Anthony Locicero, Associate Editor11.04.20
Sustainability is a hot topic in many industries.
Are energy curable technologies considered sustainable?
“Energy curing is considered sustainable in that the energy required can be generated by sustainable sources such as wind, hydropower and solar, and as each technology becomes more efficient the conservation of these valuable resources becomes more of a reality for future generations,” said Damon Geer, VP of Zeller+Gmelin Corporation.
“UV curing inks and coatings have a place in the path to drive further sustainable packaging and operations. Energy cured inks and coatings are primarily 100% solids in that nothing is evaporated when they change from a liquid to a solid which means these products do not generate emissions,” said John Pogatschnik, manager, product narrow web at Flint Group. “Additionally, when using UVLED lamps to cure inks and coating additional sustainability benefits are applied. These lamps use a fraction of the energy, generate less heat which requires less heat management equipment, the lamp life can be 10 times longer than conventional UV bulbs and does not use mercury like many UV lamps, and can result in lower substrate and ink losses with ‘instant on’ capabilities.”
Gelfex, Wikoff Color's EB flexo system, gives convertors the ability to print on PE and create a recyclable package, according to Joe Kubasiak, market manager – Flexible Packaging.
“The system also opens up the possibility to eliminate lamination, effectively reducing the total amount of plastic used and cuts down on the converting process,” he said.
“From an energy standpoint, LED does consume less electricity and eliminates ozone production, which is important to many users who are considering LED as an option,” said Tony Renzi, VP, product management packaging inks, North American Inks, Sun Chemical. “Energy curable ink chemistries are beginning to use renewable raw materials as well, based on soybean modified resin developments. Energy curable inks are considered zero VOC or 100% solids, thus diminishing the discussion around emissions when converting to EC inks.”
“UV-produced products, just like those manufactured in conventional printing, can be fed into the cycle of disposal and processing,” said Alexander Blasek, global project manager UV flexo inks, hubergroup. “Thus, they can also be described as sustainable. However, there is still a great need for education and information among commercial printers and their end customers. UV plays a role as a sales argument when a product is printed on substrates that cannot be produced in conventional offset printing or must have a particularly elegant appearance.”
The benefits of UV include excellent abrasion resistance and stain resistance during post-processing compared to solvent-based printing, according to Kouhei Yoshimura, marketing manager - offset, Functional Materials Sales Division at Toyo Ink Co., Ltd.
“UV inks are solvent-free and can be printed on non-absorbent substrates such as cardboard and PET/PP, and can be used for a variety of package designs,” he said. “In addition, it is possible to create impressive inline effects through the use of a drip-off system and functionally coated UV varnishes.
“As for demerits,” Yoshimura added, “environmental regulatory trends for photoinitiators need to be closely monitored in accordance with the latest information on Europe and photoinitiator manufacturers.”
"Energy curable technologies are considered sustainable and especially UV LED that uses less energy to cure inks compared to traditional UV mercury systems," added Tom Hammer, head of Technical Marketing Narrow Web CUSA, Siegwerk. "Besides, UV LED systems are safer since it is not reliant on mercury and doesn’t emit ozone during the curing process. There are many advantages to LED curing that not only converters but also brand owners take notice of. Furthermore, energy curable systems are being developed and used for circular economy solutions such as deinking and floatable technologies to enhance recycling capability."
