Today, the packaging and printing industry is in a very harsh business environment. Intense market competition forces them to produce distinctive, compelling packaging products under faster and cheaper turnaround times. Environmental regulations and customer requirements The packaging and printing industry produces quality packaging products that are environmentally friendly. All walks of life require packaging printers to ensure that their packaging is protected from theft, tampering, and counterfeiting during transit. Now, a new generation of ink systems and printing technology will help packaging and printing industry to achieve these goals. All kinds of inks are playing an unprecedented role, and they are versatile, smart, practical, environmentally safe, and cost-effective. In the past, the packaging and processing industry has focused on the selection of substrates for the ultimate use of packaging. Today, they are looking to improve packaging performance through new ink systems and printing technologies. This article will explore the development trend of the new generation of ink systems and printing technologies, and detail the benefits for the packaging and printing industry. Focus on efficiency. New ink systems and technologies help packaging printers increase their production capacity and achieve cost savings. The energy-curing ink has a short curing time and excellent performance, which can significantly improve the production capacity. Ultraviolet (UV) and electron beam (EB) ink systems can cure in about one-tenth of a second. In contrast, conventional ink systems typically take several minutes to several days to fully dry out. The recent use of UV basecoat on beverage cans is an excellent illustration of the effect of ink selection on overall efficiency. UV-backed varnish significantly increases the production capacity by providing beverage cans with a higher concentration of material and a stronger surface, which increases the flexibility of the entire canning line and the filling of cans. The automatic ink distribution system and automatic color matching system can greatly improve the efficiency of the printing shop by reducing the manual operation of the ink. Such products will lead the way towards the realization of fully automatic sheet-fed presses and web presses. Advances in ink mixing technology will also help packaging and printing companies increase productivity and achieve cost savings. For the benefit of the environment. Today, the packaging and printing industry is increasingly considering environmental factors in its product portfolio. Over the years, corresponding regulations have been implemented to reduce the total number of packages that become scrap. In response. Packaging and printing industry is gradually choosing substrates that are beneficial to the environment. Nowadays, packaging and printing companies can use more high-performance "green" inks to keep the environment clean. Vegetable inks and soy inks do not contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and therefore do not pollute the air. The new energy-curable ink system is 100% solids and is characterized by the absence of volatile organic compounds. It is more environmentally friendly than traditional ink systems and can be used as an alternative product. At the same time, new solvent-based inks that do not contain dangerous air pollutants are gradually entering the inkjet printing market. As we all know, dangerous air pollutants (HAP) can cause harm to the environment. To achieve green environmental protection is not easy, but due to the emergence of these new ink products, environmental protection has also become easier. Reflect personality. Packaging and printing industry is using digital printing technology to add personalized color to its packaging. Brand owners understand the value of “target marketing†activities. These activities focus on the needs of customers and help increase brand loyalty. The advantage of digital printing is the printing of small prints, which can create distinctive packaging products for various customer groups. Today, digital printing technology can be used on almost any substrate due to advances in ink development. Water-based inks and solvent inks, and even energy-curable inks such as UV inks and EB inks, are currently used in continuous inkjet and drop-on-demand products. Fast-curing UV and EB inks are gradually increasing the speed of on-demand ink jets, resulting in faster turnaround times. Advanced technology has significantly improved the printing speed and greatly improved the printing quality. The increase in printing speed and the application of new multifunctional inks have enabled digital printing to be used in a wider range of packaging applications. Packaging and printing companies can benefit from working with digital ink suppliers who can provide them with professional advice on ink selection and how they can more effectively integrate digital technology with existing printing. The production line is combined. Smart security. Companies are increasingly requiring packaging printers to ensure the safety of their products during transit. In response to issues such as theft, tampering, and counterfeiting of products, the packaging and printing industry will adopt a new generation of smart packaging and supply chain management technologies. The advances made in the "intelligent" inks and conductive inks of microwave radio frequency identification technology help brand owners track products throughout the supply chain and update their cargo lists in real time. Conductive inks can be used as antennas in the field of microwave radio frequency identification. Such inks will become a cost-effective solution for brand owners by replacing traditional coils and promoting microwave radio frequency identification technology. "Smart" tags and smart packaging applications help protect the integrity of the brand and prevent product from being tampered with. These technologies can also be used to monitor the status of products in transit and report problems to manufacturers. For example, the "smart" tag can immediately send the manufacturer a theft alert. Brand Protection Ink is a new product for “smart†inks and coating oils. It contains hidden code that, when applied to packaging, can create a unique identity. Using these brand protection technologies, brand owners can identify their products at any given time. New ink systems and printing technologies will provide packaging printers with more choices. With more options, care must be taken to select the appropriate ink formulation to achieve the customer's goals and packaging requirements. In the pursuit of high-performance packaging, ink suppliers will become an important partner in the packaging and printing industry. In close cooperation with ink suppliers, packaging and printing companies will be able to apply many useful and up-to-date technologies to promote innovation in the packaging industry today and in the future.
Source: China Ink Web