Water-Based Flexo Inks Comply With New Euro Laws

New water-based ink technology from Sun Chemical for flexographic printing is claimed to offer a viable and cost-effective alternative to solvent-based inks.

Sun Chemical added that the inks also allow printers to comply with pending European legislation.

The inks - Barracuda, Piranha and Beluga - are designed for printing on polythene (PE) film and are said to allow printing at up to 600 metres per minute.

Now available in Europe, they are based on modified amine soluble resins, which crosslink after they transfer from the press to the substrate, making the inks fully water resistant when dry, claimed Sun Chemical.

The company added that from October, under the Solvent Emissions Directive, every printing firm that uses more than 15 tonnes of solvents per year must either invest in incineration units, or find alternatives for 75 per cent of its solvent-based print colours.

In addition, the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive legislates that printing firms using more than 200 tonnes of solvents per year must be in possession of a specific environmental certificate and must strictly apply procedures according to 'best practice techniques'.

Erik Segers, corporate product manager for liquid inks at Sun Chemical Europe, said: "With the European legislation due to be introduced in October, only two real alternatives exist for printers currently using solvent-based inks for flexo PE printing.

Printers must make a significant investment in incinerating equipment, or they must find alternative inks and lacquers.

With these latest products, we believe we now have water-based PE inks that not only offers printers comparable quality, but also provide significant cost savings over solvent-based inks." He continued: "Water-based inks are ideal for smaller printing businesses, which do not have the capital to invest in the more costly incinerating equipment.

Additionally, unlike the use of incinerators, water-based inks will not increase printers' carbon emissions, which could be taxed in the future to address concerns about global warming.

Early trials suggest the total cost of print could be reduced up to 20 per cent by switching from solvent-based to water-based ink.

However, this could vary depending on a printer's individual circumstances.

The savings would be achieved primarily through the lower cost for emission treatment of the water-based ink." Segers explained that together with Sun Chemical's Wetflex electron beam-curing ink and UV-based flexo printing inks, the new water-based inks allow the company to support its customers with a range of options that meet the new environmental regulations and help them meet the requirements of the steadily growing PE packaging market.

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