The demand and development trend of ink for flexible packaging

Soft packaging inks have some special requirements for the ink used due to the different characteristics of the flexible packaging materials and the use requirements of the manufactured products (such as boiling, cooking, etc.), and with the environmental protection trend of packaging, the inks for flexible packaging are also required to be environmentally friendly. Change.

Main requirements for flexible packaging inks

Now the packaging factory has many production batches, and the production volume is small, with a small number of times, and the film is frequently changed. The main inks are: OPP ordinary composite ink (CLPP type), PET/NYLON light packaging type (CLPP modified), boiled (PU type), cooking type (PU type); a thin film: a type of special ink With complex use, ink inventory increases. All substrates: Several types of general-purpose inks, in Japan and Southeast Asia, gradually use general-purpose ink (PU type) printing PET/NY-LON/OPP. Changes in solvents for inks: toluene, ketones, esters, alcohols - no toluene, no ketones.

The development direction of flexible packaging ink

Trend 1: Generalization. Nowadays, the status of a printing factory is basically that a type of special ink is applied to a film. It is not only complicated to use, but also needs to be formulated with a corresponding thinner, and the ink inventory is multiplied. Due to the fierce competition in modern commerce, the speed of product development and packaging changes has accelerated, and many packaging and printing plants are producing lots of lots and producing less. Thin film exchanges are frequent. If all substrate divisions use one type of general-purpose ink, inventory can be greatly reduced and the operation can be simplified. In Japan and Southeast Asia, PU-type general-purpose inks are now used to print PET/NYLON/OPP, and PU-type inks have been rising in the sales of the entire composite ink, reaching 50% to 90%.

Flexible packaging based on plastic films plays an important role in packaging and printing. According to statistics, in some advanced countries in the world, plastic packaging accounts for 32.5%-44% of the entire printing industry. In general, a single flexible packaging material has poor protection for the contents, so composite materials are widely used. Its production process is plastic film → gravure printing, flexographic printing → compound → cutting → bag making → customers.

Trend 2: Environmental protection. The solvent used for the ink is generally toluene, ketones, esters, alcohols, or water. Relatively speaking, toluene and ketone solvents are harmful to the human body. The governments of all countries are formulating or preparing to draw up relevant restrictions ordinances. The other development trend is that they contain benzenes and ketones--no toluene-containing ketones- -Toluene-free, ketone-free inks--water-based oil-plastic inks (containing only alcohols and lipid inks). Therefore, general-purpose inks for alcohols and esters are integrated and environmentally friendly. They are the development trend of compound inks. Now that Japan has begun to use in batches, some domestic multinational corporations such as DIC and SICPA companies are also being promoted.