Application of Flexographic Printing on PE Film

Date: Sep 10 2024 From: Star Color

PE film, as a widely used plastic packaging material, occupies an important position in various fields such as food, medicine, and industry due to its excellent moisture resistance, chemical resistance, and processability. Flexographic printing, with its high clarity, environmental friendliness, and flexibility, has become an ideal choice for PE film printing.

Overview of Flexographic Printing Technology

Flexographic printing is a printing method that transfers ink onto a substrate through a flexible printing plate. Its working principle is simple and efficient, mainly relying on the mesh roller to evenly apply ink on the flexible printing plate, and then transferring graphic and textual information to substrates such as PE film through the action of the impression cylinder. The key equipment for flexographic printing includes mesh rollers, elastomer mixing sleeves, and advanced ink transfer mechanisms. The precise coordination of these devices ensures the stability of the printing process and the high quality of the printed products.

Printing characteristics and challenges of PE film

The surface characteristics of PE film have a crucial impact on printing quality. Due to the low surface tension of PE film, the wettability of ink on it is poor, which can easily lead to poor printing results. Therefore, before printing, it is necessary to perform surface treatment on the film, such as corona treatment, to improve its surface energy and enhance the adhesion of the ink.

The specific application of flexographic printing on PE film

In practical applications, the operation process of flexographic printing on PE film is rigorous and complex. Firstly, sufficient pre printing preparation is required, including surface treatment of the film, selection and blending of ink, etc. Subsequently, during the printing process, various parameters of the printing machine, such as pressure, speed, and temperature, need to be adjusted according to the characteristics of the film and printing requirements to ensure the quality of the printed product. After printing is completed, it is necessary to perform drying and curing treatment, and conduct quality inspection on the printed materials to ensure that they meet customer requirements.

Flexographic printing is widely used on PE films, covering multiple fields such as food packaging, industrial packaging, and special applications. For example, in the field of food packaging, flexographic printing can print packaging bags with bright colors and exquisite patterns, enhancing the attractiveness and market competitiveness of products; In the field of industrial packaging, flexographic printing can achieve large-scale and high-efficiency printing operations, meeting the needs of industrial
production.

Application of Flexographic Printing on PE Film

The challenge of flexographic printing on PE film

When printing PE film with flexographic printing, although it can meet daily requirements, there are still significant challenges:

1、 Challenges brought by material properties
Surface tension and wettability: PE film belongs to non-polar materials, and its surface tension is relatively low, resulting in poor wettability of ink on it. This directly affects the adhesion and printing effect of the ink, which can easily lead to problems such as insufficient ink adhesion and unclear printing patterns.

Physical performance differences: Different types of PE films (such as low-density, medium density, high-density, etc.) have differences in physical properties, such as thickness uniformity, stiffness, etc. These differences will have an impact on tension control and overlay accuracy during the printing process, increasing the difficulty of printing.

2、 Difficulty in printing process control
Tension control: During flexographic printing, PE film needs to maintain stable tension to ensure printing accuracy. However, due to the flexibility and stretchability of PE film, tension control becomes particularly difficult. Excessive or insufficient tension may cause problems such as film deformation and inaccurate printing.

Temperature control: Temperature changes during the printing process can also affect the PE film. The temperature of the oven will directly affect the printing effect and efficiency.
Overprint accuracy: Due to the deformability and surface tension differences of PE film, overprint accuracy has become a major challenge in flexographic printing. Advanced color matching systems and precision printing equipment are needed to improve the accuracy of printing.

3、 Ink selection and use
Ink adhesion: For the low surface tension characteristics of PE film, it is necessary to choose ink with good adhesion. However, not all inks can meet this requirement, and the choice of ink is also limited by environmental regulations.
Ink dryness: PE film has poor breathability, and the drying speed of ink on the film is relatively slow. This may lead to issues such as ink adhesion and blurry patterns in printed materials during subsequent processing or storage.

Choosing high-quality water-based ink plays an important role in printing PE films. As a mature water-based ink manufacturer, Huizhou Zhongzhixing can provide stable quality water-based ink for flexographic printing of PE films. Not only does it have high adhesion and bright colors, but it can also withstand high temperatures. The printing speed can reach over 400 meters, greatly improving printing efficiency. Welcome to your consultation.