flexo printers use a wide range of technologies. This is one of the reasons for the bright future of the flexographic process. For example, UV, EB, and water-based ink technologies are still new and unproven technologies in other processes. In the field of flexo printing, it has become more mature and has occupied a certain market share.
In an article in 1995, Ink World magazine predicted that the market value of flexo printing inks is US$736 million; today, they estimate that the value of this sub-sector will exceed US$1 billion, which will be used by flexo ink manufacturers. It is undoubtedly a good news.
Bob Mullen, vice president of packaging and printing at Sun Chemicals, said: “Over the past few years, the growth momentum of flexo printing has been very significant in the world. Its main reason is the expansion of the existing market, and from the existing concave The Indian and offset printing industry has seized a certain amount of business, in order to occupy more market share, the flexo printers must continuously improve the production process, have the ability to print multi-color products, and can guarantee the consistency and repeatability of color. At the same time, other types of printing methods are constantly improving, which makes the competition in the industry increasingly fierce, and printing customers are the ultimate beneficiaries."
On the other hand, due to the development of digital plates, the image quality of flexographic prints has become higher and higher, and the gap between the quality of gravure printing has narrowed. A considerable number of printers have turned from gravure printing to flexo printing.
The demand for new inks is inseparable from the improvement of equipment. We can see that the progress on narrow-web 4-color printing presses is very obvious. The number of fine anilox rolls can even reach 1,000 per square inch. line. In turn, this in turn requires the ink manufacturer to configure inks with higher strength and better transferability. The ink is usually transferred from the anilox roll to the printing plate and finally to the printing material to achieve printing. It is also maintained during the transfer process. The performance of the ink, such as premature drying in the apertures of the anilox roller, causes the ink to fail to transfer or transfer incompletely.
The expanding market for packaging products printed by flexo printing has the broadest prospects. People's demand for upright handbags, fresh-keeping products, and pharmaceutical products in this area is clearly rising. In the corrugated paper products market, Consumers demand that high quality images be printed on traditional brown cartons. The internal ink distribution system will be more and more popular among paper product processors. The system will bring more profits to enterprises. The ink “kitchen†together with the corresponding technical services will improve the production efficiency and be used by many carton manufacturers. Brought standardized ink management.
With the increasing demand for cartons, the folding carton market also provides a huge market opportunity for flexo ink suppliers. The printers will adopt a variety of processing methods for production, and more manufacturers will use flexo printing technology. .
In the narrow-web rotation labeling and packaging market segment, the demand for high-quality images at reasonable prices will continue to increase. At the same time, consumers are demanding that they be able to print on demand, and that the length of their operations will be shorter and shorter.
In the field of flexo printing, packaging that is in direct contact with food is another promising branch. As the flexo process continues to improve, it has the ability to print high quality images at faster speeds, and food companies have found that flexo printing is a very attractive option in terms of economics, as compared to traditional offset printing. Printed packaging products can be in direct contact with food without any undesirable effects. At the same time, the food company also found that the flexo ink had a properly formulated, properly dried, and offset printing product that had a lesser effect on the smell and taste of the food.
Colorcon recently introduced the NT23BR series of inks, a new type of water-based inks and coatings that NoTox has direct contact with food. This series can be used on packaging products that come into direct contact with food. In the past, it was necessary to isolate the food from the outer packaging with a transparent wrapper or a functional barrier.
Water-based ink ink manufacturers have been trying to develop flexo-based water-based inks. Water-based inks can be used in various market sectors such as paper and cardboard, corrugated cartons, multilayer kraft paper bags, Toilet Paper, and the like.
In the printing of cardboard boxes, flexographic printing of water-based inks is also increasingly used. In addition, the next step in the development of water-based inks is expected to be further improved in terms of solubility, and to find new types of surfactants as well as being easy to coat.
Although narrow-web rotary printers have been using water-based inks for some time now, some wide-web rotary film printers have also generated great interest due to the environmental protection of water-based inks and the harmlessness of workers' bodies. In the wide web market, solvent-based inks will still exist for quite some time, especially for those companies that invest heavily in the company's VOC emissions within the scope of national standards, they will continue to use solvent-based inks, in addition to water-based inks. Can only be applied to a few kinds of film bases, mainly polyethylene and film covered, and the quality of printed matter using solvent ink is slightly higher than that of water based ink, which limits the water-based ink Widely used.
Overall, environmental factors are the biggest advantages of water-based inks. They are very suitable for areas where VOC emissions and restrictions on environmental safety are restricted. Workers are free from exposure to harmful air because they are not flammable. The cost of transportation and preservation is also not too high. With the continuous improvement of resin and additive technology, the function of water-based inks will be further strengthened and will have sufficient strength to compete with solvent-based inks and energy-curable inks.
Deciding whether to use a water-based ink or a solvent-based ink depends on the cost of the investment, which is fundamentally an environmental issue. In some areas where VOC emissions are limited, if the printer does not have sufficient financial resources to invest in incinerators that process VOCs, water-based inks should be selected. Water-based inks only emit a small amount of VOCs and the cost of the input is low.
UV/EB inks UV and electron beam (EB) technologies have become new highlights of the ink industry and are one of the most consulted technologies for flexo packaging printers. Some narrow-web rotary label printers have taken the lead in successfully applying this technology and have achieved good returns from a highly competitive market.
From the point of view of quality, UV flexo is undoubtedly the best flexo printing method, and it is better than both solvent-based and water-based flexographic products. Deco-Chem, a manufacturer of screen printing, flexo printing inks, and various coatings, recently introduced a rotary screen printing ink that can be used with UV flexo inks, water-based flexographic inks, or other rotary screen printing flexographic inks. Eric Springer, the company's marketing director, said: "RLP (Rotary Label Plus) inks can be printed on flexo inks or other rotary screen printing inks, and can also be printed under them; RFP (Rotary Flexo Plus) inks are designed for use with RLP. Developed with rotary screen printing inks, these new products bring packaging manufacturers much convenience."
In the first half of this year, the flexo printing division of Braden Sutphin Ink Company introduced a UV flexo and rotary screen printing ink production line, which improved the production performance of hybrid printing. This UV ink production line produces products with high strength, low viscosity, and almost no silicon.
Although UV/EB technology has made great progress and progress, it also faces many challenges, just like the emergence of various new technologies. The biggest obstacle is that this technology does not support traditional printing processes, such as when printing commercial water-based inks instead of solvent-based inks, it is very easy to implement, does not require a lot of capital investment, there is no need to transform the printing machine; but in adopting Prior to UV/EB technology, ink-curing equipment had to be installed. Although the cost of the equipment had declined, it was still a large sum of money. It can also be seen that the main reason for hindering the large use of energy-curable inks or coatings is cost, raw materials and related equipment are somewhat expensive, and the cost of raw materials may be 3 to 4 times that of conventional materials.
Another reason for the slower development of UV/EB's market is the problem of odor. It is not suitable for food packaging, and the market share of this part is relatively large. Many people think that it will not replace water-based or solvent-based products. Ink, substantially occupying the market.
The future of flexo printing inks is very promising. Flexographic technology continues to improve. More and more printers are aware of the benefits it can bring. This is undoubtedly a good news for ink manufacturers. It is predicted that the market for flexo inks will exceed $1 billion.
There are two main reasons for the growth of the flexo printing process. First, more and more printers are printing in 10 colors, and 6-color printing companies are very common. This multi-color printing method can reproduce a wider range of colors. The second reason is the emergence of hybrid printers. In the narrow label market, hybrid printing is the online use of various printing and processing technologies, including water-based flexo, UV flexo, rotary screen printing, embossing, and offset printing. , gravure, hot film, cold film or pressure convex and concave and other processes mixed. More and more packaging manufacturers combine UV flexo, UV rotary screen printing and thermal lamination processes to achieve on-line operation.
In addition, some printers who currently do not use the flexographic process are also interested in adding flexographic equipment. For example, many offset printers are planning to expand to flexo printing and are looking to expand their business scope.
Although flexo printing continues to grow, the cost issue remains a major factor hindering its rapid entry into the market. End users put a lot of pressure on packaging manufacturers and ink manufacturers, hoping they can reduce costs. Recognizing the potential market for flexo inks and further reducing the cost of inks, many companies have taken actions to acquire and merge companies. Braden Sutphin acquired Roli Ink last November and expects to further strengthen their position in the market. Now the company has a complete UV and water-based product line for printing processes such as narrow-width rotation, wide-width rotation, packaging cartons, and form printing.
Flint Ink acquired Alper Group in 2000, which is a major move in the industry. Flint and Alper are the two largest flexographic ink suppliers. The combined products, experts and manufacturing equipment have become very strong. They can confidently provide the products needed by various markets. The advantages are obvious.
In the next few years, more companies will be involved in the flexo printing market, flexo printing ink products will be more secure, more environmentally friendly, and lower cost.
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