Development of mixed inks

Hybrid inks combine the properties of UV inks and common inks and are another area of ​​development that many companies are researching. Companies such as Sun Chemical, Flint Ink, Superior Printing Ink, INX Braden Sutphin, and Environmental Inks and Coatings are all working on this area.

Harvey Brice, Manager of Superior Printing Ink and a member of the GATF Steering Committee, said: “The production of a UV hybrid ink makes sense for the printing industry. It can be used on the press without replacing the blanket or ink roller. Desk presses are designed for UV inks and can also run regular inks. This is a great improvement for the printer because of its high flexibility."

Hybrid UV inks allow the printer to complete all operations of a job online with only minor adjustments. The production efficiency is really improved, and the ink's own transferability and printing quality are also higher than those of conventional UV inks. The biggest advantage of the HyBrite ink system manufactured by Sun Chemical Company is that it can perform in-line UV coating without lengthening the transfer process to complete the water-based coating.

These improvements come mainly from the additional conditions of UV curing, and the price will therefore increase, but researchers predict that the final productivity will increase. They expect that the hybrid technology will continue to improve, improve product quality and reduce printing costs.

Other developments

Single-fluid inks and hybrid inks are two improvements that are currently being discussed, but some larger ink companies are working on other products. Energy-curable inks are a fast growing area in the ink industry, especially electron beam (EB) technology, which will occupy a place in the future market.

Another area is the Sun Beam LE coating, an electron beam coating designed for flexible films used in food packaging. This coating is designed for FDA applications without regard to moving friction and odor during the maintenance of print gloss and smoothness. "This is very important for packaging," Mr. Rooney said. "We are looking for a chemical that will allow printers to use this technology to enter previously unreachable markets."

Color Paper Products (CCI), in conjunction with QureTech, has jointly developed a line of energy-curing products, including EB coatings and UV coatings that are primarily used in multi-layer Kraft paper bags. In addition, the two companies are also working together on energy-curable ink and adhesive technologies.

Mr. Ronald T. Barry, chairman and CEO of CCI, said: “Our company's EB coating is the latest product in the industry and will soon be introduced to the market. Its UV part has passed extensive experiments and has reached the stage of commercialization. Energy-curable inks and adhesives are still in the development stage and are expected to be available in the fall of 2001." CCI is also developing a universal coating system (including for gravure and flexo printing) that is suitable for most substrates (including Polyester), while also improving the surface printing and coating the color of the film. "The new coating system can help printers control the total amount of ink, but also adapt to a variety of applications." Mr. Barry said, "including bags that can be erected, meat bags, retort dishes and some traditional Laminating applications etc. In addition, these systems can also print or provide a film-adhesive layer on the surface of a polyester substrate, which can reduce costs."

The coating system is currently in the testing phase and has progressed greatly. A system for gravure printing has been commercialized and systems for flexo printing will soon be introduced.

Another area of ​​development is water-based flexographic printing inks for newspapers and interleaf printing. Barry said: "Last year, our CPS team developed a series of water-based flexographic inks for newspaper printing that have the same color range as offset inks."

price adjustment

These technological advances—years of product research and improvement—are reflected in price. For some ink manufacturers, the increase in raw materials and operating costs is the main reason for the rise in ink prices over the years. In particular, the price of crude oil rose from $12 per barrel in January 1999 to $34 per barrel in October 2000, which greatly affected the ink manufacturers because the most crucial ingredient in inks was crude oil or petroleum derivatives. In addition, transportation, wages and benefits, and environmental costs are also increasing.

In addition, the low recovery rate of input funds is also related, according to the National Association of Printing Ink Manufactures (International

The Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) was evaluated in 1999 as 10.2%. NAPIM believes this low recovery rate is "most companies cannot accept."

The key to the price increase lies in the two largest ink manufacturers, Sun Chemical and Flint Ink. Sun announced on June 15th, 2000 that ink prices had increased by 6%. On October 16th, Sun announced that it would increase the price of packaging inks and coatings by 6%. Flint Ink announced on November 1 that its packaging ink price will increase by 6% while the price of newsprint ink will increase by 8%. Industry officials believe that these and other company's price increases can be widely accepted by the market.

The past year was a crucial year for the technical breakthrough in the ink industry, but it is only now that the printing industry can see whether these new products can make major changes in quality, production, and profitability.

Reprinted from: China Ink Web