Comparing flexographic UV ink and UV inkjet
Date: Jun 05 2024 From: Star Color
Flexographic UV inks and UV inkjet inks are two different types of UV curing inks that exhibit significant differences in ink formulations, technical characteristics, and application areas.
Flexographic UV Inks
Ink Formula:
- Resins: Mainly utilize low-molecular-weight acrylic ester resins, such as low-molecular-weight acrylic resins or prepolymers, which can rapidly cure under UV light exposure.
- Photoinitiators: Used to initiate polymerization reactions, typically including single- and bimolecular photoinitiators.
- Monomers: Used to adjust the viscosity and curing properties of the ink. Common monomers include low-viscosity monomers (e.g., acrylic esters) and high-viscosity monomers.
- Pigments: Provide color and require high transparency and lightfastness.
- Additives: Include wetting agents, leveling agents, defoamers, etc., to improve the printing suitability and final print quality.
Technical Characteristics:
- High solid content: Flexographic UV inks generally have a solid content of over 80%, resulting in less volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and good environmental performance.
- Rapid curing: Under UV light exposure, flexographic UV inks can cure instantaneously, greatly improving production efficiency.
- Excellent adhesion: Flexographic UV inks have good adhesion to various substrates, including paper, plastic films, metal foils, etc.
- High durability: UV-cured inks have excellent abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, and weather resistance, suitable for packaging, labels, and other applications requiring high durability.
UV Inkjet Inks
Ink Formula:
- Resins: Utilize UV-curable resin systems, including low-molecular-weight acrylic resins and polyurethane acrylic resins.
- Photoinitiators: Also used to initiate polymerization reactions, but in inkjet applications, special considerations must be made for their stability and non-clogging properties in the printhead.
- Monomers: Used to adjust the viscosity, surface tension, and curing properties of the ink. Common monomers include acrylic esters and methacrylic esters.
- Pigments: Provide color and require ultra-fine grinding to ensure particle sizes suitable for inkjet printheads.
- Additives: Include wetting agents, leveling agents, defoamers, dispersants, etc., to ensure the stability and smooth inkjet printing of the ink.
Technical Characteristics:
- Low viscosity: UV inkjet inks typically have a low viscosity, around 10-20 cP, to ensure they can pass through the tiny nozzles of inkjet printheads.
- Fine printing: Due to the high precision of inkjet technology, UV inkjet inks can achieve high-resolution image and text printing, suitable for high-quality image output and fine graphic printing.
- Rapid curing: Similar to flexographic UV inks, UV inkjet inks can also cure rapidly under UV light exposure, improving production efficiency.
- Wide applicability: UV inkjet inks can be used on various substrates, including paper, plastics, glass, metals, wood, etc., with a very wide range of applications.
- Non-contact printing: Inkjet printing is a non-contact printing method, suitable for irregular surfaces and flexible substrates.
Summary of Key Differences:
- Viscosity and rheological properties:
- Flexographic UV inks have a higher viscosity, suitable for the ink delivery system of flexographic printing presses.
- UV inkjet inks have a lower viscosity, suitable for the tiny nozzles of inkjet printheads.
- Application equipment:
- Flexographic UV inks are primarily used in flexographic printing presses, suitable for large-volume packaging printing.
- UV inkjet inks are used in inkjet printers, suitable for small-batch, multi-variety printing needs.
- Printing precision:
- Flexographic UV inks are suitable for large-area, relatively coarse printing.
- UV inkjet inks are suitable for high-resolution fine images and text printing.
- Curing speed and performance:
- Both exhibit rapid curing characteristics, but may have different performance optimization requirements in curing equipment and specific applications.
Flexographic UV inks and UV inkjet inks have different focuses in ink formulations and technical characteristics, suitable for different printing needs and application scenarios. Flexographic UV inks are mainly used in flexographic printing presses, while UV inkjet inks, which have a finer particle size and are often more expensive, are used in inkjet printers.
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