Getting Better All the Time
June 2004
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Improved raw materials help spur growth of energy-curable inks.
LUCK IS WINNING the lottery with a million-to-one chance, or catching the winning homerun ball in the deciding game of the World Series. But luck rarely has anything to do with success, as is the case with energy-curable inks, which have been increasing in demand thanks to the results of a lot of money, time, and energy spent in R&D.
In the last few years, use of ultra-violet (UV) and electron beam (EB) inks has continued to grow with the introduction of new curing technologies, better inks, and lower costs for both. UV inks have seen recent, significant growth mostly because of UV hybrid inks, said Don Duncan, Wikoff Color Corp.'s director of research. EB ink is also growing. When once an EB curing unit was cost- and size-prohibitive, EB technology is now at the least a feasible investment. Put it together and the result is a rising demand for UV and EB inks.
Duncan said, "With an improving economy, more printers will be willing to make the capital investment in one of these energy-curing technologies in order to capitalize on the instant-dry, green, and print performance properties of UV and EB."
Benefits abound with energy-cured inks. There's no loss of solvent or issues such as ink drying too fast or too slow like printers have with solvent inks, said Zubair Khan, Environmental Inks & Coatings (EIC) technical business manager of UV products. Also, he said, "There's no pH drift or viscosity build-up [that's] associated with water inks. The on-press ink stability of UV inks is excellent."
While ink suppliers and equipment manufacturers have been busy bettering their products, raw material providers have been too.
Basic improvements
UV and EB inks are made up of several components that add color to the ink, or enhance its adhesion and curing properties. It's in these raw materials where many of the newest developments in curable inks have occurred.
Pigments: Pigments—which give ink its color—used in UV and EB inks have changed with demand. Ink vendors created curable formulations of pearlescent, fluorescent, and other specialty inks in response to consumer product companies that wanted to make their product packaging standout on store shelves. However, said Len DiLeo, Kohl & Madden manager of UV technology, "The cost of many of these specialty products will limit their growth and the demand will be for other innovations in security and product differentiation."
LUCK IS WINNING the lottery with a million-to-one chance, or catching the winning homerun ball in the deciding game of the World Series. But luck rarely has anything to do with success, as is the case with energy-curable inks, which have been increasing in demand thanks to the results of a lot of money, time, and energy spent in R&D.
In the last few years, use of ultra-violet (UV) and electron beam (EB) inks has continued to grow with the introduction of new curing technologies, better inks, and lower costs for both. UV inks have seen recent, significant growth mostly because of UV hybrid inks, said Don Duncan, Wikoff Color Corp.'s director of research. EB ink is also growing. When once an EB curing unit was cost- and size-prohibitive, EB technology is now at the least a feasible investment. Put it together and the result is a rising demand for UV and EB inks.
Duncan said, "With an improving economy, more printers will be willing to make the capital investment in one of these energy-curing technologies in order to capitalize on the instant-dry, green, and print performance properties of UV and EB."
Benefits abound with energy-cured inks. There's no loss of solvent or issues such as ink drying too fast or too slow like printers have with solvent inks, said Zubair Khan, Environmental Inks & Coatings (EIC) technical business manager of UV products. Also, he said, "There's no pH drift or viscosity build-up [that's] associated with water inks. The on-press ink stability of UV inks is excellent."
While ink suppliers and equipment manufacturers have been busy bettering their products, raw material providers have been too.
Basic improvements
UV and EB inks are made up of several components that add color to the ink, or enhance its adhesion and curing properties. It's in these raw materials where many of the newest developments in curable inks have occurred.
Pigments: Pigments—which give ink its color—used in UV and EB inks have changed with demand. Ink vendors created curable formulations of pearlescent, fluorescent, and other specialty inks in response to consumer product companies that wanted to make their product packaging standout on store shelves. However, said Len DiLeo, Kohl & Madden manager of UV technology, "The cost of many of these specialty products will limit their growth and the demand will be for other innovations in security and product differentiation."
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