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Product category: Printing Presses and Machinery (New and Used, Service and Repair)
News Release from: MAN Roland GB | Subject: Alcohol-free printing
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial Team on 17 December 2004

Reducing Alcohol Consumption With
Technical Advice

Award winning printer TJ International has announced that it has been able to reduce alcohol consumption from 10.5 per cent down to three per cent following a year long project.

Award winning printer TJ International has announced that it has been able to reduce alcohol consumption from 10.5 per cent down to three per cent following a year long project The company has been working in association with MAN Roland's consumables team, which has provided both Westland Rollers and Fuji-Hunt chemistry to enable the company to make the reduction

"We had set ourselves targets to reduce the use of alcohol just over a year ago.

Although our thoughts at that time were very much on environmental issues and drying times for our printed work, the recent increases in price and simultaneous reduction in availability of Iso Propyl Alcohol (IPA) have meant that our actions have been even more beneficial to the business," said David Laskey, manufacturing manager at TJ International.

He added: "The technical team from MAN Roland GB have been excellent.

They came in and conducted a detailed survey of what we were doing and then recommended the products that we needed to use.

Dampening rollers were changed to the new Wero-Aqua from Westland Rollers - they are specially formulated to run with low alcohol fount solutions - and we also changed our fount additive to the Fuji-Hunt Free Fount product - again through MAN Roland.

We began reducing the alcohol content of our fount from 10 per cent to five per cent by one per cent increments - checking the effect on various stocks - on just one of our Heidelberg presses," continued Laskey.

"Tests on amounts of alcohol below three per cent began to exhibit a reaction with some paper stocks and so a decision was made to conclude the testing at that point and then transfer all settings to the other three press lines employed at the company.

All four Heidelberg Speedmaster presses are now equipped with Westland Rollers," he added.

"We have had no adverse reaction from the inks that we have been using," said David Laskey.

"In fact, we believe that we are seeing a more intense colour from our print and certainly quicker drying times for work.

Whilst we have yet to calculate the cost benefits of this significant reduction in alcohol consumption, we do know that it will add up to a quite substantial sum of money - especially with the latest increases in IPA pricing," he continued.

Commenting on the project for MAN Roland GB, marketing director Murray Lock said: "With TJ International having already set the standard for other printers to follow with regards to the quality of printed work, perhaps other print businesses will now also follow the company's lead in taking positive steps to reduce alcohol levels.

The in-depth survey and testing conducted at TJ International is an essential part of the process, allowing the business to maintain print quality whilst reducing the levels of alcohol being used, and we would be delighted to talk to other printers about similar projects.".

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