Experience in material selection for narrow-width flexographic in-mold labels
The printing methods of in-mold labels include offset printing , flexo printing, gravure printing, embossing, etc. Our company uses ARSOMAEM410 narrow-width unit type flexographic printing equipment to print in-mold labels, mainly serving the lubricant industry. In order to achieve a higher quality of printed products, it is important to choose the consumables that match the equipment. The author now shares some of my experience in the selection of in-mold label materials, printing inks and varnishes, and hopes to play a role in inspiring the jade. If there is anything wrong, please correct me. Selection of in-mold label materials Our company focuses on the following factors when making in-mold label material selection. Tensile properties The in-mold label materials printed by our company are all plastic materials, and the printing and processing technology of such materials is difficult. This mainly refers to the difficulty in controlling the printing tension of the roll material on the unit type flexographic printing equipment, and the inaccurate printing tension control directly leads to the longer time required for printing registration, and the waste of the in-mold label material is more directly caused. The cost has increased dramatically. In order to reduce the difficulty of controlling the printing tension during printing, the biaxially stretched in-mold label material should be selected, which is also beneficial for controlling the consumption of raw materials. 2. Surface tension In-mold label materials need to be tested for surface tension before printing and can be tested directly with Dyne. The surface tension of the in-mold label material must be above 38 mN/m in order to make the ink have good adhesion on the surface and obtain a better printing effect. Appropriate surface corona treatment is applied to in-mold label materials having a surface tension of less than 38 mN/m. Of course, the effect of the surface treatment will also affect the color fastness and saturation of the printed product. Label printing companies using flexographic equipment are recommended to select in-mold label materials with high surface tension. If surface corona treatment is required, it is recommended to use a wiring method to ensure corona effect. 3. Exhaust lines on the back of the material The back surface of the in-mold label material produced by different manufacturers is different. The back of the common in-mold label has a smooth surface, a horizontal pattern, and a vertical line. The choice of the texture is determined according to the length of the exhaust gas path when the barrel is made. Generally, the shorter the exhaust gas path is, the easier the air between the inner label and the barrel is discharged when the barrel is formed, and the probability of forming bubbles is greatly reduced. The higher the barrel yield and production efficiency. After receiving the order, the in-mold label printing enterprise generally determines the direction of the texture according to the size and layout of the in-mold label. One of the easiest ways to verify the suitability of the choice of texture is to use a non-printed in-mold label material to die-cut a complete set of labels and then send them to the barrel factory for a barrel test. If the test is successful, it is determined that the selected in-mold label material and the typesetting method are suitable, and the typesetting and plate making can be assured. 4. Temperature resistance and deformation of the material Our company's ARSOMAEM410 narrow-width unit type flexographic printing equipment generally uses UV ink to print in-mold labels. After each color printing, the ink is cured by UV light. The heat emitted by the UV lamp causes the in-mold label material to be heated, and then stretched during the printing process, which inevitably causes deformation of the in-mold label material. If the printing tension during the printing process is properly set, the printed material is die-cut into finished products or the roll material is cut into individual sheets, the shrinkage tendency of the plastic material when the external force is removed, and the actual size of the finished product or the semi-finished product. It will be slightly smaller than the calculated value, so this problem must be taken into consideration when designing the in-mold label for bleeding, imposition, and die-cutting. Before the official printing, the temperature resistance and deformation of the material must be tested and calculated to ensure the accuracy of the finished product and the printing pass rate. Printing ink selection The application characteristics of the in-mold label determine its high requirements for solvent resistance, acid and alkali resistance, water resistance, oil resistance and abrasion resistance. On flexographic equipment, the use of UV inks to print in-mold labels works best to best meet the above requirements. Pay attention to the following issues when choosing UV inks. 1.Selection of UV ink specifications Not the most expensive or imported UV inks are the best. Only UV inks that meet the requirements for use of printing equipment , customer approval, and the ability to produce qualified in-mold labels are suitable. End-users in different fields have different levels of performance requirements and standards for in-mold labels. For example, chemical-based large-package lubricant products are often placed outdoors. Therefore, it is required that the in-mold label of the selected in-mold label has a level of 8 levels. It can meet the requirements, which means that its UV inks also have high anti-sun properties, and can not use ordinary UV inks. However, it is not easy to do so, and all in-mold labels on the lubricant package are required to be printed with anti-sun UV ink. If a UV ink with high light resistance is used to print the in-mold label of the small packaged lubricant product placed indoors, the printing cost of the in-mold label is increased several times. Therefore, the choice of UV ink specifications and models should adhere to the principle of "only choose the right ones." 2. UV ink supplier's choice After determining the specifications of the UV ink, the manufacturer of the UV ink should be rational. The price of UV ink cannot be considered alone, and UV ink should be selected from the perspective of comprehensive cost. If the same manufacturer's four-color original ink can meet the production requirements, it is best to use the same manufacturer's UV ink; if you consider using two or more UV inks, you must use the selected inks for proofing. And school color. This is because the production standards of different UV ink manufacturers are different, and the hue of the produced inks is different and must be color corrected. In addition, when spot colors are prepared by UV inks from different manufacturers, it is often the case that the hue of the spot color is unstable. Therefore, this problem must be paid attention to before the official mass production. 3. UV ink curing performance testing and selection Different from the traditional offset printing method, our company's ARSOMAEM410 narrow-width unit flexo printing equipment is equipped with a corresponding curing device for each color group, so it uses dry overprinting method. The curing of the UV ink will directly affect the printing quality of the in-mold label. UV inks supplied by different manufacturers have different curing speeds and different degrees of curing due to different photoinitiator contents. If a uniform curing time is used for printing, there may be cases where the previous color ink is not completely cured, and the latter color ink is overprinted, thereby causing problems such as false overprinting, distortion of graphics, and insufficient color fastness. It can be seen that the use of UV inks from the same manufacturer is less likely to cause such problems than using UV inks from multiple manufacturers at the same time. Therefore, the in-mold label printing company must measure the curing time of the UV ink used before it is officially produced. If the curing time of one of the UV inks is relatively long, it will seriously limit the production speed of the printing press. To ensure high-speed, high-efficiency printing, the curing time of each color UV ink is equivalent. When encountering the problem that the UV ink curing time differs greatly, it is generally necessary to communicate with the ink manufacturer to provide a more effective solution. Varnish selection For in-mold labels, static control is critical, and glazing is also helpful in eliminating static electricity. Additives such as leveling agents and static eliminators added to varnish can increase the flatness of the glazing and the antistatic ability of the in-mold label. The purpose of anti-static requirements for varnish has two aspects: on the one hand, it is necessary to eliminate static electricity generated by friction when the in-mold label material passes through various color groups; on the other hand, it is also necessary to suppress the in-mold label material from the glazing unit to the mold. This distance of the cutting unit generates static electricity, and static electricity generated by the in-mold label product during packaging and transportation due to friction and temperature and humidity changes. Therefore, when selecting varnish, in addition to whether the index parameters such as acid and alkali resistance, water resistance, oil resistance, and abrasion resistance meet the required standards, the index of antistatic property is particularly important. The above content is selected from the 12th issue of “ Printing Technology †of Keyin Media in 2010. For more journal content, please pay attention to the journal channel .
Whether it`s
behind a workbench, standing desk, or your kitchen counter, spending long hours
on your feet every day can be tough on your body. To stay comfortable and
reduce pain when you have to stand for long periods, you'll want to use an
anti-fatigue mat.
These
rectangular floor coverings reduce fatigue by preventing the muscles in your
legs from staying static, which keeps your blood flowing, even while you stand
on hard floors. Anti-fatigue mats cause the leg muscles to lightly contract in
response to the mat's slightly flexible surface. If you want real relief,
choosing the right anti-fatigue mat is key. That means determining what type of
mat you prefer, what material will best suit your needs, and what other
features will help you stay most comfortable on your feet.
Will-trade Co., is a
professional supplier of anti-fatigue mat. Classic design of these
anti-fatigue mat fits perfectly with all decor. Creating a super comfy space
where you stand for prolonged periods of time, our easy-care mat looks like an
heirloom rug but feels like you're standing on a zillion gummy bear. Welcome to contact us for customization requirements. Let`s build
long-term relationship.
Anti Fatigue Bath Mat,Non Slip Bathroom Mat,Under Sink Rubber Mat,Bathroom Floor Mats
Fuzhou Will Trade Import and Export Co., Ltd. , https://www.will-trade.com