The personality and environmental protection of a new generation of packaging and printing technology

The business environment for today's packaging and printing industry is rather harsh. Intense market competition forces them to produce distinctive and eye-catching packaging products under faster and cheaper turnaround times. Environmental regulations are increasingly stringent. Customers demand that packaging and printing companies produce environmentally friendly products. High-quality packaging products; all walks of life – from pharmaceuticals to food to cosmetics – are increasingly requiring packaging printers to ensure that their packaging is protected against theft, theft and forgery during transit.

Packaging prints

Now, a new generation of ink systems and printing technology will help packaging and printing industry to achieve these goals. Various types of inks with various functions, smart applications, environmental protection, and economic benefits are playing an unprecedented role. In the past, in order to meet the end-use requirements of packaging, the packaging and processing industry has focused on the selection of printing materials, and now they are looking to improve packaging performance through new ink systems and printing technologies.

Focus on efficiency

New ink systems and technologies help packaging and printing companies achieve their goal of increasing production capacity and achieving cost savings. The energy-curing ink has a short curing time and excellent performance, which can significantly improve the production capacity. Ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB) ink systems can cure in about one-tenth of a second. In contrast, conventional ink systems typically take several minutes to several days to fully dry out.

The recent use of UV basecoat on beverage cans is an excellent illustration of the effect of ink selection on overall production efficiency. The use of UV-backed varnish increases the concentration of the ink on the beverage cans and makes the surface of the can body more robust, thereby increasing the flexibility of the entire canning line and canning line and significantly increasing the production efficiency.

The automatic ink distribution system and automatic color matching system can greatly improve the efficiency of the printing shop by reducing the manual operation of the ink. Such products will lead sheet-fed printing and web printing to a fully automatic direction. Advances in ink mixing technology will also help packaging printers increase productivity and achieve cost savings.

For the benefit of the environment

At present, the packaging and printing industry is increasingly considering environmental protection factors in its product portfolio. Over the years, many countries have implemented regulations that reduce the total amount of packaging waste. Therefore, the packaging and printing industry has been focusing on the selection of printing materials that are beneficial to the environment. Nowadays, they can make more contributions to environmental protection by choosing a variety of high-performance "green" inks to keep the environment clean.

Vegetable inks and soy inks contain no volatile organic compounds (VOC) and do not contaminate the air. The new energy-curable ink system is 100% solids and is characterized by the absence of volatile organic compounds. It is more ecologically friendly than traditional ink systems and can be used as an alternative to traditional inks. At the same time, new solvent-based inks that do not contain dangerous air pollutants are gradually entering the inkjet printing market. As we all know, dangerous air pollutants (HAP) can cause harm to the environment. To achieve green environmental protection is not easy, but due to the emergence of these new ink products, environmental protection work has also become easier.

Personality

Packaging and printing industry is using digital printing technology to add personalized color to its packaging. Brand owners understand the value of “target marketing” activities, which focus on customer needs and help increase brand loyalty. The advantages of digital printing are the ability to print in small prints and create unique packaging products for various customer groups.

Advances in ink development have enabled digital printing technology to be used on almost any substrate. Water-based inks and solvent inks, and even energy-curable inks such as UV inks and EB inks, are currently used in continuous inkjet and drop-on-demand products. Fast-curing UV and EB inks are gradually increasing the speed of on-demand ink jets, resulting in faster turnaround times.

Advanced technology has significantly improved the printing speed and greatly improved the printing quality. The increase in printing speed and the application of new multifunctional inks have enabled digital printing to be used in a wider range of packaging applications. Packaging and printing companies can benefit from working with digital ink suppliers to provide them with professional advice on ink selection and how they can more effectively integrate digital technology with existing print production lines. Combine.
Smart and safe

Companies are increasingly requiring packaging printers to ensure the safety of their products during transit. It is estimated that the related losses caused by the theft, theft, and forgery of products each year account for about 5% to 7% of the world's trade volume, and the losses amounted to approximately US$300 billion. In response to this problem, the packaging and printing industry will adopt a new generation of smart packaging and supply chain management technology.

Advances in "smart" inks and conductive inks for RFID technology have helped brands track products throughout the supply chain and update their inventory in real time. Conductive inks can replace conventional coils used as antennas in the RFID field, and will promote RFID technology as a cost-effective solution for brand owners.

The application of "smart" tags and smart packaging helps protect the integrity of the brand and prevents product theft. These technologies can also be used to monitor the status of the product during transit and report any problems that arise to the manufacturer, such as an instant theft alert to the manufacturer. Brand Protection Ink is a new product for “smart” inks and coating oils. It contains hidden code that, when applied to packaging, can create a unique identity. Using these brand protection technologies, brand owners can identify their products at any given time.

New ink systems and printing technologies will provide packaging printers with more choices. With more options, care must be taken to select the appropriate ink formulation to achieve the customer's goals and packaging requirements. In the pursuit of high-performance packaging, ink suppliers will become an important partner in the packaging and printing industry. In close cooperation with ink suppliers, packaging and printing companies will be able to apply many useful and up-to-date technologies to promote innovation in the packaging industry today and in the future.

Author: president of Flint Ink, Asia Leung on