NovaCote from TechNova is a range of water-based acrylic overprint varnish suitable for absorbent and non-absorbent substrates used in offset printing. Waterbased coatings are used to enhance the gloss level and the surface characteristics of a print. It is applied by a coater (anilox/ conventional) over the printed sheet. Coating can be done in multiple ways, such as, inline, offline and duct.

TechNova introduced the NovaCote brand in 2017.

According to Avinash Kawadkar, chief operating officer, Chemicals Business, TechNova, before 2017, the company had its indigenously developed formulations under the brand names AquaShield, which is water-based, and UltraShield, which is UV coating. “We continue to supply these brands to a select few customers, who partnered our development process,” Kawadkar says.

The NovaCote range is aimed at all packaging and publishing segments of offset print industry and some select applications in flexo.

It comes in multiple variants. These include NovaCote W4675- 60 High Gloss 1S; NovaCote W3903-60 Gloss DS; NovaCote W5395-60 Primer Sealer; NovaCote W5574-60 Very High Gloss; NovaCote W5314-60 Neutral; NovaCote W5311-60 High Matte; NovaCote W3405-60 Primer for Paper Board; NovaCote W3905-60 Blister Pack Coat; NovaCote W1280-60 Velvet Touch; NovaCote W6624-60 Barrier Coating; NovaCote W6666-50 Playing Card Hi Slip; NovaCote W5313-60 Silk; NovaCote W1365-60 High Speed High Rub; W1655-60 High Speed High Gloss; NovaCote W4072-60 Met Pet Primer; NovaCote W2222-50 Rubber Touch.

Kawadkar says the product is as competitive as any top brand available in India. “The NovaCote range has exclusive features in the specialty applications and therefore, it is priced accordingly for bulk products. It is available across India through more than 25 warehouses of TechNova called Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs). Thus, its reach is perhaps the best in India,” he adds. TechNova also supplies the product to select Asian and African countries, as well as to America.

Kawadkar says in water-based coating, customers usually look for gloss and rub resistance, as well as suitability for food packaging.

The USP
NovaCote is a collection of comprehensive range of products. “It’s a onestop shop for all the coatings requirements with quality assurance of TechNova in technical collaboration with Hitech Coatings UK,” he says.

The applications for these acrylic-based coatings are mainly in packaging segments, where rub-resistance is the prime requirement.

“We have supplied products for very high rub-resistant requirements and suitable for food packaging,” he adds.

To give an example, Kawadkar says, NovaCote W5395 Primer Sealercan be used as top coat as well as a primer coat. This has a good receptivity to post spot-UV and foil-stamping. Meanwhile, the gloss of NovaCote W5574 Very High Gloss is 10 units higher than the regular gloss products at the same time maintaining a good rub resistance.

Single pass results are excellent with W3905-60 Blister Coating.

“There is no need of double pass, which would be a requirement with almost all competing products,” Kawadkar adds. Again, he says, W6666-50Playing Card Hi Slip has a good combination of grip and slip and W6624-60 Barrier Coating is suitable for food packaging as it exhibits barrier properties against oil and grease. “In the last three years of introducing the product, our focus has been to add value to our esteemed customers rather than on increasing our market share,” explains Kawadkar.

He adds that the alternative to water-based coating is UV coating and lamination. It is the specific need of the end product, the economics and the environment concern that determines the product to be used.

The productivity
Kawadkar states: “NovaCote comes into wide use due to its productivityand print enhancement capabilities. The post-print operations can be done immediately after printing, if NovaCote coatings are used.

Otherwise, it would take a considerable amount of time to allow the ink to dry before the next operation can be processed. The pile height can be maximised due to the fast drying characteristic of NovaCote coatings. Spray powder use is not needed.”

“Regarding print enhancement, a variety of finishes are available right from gloss to very high gloss, very high matte, rubber touch and velvet touch feel,” Kawadkar informs, adding, “These are current generation products, and as in any product range, continuous improvement makes the products contemporary. Specific improvements with regards to single product- multiple application have been the hallmark of our development.” Kawadkar says today, NovaCote is a well understood application and printers know how to use it. The right product with correct release for specialty effects, as suggested by the manufacturer, needs to be used for best results.

The market
Also, TechNova organises shopfloor seminars for its customers where the finer details of the product and its applications are demonstrated along with the dos and don’ts. “We offer tech support as and when needed. Our training modules also undertake training from remote using various web tools,” Kawadkar says. And, for best results, according to Kawadkar, regular cleaning and maintenance of the coating equipment is a must.

He says the market trend is veering towards creating a niche for the ‘feel’ of products where a unique experience can be given to the customer at each point of contact with the packaging. Riding this trend, TechNova is targeting to take 12% market share of the coatings business