Dave Savastano, Editor07.31.15
The vehicle and varnishes market has undergone
major changes in recent years. Of all the major
categories within the ink industry, varnishes have
arguably undergone the most consolidation.
A look back at the Ink World Buyers’ Guide from 2005, just 10 years ago, shows the dramatic changes the varnish segment has undergone in just the past 10 years. In 2005, there were quite a few varnish suppliers, including:
• Alvar, Inc.
• Hexion (previously Lawter and then Eastman Resins)
• Inksolutions, LLC
• Kustom Group
• Noveon
• Var-Chem Products
Fast-forward 10 years, and the varnish market has dwindled. Kustom Group acquired Var-Chem in 2010. In 2014, Kustom Group acquired the varnish operations of Lawter, which had reformed out of Hexion, and the overprint business of Lubrizol Advanced Materials, which had acquired Noveon.
Today, there are only a few varnish manufacturers left, most notably Alvar, Inksolutions, Kane International and Kustom Group. Meanwhile, many of the leading ink manufacturers make their own products.
Robert O’Boyle, product manager - coatings, Sun Chemical, spoke of the importance of vehicles and varnishes from the perspective of an ink manufacturer.
“Vehicles and pigments are formulated together to provide a finished ink,” O’Boyle noted. “The vehicle provides the performance, adhesion, gloss, rub and other physical properties to an ink system, while a varnish is usually clear and is applied over the top of a print.
“Varnishes, also called coatings or overprint varnishes (OPVs), can provide an extra measure of protection, higher gloss, robust rub and scuff, etc.,” O’Boyle added. “Many recent developments include coatings that can provide special effects such as matte, soft-touch and sandy feel. They can even augment the substrate they are applied to by adding water, grease resistance, and inhibit the penetration of chemicals.”
John Jilek Jr., VP sales and marketing for Inksolutions, LLC, said that the importance of vehicles and varnishes has actually grown in line with the interest in low migration inks.
“With low odor low migration (LOLM) work being requested, the role of varnish technology has proven itself most important,” Jilek said. “We are being asked to make inks perform as well as they did before, using a more limited pallet of raw materials. This requires an intimate knowledge of the approvable raw materials and how they will interact with each other. It goes beyond finding the lowest cost resin and solvent that will transfer pigment in an acceptable manner.
“Low odor low migration has been difficult in that the definition of what constitutes a LOLM system, and which raw materials are truly best, are still being debated,” Jilek added.
“Overprint varnishes and coatings are last down products formulated to enhance or protect the printed piece,” said Matt Apke, product manager coatings development at Kustom Group. “They can provide protection of the ink for further processing or have resistance properties to maintain print integrity over the life of the printed piece. Enhancing print through the use of effect pigmented coatings or soft and sandy feel coatings continues to be an area of strong growth that furthers brand identity and image.” Apke added that “overprints and coatings continue to show steady growth especially in emerging technologies like LED and H-UV.”
Apke noted that aqueous coatrings are doing well in the market. “Aqueous coatings continue to be a cost effective approach to protecting ink and increasing throughput,” Apke observed. “Aqueous coatings can also provide unique, process specific resistance properties. UV and energy cure in general; EB, H-UV and LED, continue positive growth thanks to new equipment purchases and emerging technologies.”
Tim Molique, quality and regulatory affairs, product manager vehicles development at Kustom Group. said that the vehicles market remains in “a downward trend.”
“Between the consolidation of ink companies, less ink on paper, and with domestic ink companies continuing to import large percentages of ink, the demand for vehicles is shrinking,” Molique added. “However, certain segments, packaging printing for example, have seen some growth, but overall the vehicle market is down once again. Luckily, with our acquisitions over the past several years, Kustom Group remains strong in the vehicle market and will continue to support our customers long into the future.”
“The roles of vehicles have come a long way,” Molique observed. “It’s no longer just to carry pigment to the substrate. In today’s world, printers need these vehicles to hit the ever changing regulatory parameters required and be able to print a sharp dot on today’s high speed presses. Whether it’s high solids, BPA-free, Swiss compliant, etc., vehicles must still have all the chemical and physical properties needed to print sharp and set fast on the latest and greatest high speed presses.”
O’Boyle also noted the interest in low migration inks. “There has been an increased interest in coatings and varnishes that are compliant with an ever increasing set of regulations for food contact, low migration and low odor projects,” he said. “There is also an increased need for coatings that can extend the capability and range of economical ink systems beyond their original target market.”
O’Boyle noted that Sun Chemical has an array of technical resources from other industries and disciplines at its disposal. “Technology is often shared internally with some remarkable advances over the years,” O’Boyle said. “Also important is having a close relationship with your customers to fully understand their capabilities and requirements. We have technical experts who travel regularly and meet with customer innovation teams to develop targeted programs.”
Matt Grodd of Kane International Corporation said that vehicles and varnishes work to promote adhesion in ink systems, and offer improved mechanical and chemical performance. He added that perfomance vs. cost ramains an important issue for customers.
“For the most part, business is strong with continued emphasis on performance with economy,” Grodd noted. “For the varnish/vehicle market, just like many markets, the challenges are to improve upon performance at reduced costs. There is also an ongoing demand for the kinds of raw materials that will enhance retort work.”
Challenges Vehicle and Varnish Manufacturers Face
One problem that suppliers of vehicles and varnishes are facing is that the market remains, as Jilek noted, “flat to even from last year.”
“With the implementation of GHS and a more global awareness of Swiss Ordinance and Nestle Compliance, we are challenged with formulating coatings and overprints that minimize the impact of these subjects,” Apke said. “Raw materials that have been the backbone of formulations for generations are now being removed affecting entire product lines. We must continue to identify new, compliant raw materials while producing coatings and overprints that meet the demands of increased production and keep customer satisfaction high. The emergence of digital technologies such as inkjet and toner-based inks are also putting new requirements on coatings and overprints. Specialized formulas and print specific materials are more common today than ever. Increased production capabilities of new equipment as well as emerging technologies continually force our formulators to modify and qualify new products without compromising quality and cost.”
Grodd noted that high-end food packaging remains a strength for solvent-based materials. “In high-end food packaging, the movement continues to be toward solvent for performance and high speed printing,” Grodd said.
“In the past customers would carry several vehicles to use in different series of inks, low solids, high solids and several vehicles for different substrates,” Molique said. “Now, customers are consolidating and looking for vehicle systems that are high solids that fit these regulatory parameters, and still set like a 50% solids vehicle system. Chemically, these vehicles are challenging to manufacture, but with the correct raw materials selection, vehicles can be built to fit these criteria and still maintain the desired physical properties required.”
One area that is showing growth is water-and UV-based varnishes, at the expense of oil-based products. This isn’t only due to environmental issues, but also improved performance characteristics as well.
“Inksolutions is working on UV vehicles and have several commercially available,” Jilek said. “With the oil-based side shrinking, litho ink makers are looking for technical assistance; they want UV raw materials built like oil-based - a wetted color product (flush or dispersion) and vehicle. This will leave the big difference to the ink manufacturers to be what was the drier now PI Package, and wax packages to perfect for each customers’ individual needs.”
“We are seeing a lot of movement and interest in water- and UV-based varnishes for many reasons, but mostly for increased performance and compliance issues,” O’Boyle concluded.
A look back at the Ink World Buyers’ Guide from 2005, just 10 years ago, shows the dramatic changes the varnish segment has undergone in just the past 10 years. In 2005, there were quite a few varnish suppliers, including:
• Alvar, Inc.
• Hexion (previously Lawter and then Eastman Resins)
• Inksolutions, LLC
• Kustom Group
• Noveon
• Var-Chem Products
Fast-forward 10 years, and the varnish market has dwindled. Kustom Group acquired Var-Chem in 2010. In 2014, Kustom Group acquired the varnish operations of Lawter, which had reformed out of Hexion, and the overprint business of Lubrizol Advanced Materials, which had acquired Noveon.
Today, there are only a few varnish manufacturers left, most notably Alvar, Inksolutions, Kane International and Kustom Group. Meanwhile, many of the leading ink manufacturers make their own products.
Robert O’Boyle, product manager - coatings, Sun Chemical, spoke of the importance of vehicles and varnishes from the perspective of an ink manufacturer.
“Vehicles and pigments are formulated together to provide a finished ink,” O’Boyle noted. “The vehicle provides the performance, adhesion, gloss, rub and other physical properties to an ink system, while a varnish is usually clear and is applied over the top of a print.
“Varnishes, also called coatings or overprint varnishes (OPVs), can provide an extra measure of protection, higher gloss, robust rub and scuff, etc.,” O’Boyle added. “Many recent developments include coatings that can provide special effects such as matte, soft-touch and sandy feel. They can even augment the substrate they are applied to by adding water, grease resistance, and inhibit the penetration of chemicals.”
John Jilek Jr., VP sales and marketing for Inksolutions, LLC, said that the importance of vehicles and varnishes has actually grown in line with the interest in low migration inks.
“With low odor low migration (LOLM) work being requested, the role of varnish technology has proven itself most important,” Jilek said. “We are being asked to make inks perform as well as they did before, using a more limited pallet of raw materials. This requires an intimate knowledge of the approvable raw materials and how they will interact with each other. It goes beyond finding the lowest cost resin and solvent that will transfer pigment in an acceptable manner.
“Low odor low migration has been difficult in that the definition of what constitutes a LOLM system, and which raw materials are truly best, are still being debated,” Jilek added.
“Overprint varnishes and coatings are last down products formulated to enhance or protect the printed piece,” said Matt Apke, product manager coatings development at Kustom Group. “They can provide protection of the ink for further processing or have resistance properties to maintain print integrity over the life of the printed piece. Enhancing print through the use of effect pigmented coatings or soft and sandy feel coatings continues to be an area of strong growth that furthers brand identity and image.” Apke added that “overprints and coatings continue to show steady growth especially in emerging technologies like LED and H-UV.”
Apke noted that aqueous coatrings are doing well in the market. “Aqueous coatings continue to be a cost effective approach to protecting ink and increasing throughput,” Apke observed. “Aqueous coatings can also provide unique, process specific resistance properties. UV and energy cure in general; EB, H-UV and LED, continue positive growth thanks to new equipment purchases and emerging technologies.”
Tim Molique, quality and regulatory affairs, product manager vehicles development at Kustom Group. said that the vehicles market remains in “a downward trend.”
“Between the consolidation of ink companies, less ink on paper, and with domestic ink companies continuing to import large percentages of ink, the demand for vehicles is shrinking,” Molique added. “However, certain segments, packaging printing for example, have seen some growth, but overall the vehicle market is down once again. Luckily, with our acquisitions over the past several years, Kustom Group remains strong in the vehicle market and will continue to support our customers long into the future.”
“The roles of vehicles have come a long way,” Molique observed. “It’s no longer just to carry pigment to the substrate. In today’s world, printers need these vehicles to hit the ever changing regulatory parameters required and be able to print a sharp dot on today’s high speed presses. Whether it’s high solids, BPA-free, Swiss compliant, etc., vehicles must still have all the chemical and physical properties needed to print sharp and set fast on the latest and greatest high speed presses.”
O’Boyle also noted the interest in low migration inks. “There has been an increased interest in coatings and varnishes that are compliant with an ever increasing set of regulations for food contact, low migration and low odor projects,” he said. “There is also an increased need for coatings that can extend the capability and range of economical ink systems beyond their original target market.”
O’Boyle noted that Sun Chemical has an array of technical resources from other industries and disciplines at its disposal. “Technology is often shared internally with some remarkable advances over the years,” O’Boyle said. “Also important is having a close relationship with your customers to fully understand their capabilities and requirements. We have technical experts who travel regularly and meet with customer innovation teams to develop targeted programs.”
Matt Grodd of Kane International Corporation said that vehicles and varnishes work to promote adhesion in ink systems, and offer improved mechanical and chemical performance. He added that perfomance vs. cost ramains an important issue for customers.
“For the most part, business is strong with continued emphasis on performance with economy,” Grodd noted. “For the varnish/vehicle market, just like many markets, the challenges are to improve upon performance at reduced costs. There is also an ongoing demand for the kinds of raw materials that will enhance retort work.”
Challenges Vehicle and Varnish Manufacturers Face
One problem that suppliers of vehicles and varnishes are facing is that the market remains, as Jilek noted, “flat to even from last year.”
“With the implementation of GHS and a more global awareness of Swiss Ordinance and Nestle Compliance, we are challenged with formulating coatings and overprints that minimize the impact of these subjects,” Apke said. “Raw materials that have been the backbone of formulations for generations are now being removed affecting entire product lines. We must continue to identify new, compliant raw materials while producing coatings and overprints that meet the demands of increased production and keep customer satisfaction high. The emergence of digital technologies such as inkjet and toner-based inks are also putting new requirements on coatings and overprints. Specialized formulas and print specific materials are more common today than ever. Increased production capabilities of new equipment as well as emerging technologies continually force our formulators to modify and qualify new products without compromising quality and cost.”
Grodd noted that high-end food packaging remains a strength for solvent-based materials. “In high-end food packaging, the movement continues to be toward solvent for performance and high speed printing,” Grodd said.
“In the past customers would carry several vehicles to use in different series of inks, low solids, high solids and several vehicles for different substrates,” Molique said. “Now, customers are consolidating and looking for vehicle systems that are high solids that fit these regulatory parameters, and still set like a 50% solids vehicle system. Chemically, these vehicles are challenging to manufacture, but with the correct raw materials selection, vehicles can be built to fit these criteria and still maintain the desired physical properties required.”
One area that is showing growth is water-and UV-based varnishes, at the expense of oil-based products. This isn’t only due to environmental issues, but also improved performance characteristics as well.
“Inksolutions is working on UV vehicles and have several commercially available,” Jilek said. “With the oil-based side shrinking, litho ink makers are looking for technical assistance; they want UV raw materials built like oil-based - a wetted color product (flush or dispersion) and vehicle. This will leave the big difference to the ink manufacturers to be what was the drier now PI Package, and wax packages to perfect for each customers’ individual needs.”
“We are seeing a lot of movement and interest in water- and UV-based varnishes for many reasons, but mostly for increased performance and compliance issues,” O’Boyle concluded.