First, UV printing has risen sharply
The world's demand for UV printing is on the rise, especially in Europe, the United States, and Latin America, which has grown steadily over the years. More than 90% of narrow-web rotary flexo printing machines currently sold carry UV coating units. In Heidelberg's various web presses, a large part of it is a UV model, which will continue to grow in the future.
According to European equipment manufacturers, the annual growth rate of UV models will reach 7%, the annual growth rate of UV dryers will be 10%, and UV inks and coating oils will have the fastest growth rate, which will reach 14%. According to the statistics of the largest ink manufacturer in the United States, the annual consumption of UV inks and coating oil in the local market has increased by about 15%. This figure is almost 10 times the annual growth rate of ink supplies in the traditional offset printing market. According to Thor Jondahl, project chemist at INX International Ink, the total value of the UV ink market in 2002 was US$ 360 million, including various UV printing inks. The market share of UV silk screens is as high as 40%, and sheet-fed offset printing and embossing together account for 38%.
UV is the abbreviation of English Ultraviolet Rays, which is ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet (UV) light is invisible to the naked eye and is a period of electromagnetic radiation other than visible violet light, with a wavelength in the range of 10 to 400 nm. At the end of the 1960s, UV inks were first developed by the United States. They were developed to meet the requirements of the environmental pollution regulations and increasingly widely used fields of application. At present, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany have also developed UV inks and printing equipment. . China started late and began developing UV inks in the 1980s. So far, according to incomplete statistics, China has introduced more than 20 UV curing production lines in Tianjin, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, Nanjing and Harbin.
Some applications in the UV market are on the rise. Labels, plastics, multi-purpose sheets, and tape printing are all in good condition. The growth of the UV market in the areas of care and beauty products shows potential, high-resolution process printing, shrink sleeve packaging and thermoforming packages all using UV products. UV inks have become a new favorite in the market for paper labels and transparent labels.
Second, the new progress of UV printing technology
South Korea's Hypernisc has developed a new product, the UV-FR2513, an ink-jet print-on-demand UV-curable ink jet printer that uses a white ink head, and 8-color printing with 512 piezoelectric ink jet heads. The pattern can be printed on the base color of any color. The maximum thickness of the substrate that the machine can use is 100mm, and the relative inkjet head can be up to 110mm. The inkjet head can be automatically cleaned and maintained, saving the operator time. The resolution can be adjusted within the range of 360-720 dpi. The printing speed is maintained at 13-50 m2/h. The wavelength of ultraviolet light used for UV lamps is 320-450 nm. The machine can use both flat and roll materials, with a maximum print size of 2450 mm x 1230 mm for flat sheets and a maximum print width of 2200 mm for web materials. When printed products are applied outdoors, its weather resistance can reach 2 to 3 years. Suitable for paper, wire, flags, glass, stainless steel, carpets, vinyl, foam boards, wood, shutters, textiles, marble.
Based ink coating (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. recently introduced new products UV-printing matte oil. UV-screen printing matte oils are available in both dumb and semi-dull models and can be screen printed with 250 to 350 mesh. Instant curing by UV, with excellent adhesion, wear resistance, anti-cutting and other advantages. The ink can be applied to partial or full extinction printing on the surface of products such as credit cards, signage, cigarette labels, books and magazines.
The researchers of China Lucky Film Group Polymer Co., Ltd. have successfully developed UV-curable signage inks and UV-curable luminous inks. The newly developed UV-curable signage ink has the advantages of strong adhesion, good flexibility, and strong weather resistance. The UV-curing luminous ink is suitable for the screen printing of signs, and has the advantages of high luminance, long afterglow, and the like. UV curing signage inks and UV curing luminous inks are easy to print, fast curing, non-toxic and environmentally friendly, and meet the requirements of modern people for pursuing high quality of life. In the future market, they will be the best alternatives for drying signage inks.
China's latest introduction of UV three-dimensional raster ink UV-1278N, mainly used for printing three-dimensional grating diaphragm. Different from the traditional hot press molding process, the new process adopts the screen printing method. The ink is printed on the packaging machine 'target=_blank> transparent film, and the column grating pattern is formed directly; the three-dimensional grating ink can also be directly printed on the printed matter. The formation of three-dimensional patterns, but also selectively print patterns to make the three-dimensional, the printed pattern of three-dimensional effect is obvious, and hot-pressed grating board comparable, for the three-dimensional printing has opened up a new method. Using this ink to print the grating diaphragm can greatly reduce the production cost and increase the production efficiency. The printing substrate may be a transparent plastic film, such as PVC, PC, PET, or paper, metal, glass, ceramic, etc. The screen mesh number is preferably 200-350 mesh. The ink is colorless and transparent, the UV light is rapidly cured, the cured film is not yellowed, the adhesion fastness is good, and the toughness is good.
Nor-cote and 3M's professional technicians jointly develop and produce high-quality UV curing screen printing adhesive 3MSP-7514, which can be widely used in electronics, membrane switches, nameplates, car dials, and signage industries. 3MSP-7514 is an innovative liquid PU acrylic material for flat and rotary screen printing that prints faster and more evenly than traditional solvent-based and water-based adhesives, with good peeling performance and shear The strength can still exhibit excellent durability in harsh environments. The material is a 100% adhesive composition that does not shrink; it does not dry on the screen when printed, combined with rapid UV curing, can increase productivity by up to 40%.
Third, UV printing has obvious advantages
UV printing improves production speed, product performance, quality optimization, environmental compliance, cost reduction, cold curing of heat-sensitive substrates, reduced energy consumption, reduced loss, less space, and product chemical resistance such as solvents or cleaners Many advantages, such as enhancement, have contributed to the continuous growth of UV printing.
UV curing requires no heat source, no solvent, and fast curing (curing time can be less than one second). UV curing The entire curing system is a solvent-free system, that is, 100% solvent-free formula, no VOC (Volatile Organic Compound volatile organic substances), in this regard to adapt to environmental pollution regulations; on the other hand, UV curing can give investors For economic benefits, such as high productivity and high process output, line speeds of up to 400 m/min can be achieved, and the storage of raw materials and finished products can be reduced. Because of this, this kind of technology is favored by many application vendors as soon as it is available. This is the main reason why this technology is quickly promoted and applied.
UV ink printing is adaptable and stable, which can increase printing productivity. This is the basis for making money today. UV inks are durable for most products, combining the speed of flexo presses with the white opacity of rotary screen printing to produce high-impact label products.
Hu Xing Information Source: "Chinese Packaging" 2005/4