In the continuous development of the printing industry, ink is a key consumable, and every innovation in its performance and characteristics has promoted the improvement of printing quality and efficiency. As a new type of ink, offset UV ink occupies an important position in the field of modern printing with its unique curing principle and excellent performance, and is profoundly changing the way and pattern of printing.
1. The basic principle of offset printing UV ink
The curing of offset UV inks relies on photochemical reactions triggered by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Inks contain components such as photoinitiators, prepolymers, reactive diluents, as well as pigments and additives. In the absence of ultraviolet radiation, the ink is liquid and its components are relatively stable. When irradiated with specific wavelengths of ultraviolet light, the photoinitiator absorbs the photon energy and excites the production of free radicals or cations. These active particles quickly initiate a polymerization reaction between the prepolymer and the reactive diluent, which converts the ink from a liquid to a solid state in a very short time, where it adheres firmly to the surface of the substrate. Unlike traditional offset printing inks, which rely on solvent volatilization or oxidative polymerization to dry, UV inks have an extremely fast curing speed, usually only a fraction of a second to a few seconds, which greatly improves production efficiency, reduces the drying waiting time of printed matter, and reduces the risk of printing defects caused by dust and other impurities.
2. Performance advantages
High printing quality
Offset UV ink has excellent color expression, its pigments are evenly dispersed, the color saturation is high, the color gamut is wide, it can accurately restore various colors, meet the strict requirements of high-quality printing for color reproduction, especially suitable for packaging printing with high color accuracy requirements, exquisite album printing and other fields. At the same time, the ink film formed by UV ink curing is smooth and smooth, with good gloss, which improves the texture and visual effect of the printed matter.
Good adhesion performance
After curing, UV ink can form strong chemical bonding with a variety of substrates, such as paper, plastic, metal, etc., strong adhesion, and the printed pattern is not easy to fall off and wear, which ensures the integrity and stability of the printed matter in the subsequent processing, transportation and use process, and broadens the application range of offset printing, so that it can play an advantage in the packaging and label production of different materials.
Outstanding environmental characteristics
Traditional offset printing inks volatilize a large amount of organic solvents during the drying process, which not only pollute the air, but also may cause harm to the health of operators. UV ink is a kind of green and environmentally friendly ink, almost free of organic volatiles (VOCs), no harmful gas emissions in the production and printing process, reducing pollution to the environment, in line with the strict requirements of today's society for environmental protection, but also for printing enterprises to create a healthier working environment.
Strong resistance
The cured UV ink film has good chemical resistance, abrasion resistance and weather resistance. In the face of acid, alkali, alcohol and other chemical erosion, it is not easy to fade and change color; In the process of daily use and long-term storage, it can resist friction and scratches, and keep the printed pattern clear and complete; Even if it is exposed outdoors for a long time, it can maintain good color and performance stability due to natural factors such as sunlight and rain, and is suitable for making outdoor advertising, product labels and other printed materials that need to be used for a long time.
3. The field of application
Packaging and printing
In the packaging and printing of food, medicine, cosmetics and other products, offset printing UV ink, with its high printing quality, good adhesion and environmental protection characteristics, can not only perfectly present the exquisite design of product packaging, attract the attention of consumers, but also ensure the safety and stability of packaging printing, and ensure that product quality is not polluted by ink. For example, on pharmaceutical packaging, the text and patterns printed by UV ink are clear and firm, will not fall off or blur due to changes in the storage environment of drugs, and at the same time meet the environmental protection standards of pharmaceutical packaging.
Label printing
Product labels of all kinds need to be legible and complete in different environments. UV inks cure quickly and are highly resistant, making them ideal for label printing. Whether it is a daily chemical product label made of plastic or a paper logistics label, UV ink can ensure that the printed content of the label does not fade or fall off during the pasting, transportation and use, and accurately conveys product information.
Commercial printing
For fine albums, posters, brochures and other commercial prints, the high color reproduction and good gloss of UV ink can fully show the artistic effect and design creativity of the prints, enhance the grade and attractiveness of the prints, meet the high requirements of commercial customers for printing quality, and effectively enhance the brand image and publicity effect.
4. The challenges faced
Cost problem
The raw material cost of offset UV ink is relatively high, including special photoinitiators, prepolymers, etc., which makes the price of UV ink generally higher than that of traditional offset ink. For some cost-sensitive printing enterprises, especially small printing enterprises, the high ink procurement cost limits the wide application of UV ink to a certain extent. In addition, UV curing equipment is expensive, the initial equipment investment is large, and the follow-up needs to regularly maintain and replace consumables such as lamps, which increases the operating costs of enterprises.
Technical adaptability
The printability of UV ink is different from that of traditional ink, and there are special requirements for printing equipment, printing process and operator skills. For example, the viscosity of UV ink, drying speed and other parameters need to be accurately controlled, and there may be problems such as poor ink transfer and dot expansion in the printing process, which requires printing enterprises to properly transform and debug the equipment, and conduct professional training for employees to ensure stable printing quality, which is difficult for some enterprises with weak technical force.
Curing defects
During the curing process of UV ink, incomplete curing may occur, resulting in soft and sticky ink film, which affects the quality of printed matter. This may be due to insufficient UV intensity, insufficient exposure time, unreasonable ink formulation, or impurities on the surface of the substrate. In addition, over-curing may also make the ink film brittle and easy to crack, reducing the comprehensive performance of the ink, which requires enterprises to continuously explore and optimize the curing conditions in actual production.
5. The development trend
Formulation optimization
In order to reduce costs and improve performance, researchers are working on the optimization of offset UV ink formulations. On the one hand, research and development of new, low-cost photoinitiators and prepolymers to reduce the cost of raw materials; On the other hand, by adjusting the formula ratio, the printability, curing speed and comprehensive performance of the ink are further improved, so that it can better adapt to different printing equipment and processes while meeting the printing quality requirements.
Equipment and process innovation
With the continuous progress of technology, UV curing equipment is developing in the direction of high efficiency, energy saving and miniaturization. For example, the new LED-UV curing technology is gradually emerging, compared with the traditional mercury lamp UV curing, LED-UV has the advantages of low energy consumption, long life, low calorific value, no ozone generation, etc., which can effectively reduce the operating costs and environmental pressure of enterprises. At the same time, printing companies are also constantly exploring new printing processes and operation methods to better play the advantages of UV ink and improve production efficiency and printing quality.
Expand the application field
With the continuous improvement of people's requirements for environmental protection and printing quality, offset UV ink will be used in more fields. In addition to the existing packaging, labeling, commercial printing and other fields, in electronic printing, decorative printing and other emerging fields, UV ink also has broad application prospects. For example, in the printing of electronic product shells, UV inks can achieve exquisite patterns and personalized designs, and enhance the added value of products; In the printing of interior decoration materials, the eco-friendly properties and good weather resistance of UV inks make them an ideal choice.
With its unique curing principle and significant performance advantages, offset UV ink has shown strong vitality and broad development prospects in the printing field. Although facing some challenges, with the continuous progress of technology and the gradual maturity of the market, offset UV ink will play a more important role in the future printing industry, and promote the sustainable development of the printing industry in the direction of high quality, high efficiency and green environmental protection.
6. Recommendation of the same type of products
Ordinary Economical Offset Ink