Marabu Announces Plans for FESPA 2017

“Dare to Print Different” is the slogan for this year’s FESPA trade show in Hamburg. Marabu will be living up to its spirit by unveiling a variety of new inks for screen, digital and pad printing, plus liquid coatings for graphical and industrial applications.
 
Marabu will be presenting its comprehensive and varied range of existing. This includes advancements in ink technology for the efficient production of touch screens and as well as recent additions to its portfolio, such as an exceptionally high-quality white within the Mara Jet DI-SX and DI-MS digital ink lines. A further highlight is the brand-new Ultra Pack UVFP system for screenprinting, a UV-curable, low-migration system for food packaging. There is also a pioneering product for pad printing: Tampa Tex TPX, with a remarkable range of applications.
 
Touch screens and pads are now found in many scenarios, including harsh industrial environments, high-tech healthcare, and consumer electronics. But no matter where they are deployed, the inks used to print on them must fulfill high standards.
 
Against this background, Marabu has continued to evolve both ink formulations and the printing process. For membrane switches, the company recommends the use of a combination of screen and digital printing, exploiting the advantages of both methods. In this instance, the PET material used to make the switch is decorated by digital printing using the Ultra Jet DUV-A ink system, which is also compatible with screenprinting. This approach accelerates printer set-up, and enables short production runs and customization of the individual switches for each print job. The blocking layer is created in a subsequent step by means of screenprinting, as digital printing still has its limitations in terms of opacity in special cases. For the blocking layer, panel manufacturers can choose between the solvent-based Mara® Switch MSW system, with white, black and silver, or the UV-curable Ultra Switch UVSW system.
 
This two-pronged strategy can also be transferred to other manufacturing process. For example, the same series of steps and ink systems can be employed for rigid substrates such as polycarbonate and PMMA for the production of front panels.
 
A highly user-friendly eco-solvent-based white has been added to the range of shades available for the Mara Jet DI-SX and Mara Jet DI-MS ink systems. Both whites deliver high opacity, excellent chemical and mechanical resistance, and have an extensive shelf life. Both lines are fully compatible and combinable with original Roland ECO-SOL MAX 3 inks – as guaranteed by Marabu.
 
Marabu has created a cold-peel process for digital transfer printing, with features that conventional screen transfer printing cannot match. For instance, it can be deployed for a large variety of fabric types. The new Texa Jet DX-DTE digital printing ink based on pigmented resin boasts all the major advantages of transfer technology. The image is printed using the CMYK process onto a specially coated film, without the need for complex prepress work. Screenprinting is only required for the white blocking layer or, if needed, the application of adhesive. The final patches are produced by means of a heat press. The patches are extremely thin
 
Marabu is an official distributor for two leading makes of printer. The SCREEN Truepress Jet W3200 UV II, suitable for graphics, is available in Germany, France and Switzerland. The Spyder Xi digital printer from Inca Digital is recommended for industrial customers based in Europe.
 
Food packaging is designed to present edible wares in a way that appeals to consumers, but also protects the contents. Marabu’s new Ultra Pack UVFP system complies with both the EuPIA Suitability List of Photo-Initiators for Low Migration UV Printing Inks and Varnishes, Part 1A and the stringent Nestlé Guidance Note on Packaging Inks. Moreover, this line of products has been tested and approved for use in food packaging by the independent Swiss-based SQTS institute.
 
This UV-curable range of inks combines a number of strengths: brilliant, high-gloss colors, excellent adhesion and durability, and very high reactivity for rapid curing and high production throughput. Ultra Pack UVFP can be employed for all types of food packaging materials, in particular for pre-treated polyethylene and pre-treated polypropylene.
 
Glass is a versatile and attractive material with unique properties and appearance that make it suitable for a wide variety of industrial applications. Tampa Glass TPGL was developed on the basis of state-of-the-art raw materials specifically for pad printing decorations on 3D objects. This ink is suitable for glass and ceramic items, metals, chrome-plated and varnished substrates, and thermosetting plastics. The already comprehensive product line has now been extended to include 4C process inks. The entire offering can be employed on both screen and pad printing presses. 
 
The Tampa Tex TPX system was developed specifically for textiles, and offers very high adhesion and high opacity in conjunction with a flexible ink. As numerous test prints and quality checks have now demonstrated, this best-selling pad-printing ink is also ideal for other, highly demanding tasks. The extremely carefully sourced, high-purity raw materials mean this line not only complies with the strict specifications of clothing manufacturers, such as Adidas A01 und Nike RSL, it also fulfill requirements for baby products, toys and packaging. As a result, Tampa Tex TPX is no longer restricted to prints on T-shirts, shoes and similar items. It is now perfect for other sensitive products, such as babies’ bottles, dummies (pacifiers), toys, and packaging for personal care products and foodstuffs.
 
This innovative, eco-friendly line of water-based inks for decorating toys with spray guns and brushes consists of Maqua Coat MAF base shades and Maqua Color MAC concentrates. Recommended substrates include soft PVC (polyvinylchloride), and other materials that have been suitably pre-treated.
 
Glass is ideal for creating classy interior design elements. Mara Shield UV-CGL can be applied quickly and easily to glass panels using the roller-coating process. It lends itself well to special effects, such as metallic and reflective interference finishes. These liquid coatings can also be employed to produce opaque blocking layer for digital wall prints, for interior wall panels, kitchen work surfaces and splashbacks, and glass doors.