Water-based gravure ink needs to be promoted

Currently used gravure printing inks are generally made of chlorinated polymers. In the ink production process, the chlorinated polymer needs to be dissolved using a strong solvent (such as toluene and other aromatic solvents). In the printing process, ice needs to use toluene to adjust the viscosity of the ink. The chlorinated polymer ink system is now considered unsuitable for environmental protection. This is because the chlorofluorocarbons that are volatilized during production can damage the ozone layer. The use of aromatic solvents (toluene) can cause injury to the health and safety of workers during ink production and printing. In addition, the solvent residue in the packaging ink is another important issue to pay attention to. Since toluene is a slow-drying solvent, it easily remains in the dried ink film layer, causing the food in the package to spoil and produce a harmful odor.

The production of plastic gravure inks is under the control of fire laws, labor safety laws, and health laws and regulations. Therefore, it is an inevitable trend to actively develop and apply green gravure inks and water-based inks that meet environmental protection requirements.

Although water-based gravure inks have attracted much attention as an alternative to toluene-based inks, inks in packaging film printing are still water-based and have not yet reached a truly practical stage. On the whole, the important reason why water-based gravure inks have not been popularized further is that the printing performance and quality still cannot meet the criteria for solvent-based gravure inks. This is mainly due to the higher surface tension of the water, which makes the ink difficult to wet. If the printing speed and the printing quality of the gravure solvent ink are to be obtained, not only the aqueous ink itself requires advanced technology, but also the gravure printing apparatus and the printing plate roller need to be improved. For example, changing a corrugated or engraved cylinder with a groove depth of approximately 38 to 42 micrometers to a laser-made plate roll having a groove depth of approximately 24 to 28 micrometers also requires more effective and powerful drying equipment and printing that must be manufactured using corrosion-resistant materials. Roller.

Since water-based gravure inks are not yet fully capable of replacing toluene inks, the ink industry has been working hard to develop alcohol-soluble inks that are ready for the environment. Alcohol-soluble ink can effectively solve the health problems caused by toluene ink and solvent residue affect the quality of packaged food and other issues. In Europe and the United States, this development has become a trend. In Asia, such as Singapore, South Korea and other countries, toluene ink is being eliminated, will be replaced by alcohol-soluble gravure ink. Alcohol-soluble inks are intended to be widely used in the domestic gravure printing industry. It can be predicted that in the near future, alcohol-soluble inks will occupy a major share of the high-grade food and pharmaceutical flexible packaging ink market in China.

The gravure alcohol-soluble composite plastic ink has the characteristics of low odor, benzene-free, and the use of such environmentally-friendly inks will certainly increase the competitiveness of gravure printing in the field of packaging printing.

Source: China Ink Technology Network