How to improve the utilization rate of UV ink

Why improve the utilization rate of UV inks
The main reasons for improving the utilization rate of UV ink are cost, environmental protection, quality and so on:
From the perspective of economic cost
Directly reduce material costs: UV ink has a high price and accounts for a large proportion of printing production costs. Improving the utilization rate can reduce the amount of ink purchased, reduce the procurement cost, and significantly improve the profit margin for large-scale printing production enterprises.
Reduce equipment maintenance costs: The low utilization rate of ink is easy to cause problems such as printhead blockage, which increases the frequency and cost of equipment maintenance and replacement parts. Improving utilization can enable the ink to be sprayed normally, extend the service life of parts such as printheads, and reduce maintenance costs.
Environmental protection perspective
Reduction of pollution emissions: When underutilized UV ink becomes waste, the chemicals in it can pollute soil and water sources. Improving the utilization rate can reduce the generation of ink waste and reduce the risk of environmental pollution.
Promote green production: In the context of increasingly stringent environmental protection requirements, improving ink utilization is an important measure for printing enterprises to achieve green production and sustainable development, which will help enhance the social image and competitiveness of enterprises.
Production quality perspective
Ensure the quality of printing: reasonably improve the utilization rate of ink, so that the ink can be better adhered and cured during the printing process, showing clearer, brighter and uniform patterns and colors, reducing quality problems such as ink shortage and smudging, and improving the product qualification rate.
Improve production stability: Improve ink utilization by optimizing parameters, etc., which can make the printing process more stable, reduce production interruptions caused by ink supply problems, and improve production efficiency and productivity.
Resource utilization perspective
Saving resources: ink production needs to consume a variety of raw materials and energy, improve the utilization rate can reduce resource consumption, realize the efficient use of resources, and meet the development requirements of a resource-saving society.
Alleviate the pressure on resources: In the situation of resource shortage, improving the utilization rate of UV ink will help alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand of resources and provide guarantee for the long-term development of the industry.

How to improve the utilization rate of UV ink
To improve the utilization rate of UV ink, we can start from equipment, materials, processes, management and other aspects, and the specific methods are as follows:
Equipment
Regular maintenance of the nozzle: the state of the nozzle affects the ink jetting, so it should be cleaned regularly with a special cleaning agent to prevent clogging, ensure the normal spraying of ink, and avoid ink waste caused by nozzle problems.
Optimize equipment parameters: Accurately adjust the printhead height, printing speed, ink volume and other parameters according to the printing pattern and material characteristics. For example, when printing fine patterns, the speed is reduced and the amount of ink is reduced to achieve accurate ink supply and improve utilization.
Materials
Choose the right medium: different printing media have different ink absorption, choose a medium with good ink absorption and a flat surface, which can make the ink better adhesion and penetration, reduce the amount of ink, and improve the utilization rate.
Surface treatment: For some difficult to adhere media, corona, plasma and other surface treatments are carried out before printing to increase the surface energy, make the ink better spread and adhere, and reduce ink waste.
Craftsmanship
Reasonable design pattern: minimize unnecessary blank areas and repetitive patterns during design, optimize typesetting, arrange multiple patterns compactly, improve the utilization rate of printing space, and reduce ink consumption.
Use the appropriate printing mode: choose one-way or two-way printing mode according to the pattern requirements. Simple patterns are printed in both directions to improve efficiency, and fine patterns are printed in one direction to ensure quality and reduce ink overuse.
Management aspects
Accurate estimation of dosage: According to the order quantity and printing pattern area, etc., combined with the ink consumption parameters of the equipment, the ink consumption can be accurately estimated to avoid ink deterioration and waste caused by excessive purchase and long-term storage.
Proper storage of ink: UV ink should be stored in a cool, dry and dark environment, with a temperature of 15-25 °C and a humidity of 40%-60% to prevent ink performance changes from affecting use.

In addition to the above methods to improve UV ink utilization, here are some complementary methods to improve UV ink usage
Employee training and awareness-raising
Strengthen operation training: Carry out professional training for operators to familiarize them with equipment performance, master correct operation methods and skills, including nozzle cleaning, parameter setting, etc., to reduce ink waste caused by improper operation.
Cultivate the awareness of saving: through publicity and education, cultivate the awareness of employees to save money, so that they can consciously pay attention to saving ink in their work and avoid unnecessary waste.
Color management and optimization
Establish color standards: Establish a unified color standard and management system to ensure the accuracy and consistency of printing colors and avoid repeated printing caused by color deviations.
Carry out color simulation: use color management software to simulate and adjust the color, check the printing effect in advance on the computer, optimize the color, and reduce the number of debugging and ink consumption during actual printing.
Production planning and scheduling
Centralized batch printing: According to the order situation, arrange the production plan reasonably, try to concentrate on batch printing, and reduce the ink consumed by frequent equipment start-up and printhead cleaning.
Optimize the production process: Optimize the entire production process, reduce unnecessary links and waiting time, make the printing work continuous and efficient, and improve the efficiency of ink use.
Recycling & Reuse
Recycle ink: For the ink that has not been used, it is recycled on the premise of ensuring quality, and then reused for printing after filtration, testing and other treatments.
Reuse of waste ink: Waste ink is disposed of, and the components that can be used in it are extracted for use in other non-critical printing or related processes to maximize the use of resources.

Improving the utilization rate of UV inks is important in many ways
Cost control
Reduce the cost of raw materials: UV ink is an important part of the printing cost, improve the utilization rate can reduce the amount of ink purchased, directly reduce the cost of raw materials, and the cost savings are significant for enterprises with large printing business.
Reduce waste costs: Low ink utilization rate will cause a lot of ink waste, improve the utilization rate can reduce waste, avoid additional processing costs caused by ink expiration, disposal, etc.
Productivity
Reduce equipment failure: low ink utilization rate may increase the probability of equipment failure due to problems such as printhead blockage, improve utilization rate can make ink spray smoothly, reduce equipment maintenance and downtime, and improve production efficiency.
Optimize the printing process: Improve the ink utilization rate by reasonably adjusting the parameters, etc., which can make the printing process more stable and efficient, reduce the printing interruption and rework caused by ink problems, and speed up the production schedule.
Environmental benefits
Reduce pollutant emissions: Improving ink utilization means reducing ink waste generation, reducing environmental pollution, reducing harmful chemical emissions, and meeting environmental protection requirements.
Sustainable use of resources: Ink production consumes a variety of resources, and improving the utilization rate can reduce resource consumption, promote the sustainable use of resources, and promote the green development of the industry.
Product quality
Ensure the stability of printing quality: To improve the utilization rate of ink, it is necessary to reasonably adjust the parameters and optimize the process, so that the ink can be sprayed evenly and stably on the medium, ensure the consistency and stability of the printing quality, and reduce the problems of color difference and smudging.
Improve product quality: Precise control of ink usage can make the printed pattern clearer and the color more vivid, and improve the appearance quality and market competitiveness of the product.
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