Classification and Application of UV Ink

Date: Oct 10 2024 From: Star Color

UV ink, also known as UV curable ink, is a special type of ink that has the characteristics of fast curing speed, minimal color change, and environmental friendliness. With the continuous advancement of technology, UV ink has been widely used in the fields of printing and coating. According to different characteristics and uses, UV ink can be divided into various types. The following is a list and explanation of the main classifications of UV ink.

1. Ordinary UV ink
Ordinary UV ink is the most common type of UV ink, mainly used for printing and coating. It has the advantages of fast curing, high glossiness, and wear resistance. Due to its fast curing speed, it can greatly improve printing speed and thus enhance production efficiency. This ink performs well in printing various materials such as paper and plastic film, and is the most basic and widely used type of UV ink.

2. High strength UV ink
High strength UV ink has strong glossiness and high toughness, mainly used in products that require high surface treatment, such as plastic products, metal products, etc. This ink can form a hard surface after curing, increasing the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the product.

3. Low odor UV ink
Low odor UV ink is an environmentally friendly ink that uses low volatile organic compounds to reduce the odor of the ink and the volatilization of harmful substances. This ink is widely used in environmentally demanding fields such as food packaging and pharmaceutical packaging. It not only ensures the safety of the product, but also reduces the harm to the human body.

4. Hard UV ink
Hard UV ink has high hardness and wear resistance, and is mainly used in products with very high surface requirements, such as electronic products such as mobile phones and computers. It can provide excellent scratch resistance and protect the surface of the product from damage.

5. Flexible UV ink
Flexible UV ink has good elasticity and flexibility, mainly used in products that require high flexibility, such as plastic films, rubber products, etc. It can maintain good flexibility after curing, and is not easily cracked or peeled off.

6. Transparent UV ink
Transparent UV ink has good transparency and is mainly used on some transparent or semi transparent materials, such as glass, acrylic, etc. It can form a uniform and transparent film, improving the aesthetics and transparency of the product.

7. Special effect UV ink
Special effect UV ink has special effects such as metallic luster, fluorescent effect, frosted effect, etc. It can add unique visual effects to the product and enhance its added value. This ink is widely used in occasions that require special visual effects and decorative properties.
Classification and Application of UV Ink

Classification and Application of UV Ink

UV ink classified by plate type

UV ink can be mainly divided into the following four categories according to the type of plate:

1. Embossed ink
Definition: Toppan ink is a type of ink used for printing books, newspapers, picture books, documents, account books, etc. in the form of letterpress printing. The main feature of letterpress printing is that the ink covered part of the printing plate protrudes from the non ink covered part.
Application: Convex printing ink has a wide range of applications in label printing and packaging printing, such as hose printing.

2. Offset ink
Definition: Offset ink is a type of ink suitable for offset printing. The various parts of the planographic printing layout are basically on the same plane, with the pattern being oleophilic and the non pattern being hydrophilic. Printing is carried out using the principle of oil-water repulsion, so planographic ink must have water resistance.

Application: Commercial printing, book publishing, paper boxes, packaging paper, etc. mainly use flat offset printing ink for printing, due to its low cost, strong productivity, and good printing effect.

3. gravure ink
Definition: gravure ink is a type of ink suitable for gravure printing. During printing, ink is applied to the embossed areas of the layout, and the ink on non embossed areas is wiped off or scraped off before printing.

Application: gravure ink is widely used in the field of gravure printing, but the technology and cost are relatively high. With the increasing demand for environmental protection, UV ink will become a development trend for gravure printing ink.

4. Screen ink
Definition: Screen ink is a type of ink that is printed by leaking through the mesh holes of the printing plate onto the printing surface.

Application: The advantages of UV ink in screen printing are very obvious. As it can only cure under UV light, there will be no clogging problem on the screen, and the curing speed is fast, which effectively solves the long-standing contradiction between clogging and ink drying speed in the screen printing industry.

UV ink is a widely used type of ink with various classifications and their own characteristics and advantages. By selecting and using different types of UV ink reasonably, it is possible to meet the needs of different products, improve printing and coating efficiency, and enhance product quality and appearance.