Demystifying UV inks and its future in printing
As a part of the Seekho aur Samjho technical workshop series, the sixth session on UV inks was held on 4 July, at the Government Institute of Printing Technology, Mumbai. The workshop focussed on UV technology and its uses and application in printing.
06 Jul 2015 | 4092 Views | By Priya Raju
During the three-hour session, Prashant Atre, managing director, Toyo Ink Arets, discussed in detail about the latest technologies of UV curable inks. Atre said, "UV is not a printing process. It is a curing/drying technique, which can be applied to any printing process, be it offset, flexo, screen, gravure, or digital.”
The session helped the students and printers connect with the latest in technology at the global level and also grasp the nitty gritty of UV-based printing technology.
He explained that the UV process is independent of the type of substrate used and also the printing process.
Explaining the chemistry for UV inks, Atre said, "The inks are made of monomers and after the curing process, it forms a polymer."
"UV inks react only to UV radiations and hence can be stored at room temperature, but extreme temperature fluctuations should be avoided," informed Atre. He added, "One of the advantages of UV printing is that the emission of volatile organic compounds is less, when compared to any other inks."
During the seminar, the different types of lamps used for curing of various shades of ink was discussed. The presentation concluded with the do's and don'ts related to UV inks and printing process. For example, how the rollers should be cleaned and checked for the compatibility with UV inks. "Conventional and UV inks should not be mixed in an ink system." informed Atre. "The radiation curing technology is gaining popularity in the printing and packaging industry and making inroads in various other industries," said Atre.
The question and answer session was the most interesting part. The attendees asked questions about the difficulties faced by them in their daily product schedule, plus product like curing on PP and MetPet.