Which ink is best for flexo printing?

Date: Sep 06 2024 From: Star Color

Flexographic Printing is a printing method that uses a soft and elastic printing plate, transfers ink to the printing plate through anilox rollers, and then transfers graphics and text to the surface of the substrate. This printing technology is particularly suitable for various flexible packaging materials, such as plastic film, paper, cardboard, aluminum foil and other materials with a certain thickness.

Flexographic printing is known for its unique flexible printing plate and anilox roller ink transfer system. The printing plate is usually made of photosensitive rubber or resin, which is soft, bendable and elastic, and can adapt to different shapes of substrate surfaces. In addition, flexographic printing also has the following significant features:

Soft printing plate : The printing plate is usually made of rubber or resin material, which has good elasticity and softness. It can fit closely to the surface of the substrate to achieve high-quality printing effect, and is especially suitable for printing materials with uneven surfaces.
Wide adaptability of inks : Flexographic printing can use a variety of inks, including solvent-based, water-based, UV curing, etc.
High printing efficiency : Flexographic printing presses usually have a high printing speed. With fast-drying ink, the speed can reach more than 400 meters per minute. And it can complete multi-color printing continuously.
Stable printing quality : With the development of technology, the precision and stability of flexographic printing have been continuously improved, and it can print patterns and texts with bright colors, rich layers and clear details.
Environmental protection : With the enhancement of environmental awareness, flexographic printing has gradually adopted environmentally friendly inks such as water-based inks and UV inks, which reduces the emission of volatile organic compounds and is more environmentally friendly.
Wide application : Flexographic printing occupies an important position in the field of packaging printing and is widely used in food packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, daily chemical packaging, label printing and other fields.

Available ink types for flexographic printing

Solvent-based inks

Solvent-based ink is the most common type of ink used in flexographic printing. It is mainly composed of pigments, resins, diluents and additives. It has the characteristics of fast drying, strong adhesion and good printing effect, and is suitable for flexible packaging materials of various materials. However, the organic solvents in solvent-based inks may have certain impacts on the environment and the health of operators, so environmental protection measures should be taken when using them.

Water-based ink

Compared with solvent-based inks, water-based inks have advantages such as environmental protection and safety. Its main components are water, pigments, resins and additives, and the diluent is water. The coating formed by water-based ink after drying has certain waterproof properties, which is particularly suitable for food packaging and other fields. In addition, the use of water-based inks can also help reduce the emission of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which meets modern environmental protection requirements.

UV ink

UV ink is a type of ink that is cured by ultraviolet radiation. It has the characteristics of fast drying, bright colors, and strong waterproof performance. UV ink does not produce volatile organic compounds during the curing process and does not pollute the environment. However, UV ink requires the use of special UV printing machines and light source equipment, and the equipment cost is relatively high. In flexographic printing, UV ink is suitable for occasions with high requirements for printing quality and environmental protection.

EB ink

EB ink is an ink cured using an electron beam accelerator. Its curing method is more stable and has low environmental requirements. The curing process of EB ink will not be affected by the machine status, ensuring that the ink is completely cured. EB inks are widely used in high-demand industries such as medical, food, and electronics. However, due to its special curing method, EB ink has relatively few applications in flexographic printing, but it has significant advantages in specific situations.

Considerations for Selecting Inks
When choosing inks suitable for flexo printing, you need to consider the following factors:

Substrate material : Different substrates have different requirements for ink adhesion and drying. For example, for smooth surface materials such as plastic films, you need to choose inks with strong adhesion and fast drying speed.
Printing quality requirements : For printed products that require high color vividness and layering, inks with rich colors and layers should be selected.
Environmental protection requirements : With the improvement of environmental awareness, more and more companies are beginning to pay attention to the environmental performance of inks. Environmentally friendly inks such as water-based inks and UV inks are increasingly used in flexographic printing.
Cost-effectiveness : Under the premise of ensuring printing quality and environmental protection requirements, the cost-effectiveness of ink should be considered. Although solvent-based inks have lower costs, their environmental performance is poor; while environmentally friendly inks such as water-based inks and UV inks have higher costs, they have better economic and social benefits in the long run.

Comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of ink and printing materials,

project	Solvent-based inks	Water-based ink	UV ink	EB ink
Printing quality	4	4	5	5
Printing material	5	4	5	5
Printing costs	5	4	1	1
Environmental requirements	1	5	5	5
total	15	17	16	16

According to the above table, we can see that in conventional printing, water-based ink is the most suitable for flexographic printing. Not only is the printing quality not inferior, but it also has obvious advantages in printing cost and environmental protection. This is also in line with the current actual situation. A small amount of high-end printing uses UV ink, and most flexographic printing uses water-based ink.

So what ink do you think should be used for flexographic printing?

Which ink is best for flexo printing?

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