Materials
- Published: August 01, 2003, By Deborah Donberg, Associate Managing Editor
Substrates, Inks, Adhesives, Polymers
Additive Suited for Water-Based Products
ADM Tronics Unlimited Inc., Northvale, NJ; 201/767-6040; admtronics.com
Carry-Up 100 additive for water-based inks and coatings has a unique structure that allows for efficient transfer of inks and coatings from etched cylinders, co. reports. Product has a lower pH, making it suitable for most liquids, and can be used as supplied as a direct stir-in additive.
UV Flexo Inks Give High Color
Environmental Inks and Coatings, Morganton, NC; 828/433-1922; 800/368-4657; envinks.com
Ultra Flex III inks for UV flexo are said to combine high color strength with low viscosity. Able to print process colors on 800-1,000+ line aniloxes and print line/solid copy with 600-800 line aniloxes. Reportedly, inks show improved product and chemical resistance over conventional flexo inks and have excellent adhesion to many paper and film substrates.
Keep Ink Levels Consistent Automatically
Flint Ink Corp., Ann Arbor, MI; 734/622-6000; flintink.com
The Optimiser automated, electronically controlled ink dispensing system allows sheet- and web-fed printers to maintain a consistent level of ink at all times, co. says. System monitors ink in the fountain, dispenses ink from a canister directly to low spots in the duct, and replenishes ink supply where necessary. Canisters contain less than 2% residual waste at the end of a print cycle, and overall ink waste is said to be reduced by 80%-90%.
Laminating Adhesive Suited to High Temperatures
Rohm & Haas Co., Philadelphia, PA; 215/592-3000; rohmhaas.com
Adcote 812 solvent-based laminating adhesive is FDA-compliant for high-temperature applications, including retort, and can be used on existing equipment. Said to provide good economics versus traditional aliphatic isocyanate retort chemistries. Reportedly is easy to apply and demonstrates excellent adhesion to a broad range of substrates.
UV Technology Brings Permanent Color Changes
Spectra Group Ltd. Inc. Maumee, OH; 419/891-9767; sglinc.com
Color-on-Demand technology allows user to change the color in an ink, coating, plastic, photopolymer, etc., irreversibly from colorless to one of a multitude of colors by exposing it to light that has a UV component. Co.'s latest inks are based on screen printing standard Plastisol and are free of VOCs. These inks can be applied by standard screen printing techniques. Then they are heated and will turn color when exposed to UV light in the sun or on-line.
Foamed Adhesive Raises Speeds, Cuts Costs
National Adhesives, National Starch & Chemical Co., Bridgewater, NJ; 800/797-4992; nationalstarch.com
Aerobond foamed adhesive technology features 20%-25% less liquid, so less water penetrates the paper to cause warping and bowing, co. says. The lower adhesive moisture content reportedly produces flatter sheets, higher tack, and faster set speeds. Said to allow cutters to run at about 3,000 fpm. In addition, since amount of adhesive applied is less, co. says savings are significant.
Laminating Adhesives Perform Like PU But at Less Cost
H.B. Fuller Co., St. Paul, MN; 651/236-5900; hbfuller.com
Hydroflex water-borne film laminating adhesives now include a new dry bonding acrylic with crosslinker. Patented two-part technology reportedly offers the performance of a PU and the economics of an acrylic system. Said to provide excellent resistance to heat, humidity, and chemicals and to be suited for a wide range of flexible packaging applications, including bottle labeling, snack food packaging, produce, aqueous packaging, and more.
Enhance Color to Please Consumers
Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, TN; 423/229-8427; eastman.com
Eastobrite optical brighteners are a whitening and color enhancement solution for polymer formulators and fabricators. Said to provide significant brand benefits for end-use products by creating eye-catching whites in opaque polymer products, as well as masking yellowness in clear polymers. Said to improve the color of recycled polymers, increasing consumer appeal.
New Products Available Related to Active Packaging
For a AWA Alexander Watson Assoc.'s special report on active packaging, check out pffc-online.com/ar/paper_active_packaging/index.htm
Antimicrobial Stable at High Temps
AlphaSan is a silver-based antimicrobial product for use in a number of materials, including films. Product inhibits the growth of bacteria and mold and has received the full slate of regulatory approvals for food contact, co. says, adding that silver zirconium phosphate is thermally stable to 800 deg C, making it suitable for use in high-temperature resin processing.
Milliken Chemical, Spartanburg, SC; 864/503-2200; milliken.com
Antimicrobial Coating Uses Silver
Silver is a key antimicrobial ingredient in new powder-coated finishes being used to protect germ-gathering surfaces. In powder coating, tiny dry particles of pigment and resin are given an electric charge, then sprayed on to a variety of consumer and industrial products. The electrostatic charge makes the powder particles stick to the surface. When heated, the institute reports, the powder is fused into a uniform, durable, high quality coating.
Powder Coating Institute, Alexandria, VA; 703/684-1770; powdercoating.org
Holographic Film Has Embossable Base
Unifoil Corp., Fairfield, NJ, uses LumBriteU6E from Toray Plastics to produce an elegant package for the Elizabeth Taylor “Forever Elizabeth” line.
“LumBrite U6E is a great product for laminating to board applications,” says Joseph Funicelli, president of Unifoil. “The film's embossable base saves a step in the coating process. Converters are attracted to LumBrite's consistency and smoothness, while end-users are drawn to the film's bright, crisp appearance.”
The film can be used to produce custom holograms and is called ideal for film-to-board laminated packaging for security, cosmetic, personal care, and sporting good applications. Brand protection is enhanced because custom holograms cannot be duplicated easily.
Toray Plastics (America), North Kingstown, RI; 401/294-4511; torayfilms.com
Coating Suited for Security
UV-curable scanning coating #15610-87 offers a high degree of brilliance and readability, mfr. says. Designed for use on flexo presses, coating is called well suited for pharmaceutical labels and check printing. Proprietary manufacturing process allows full potential of fluorescent whitening agent to be realized, creating a strong bluish-white effect when label is held under a black light. Scanning varnish has excellent gloss, good surface slip, and scratch resistance, says mfr.
Uvitec Printing Ink, Lodi, NJ; 973/778-0737; 800/478-6330; uvitec.com
MICR-Compliant Ink Prints Checks
VersaInk is the only magnetic ink character recognition-compliant ink for printing checks, images, and high quality documents, the co. reports. The ink's strong magnetic characteristics are said to provide highly accurate, automatic readings of checking account numbers and institutional routing numbers. Usable with VersaCheck creation software and mfr.'s line of security check paper refills. Offers protection against fading and fraudulent alterations.
G7 Productivity Systems, San Diego, CA; 858/675-1095; g7ps.com
