• Login
    • Join
  • FOLLOW:
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Exclusives
    • Top Companies
    • Printing Inks
    • Raw Materials
    • Equipment
    • Directories
    • Events
    • Jobs
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Exclusives
  • Top Companies
  • Printing Inks
  • Raw Materials
  • Equipment
  • Directories
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Columns
    Editorial
    Digital Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Our Team
    Editorial Guidelines
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    eBook
    Top Features
    2024 Buyers’ Guide

    The Raw Material Market Sees Some Stabilization in 2023

    The Digital Textile Market Continues to Expand

    The 2023 Asia-Pacific Ink Market

    Significance of Sustainability in the Printing Inks and Adhesives Industries
    Breaking News
    Distributor News
    Financial News
    Industry News
    Ink Manufacturers News
    Market Research
    Mergers and Acquisitions
    New Products
    Personnel
    Price Increases
    Printers News
    Suppliers News
    Live From Shows
    Video Bites
    Top News
    Pacer Print Produces High Quality Labels with Epson SurePress L-6534VW UV

    BASF Expands Certification of Recyclability of Multi-layer Films Containing Polyamide

    Mark Andy Selects Duane Pekar as CEO

    Xerox Recognized in Quocirca’s 2023 Sustainability Leaders Report

    Advancion Launches Multi-Functional Etheramine
    Whitepapers
    Glossary
    Top North American Companies
    Top International Companies
    Conductive Inks and Printed Electronics
    Graphic Arts Coatings
    Inkjet Inks and Toners
    Marking and Pad Printing Inks
    News Inks
    Packaging Flexo Inks
    Packaging Gravure Inks
    Publication Gravure Inks
    Publication Offset Inks
    Screen Inks
    Sheetfed Inks
    Specialty Inks
    UV and EB Inks

    Pacer Print Produces High Quality Labels with Epson SurePress L-6534VW UV

    Xerox Recognized in Quocirca’s 2023 Sustainability Leaders Report

    Flint Group Highlights EkoCure Dual Cure at Labelexpo Asia 2023

    ProAmpac Wins 2023 AmeriStar Award for Packaging Innovation

    Kodak Appoints Bitpress as Channel Partner
    Additives
    Energy-Curable Materials
    Flushed Colors and Pigments
    Metallics and Special Effects Pigments
    Resins
    Vehicles and Varnishes
    Waxes

    Program Set for 2024 RadTech UV+EB Technology Expo & Conference

    BASF Increases Defoamer Capacity at Plant in Turkey

    Orion S.A. Celebrates Opening of Second Plant in China

    Evonik and Circular Economy: At Least €1B in Additional Sales by 2030

    Arkema Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results
    Energy-Curing Equipment
    Mills and Mixers
    Testing, Color and QC

    ROSS Mixers Offers Trial Rental Program for R&D Scale Equipment

    Program Set for 2024 RadTech UV+EB Technology Expo & Conference

    BYK-Gardner Introduces byko-test 9500

    ROSS Ribbon Blenders Improve Powder Blending Efficiency

    Excelitas Technologies Appoints New CEO and CFO
    Buyers Guide
    Distributor Guide
    European Ink Directory
    U.S. Ink Directory
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    Heubach Group | Heubach Colorants USA, LLC

    Inksolutions LLC

    Pidilite Industries Limited

    Pan Technology, Inc.

    Brilliant Group, Inc.
    Industry Events
    Live from Show Event
    Webinars
    Top Events
    Middle East Coatings Show 2024

    Labelexpo Americas 2024
    • Magazine
      • Current / Back Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Editorial Guidelines
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Directory
      • Buyers Guide
      • Distributor Guide
      • European Ink Directory
      • U.S. Ink Directory
      • Trade Associations
    • Printing Inks
      • Conductive Inks and Printed Electronics
      • Graphic Arts Coatings
      • Inkjet Inks and Toners
      • Marking and Pad Printing Inks
      • News Inks
      • Packaging Flexo Inks
      • Packaging Gravure Inks
      • Publication Gravure Inks
      • Publication Offset Inks
      • Screen Inks
      • Sheetfed Inks
      • Specialty Inks
      • UV and EB Inks
    • Raw Materials
      • Additives
      • Energy-Curable Materials
      • Flushed Colors and Pigments
      • Metallics and Special Effects Pigments
      • Resins
      • Vehicles and Varnishes
      • Waxes
    • Equipment
      • Energy-Curing Equipment
      • Mills and Mixers
      • Testing, Color and QC
    • Top Companies
      • Top North American Companies
      • Top International Companies
    • Glossary
    • Online Exclusives
    • Slideshows
    • Expert's Opinion
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • eBook
    • Blog
    • Infographics
    • Whitepapers
    • Jobs
    • Supplier Microsites
      • Companies
      • Literature / Brochures
      • Whitepapers
      • Product Spec Sheets
      • Videos
      • Jobs
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live From Show Events
      • Webinars
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Features

    Energy-Curable Ink Market Continues to Grow

    Led by growth in UV LED, interest in energy-curable inks is on the rise, driven by energy cost savings and sustainability benefits.

    Energy-Curable Ink Market Continues to Grow
    Source: hubergroup
    David Savastano, Editor03.08.23
    Energy curing has been one of the steadiest growth markets in the ink industry. There are plenty of reasons why the market has been successful; years ago, people cited the instant cure, which allows for faster processing, but the sustainability benefits and energy cost savings of UV and EB inks are of great interest today.

    Ultraviolet (UV) and UV LED remain the largest portion of the market, with electron beam (EB) a smaller share. Anecdotally, UV LED is the fastest growing sub-section of the market. Overall, energy curable inks are a sizable business, with consultants placing overall sales at between $2 billion and $3 billion annually.

    In terms of companies, UV/EB inks are produced by a wide range of manufacturers. All of the major international ink industry leaders are in the UV ink segment, and there are a few companies – T&K Toka and Zeller+Gmelin – that are primarily focused on energy curable inks and coatings.

    In speaking with industry leaders, the UV ink business was solid again in 2022, with more good news on the way. Niklas Olsson, global director product & commercial excellence, Narrow Web at Flint Group, noted that market intelligence suggests the market for energy curing technology is stable with some minor growth, while Hideyuki Hinataya, GM of the Overseas Ink Sales Division at T&K Toka, reported that power-saving UV printing is growing continuously in 2022, partly due to a switch from
    conventional printing.

    Ed Dedman, flexo technical support/product manager for Zeller+Gmelin Corp., said that overall, the energy curing inks market remained strong in 2022.

    “Sales were somewhat impacted by raw material availability, but we were able to push through and maintain a strong sales and supply position,” Dedman reported.

    Alexander Blasek, global project manager UV flexo at hubergroup, noted that in 2022, the global UV flexo market remained stable with a slight positive trend.

    “Also at the beginning of 2023, we see that this positive trend continues,” added Blasek. “We expect the market for UV flexo applications to further grow within the next few years.”

    “UV sheetfed offset printing also continued to grow in the packaging market while the market for UV commercial printing is already saturated in Europe,” noted Roland Schröder, product manager UV Europe at hubergroup.

    “It was a challenging year for the printing industry, and the ink industry in general,” said Jonathan Graunke, VP - UV/EB technology and assistant R&D director for INX International Ink Co. “Energy curable technologies were not immune to the supply chain challenges, which made for difficult decisions in the procurement of materials and came at considerable cost. Printers were faced with substrate shortages, and of course labor challenges impacted all. I am really proud of how the INX team embraced the challenges and were able to keep open the supply chain for energy curable ink. This led to a steady year in 2022, and I believe it has opened new opportunities for growth moving forward. I am also personally deeply appreciative of how some of our suppliers were able to support us and the industry.”

    Jim Bishop, product manager UV, EB & conventional offset products at Sun Chemical, said that this past year saw the market for energy curable inks and coatings continue to grow.

    “Depending on the end use segment, we feel this growth is ranging between 2% and 3%,” Bishop continued. “Many new large format, high-speed UV sheetfed presses were installed in the North America market, and this trend is expected to continue as these new presses bring strong productivity gains. The use of LED for flexo, narrow web, and commercial applications remains very strong too.”

    Fabian Köhn, global head of narrow web product management at Siegwerk, reported that the two principal and predominant topics for energy curing inks in 2022 were the high costs and the availability of raw materials.

    “This put a big burden and pressure on both ink suppliers and printers,” Köhn said. “Generally, the industry managed this challenge quite well showing an overall stable business in most regions throughout the year. Only China had a particular hard time with several large lockdowns due to the country’s zero COVID policy in 2022 leading to a decline in business in comparison to 2021.”

    The UV LED Market


    Without a doubt, the fastest growing portion of the energy curable ink business is UV LED. Aside from concerns over the regulatory future of mercury lights, which power conventional UV curing, UV LED offers significant additional benefits for users.

    “The general consensus is LED is growing more rapidly,” Graunke said. “Press manufacturers have embraced LED UV curing, and virtually all new narrow web flexo and sheetfed presses have the option to have LED installed. The efficiencies of LED UV and the absence of ozone from a UV lamp make installations less complex with the elimination of certain air flow ducting.”

    Graunke added that retrofitting is also a much simpler process.

    “UV lamp manufacturers have developed solutions that allow for the conversion of existing UV systems to LED with existing footprints, making it very cost effective,” Graunke noted. “It also allows the user to capture energy savings and eliminate mercury UV bulbs from their process.”

    “More and more customers are either ordering new presses or retrofitting existing water-based and UV presses with LED curing systems, primarily because of energy cost savings,” Dedman said. “LED adoption seems to be steadily gaining traction across the print industry, and we fully expect that growth to increase moving forward.”

    Hinataya said that UV LED printing has seen more growth. “The reasons for this are speculated to be the rising cost of electricity and the switch from mercury lamps to LED lamps,” added Hinataya.

    Blasek reported that hubergroup sees a global trend towards UV LED applications in flexo printing.

    “The main drivers are energy cost savings and sustainability,” Blasek said. “We at hubergroup support this and want to collaborate with customers based on long-term concepts. However, LED technology is in sum still more expensive than the traditional UV technology. Consequently, UV drying with mercury vapor lamps is still most common. Within the next years, we expect a further trend towards the LED technology.”

    Schröder pointed out that mercury technology is still leading the way in UV sheetfed offset printing. “There have been major leaps in the UV LED technology in recent years but there are still some technical limitations due to the small number of available photoinitiators and the currently still narrow LED absorption spectrum,” Schröder added.

    Derrick Hemmings, product manager, EC flexo, screen and LED NA & ECP Canada for Sun Chemical, reported that the LED segment is estimated to be around 15% of the total energy curable graphic arts market.

    “We feel that both LED and UV/EB continue to grow at the same rate,” Hemmings said. “RadTech suggests an LED increase from 12% in 2019 to over 20% in 2022. This increase continues to primarily be in digital, commercial offset, screen, and narrow web. Sustainability surrounding energy savings is a key driver of this increase, however, it also can be attributed to increased productivity and throughput.”

    Hemmings added that digital, commercial offset, screen, and NWTL (narrow web, tag and label) customers continue to lead the way in UV LED conversion and equipment sales.

    “Of primary interest to Sun Chemical are LED for sensitive packaging applications, the need for more compliant, low migration solutions, and heat sensitive substrates for further lightweighting of packaging,” Hemmings said. “These needs, along with the significant energy savings (upwards of 50%) being rationalized by converters, continues to help drive UV LED conversion in graphic arts. It’s worth keeping an eye on LED for commercial print applications, as it presents an excellent value proposition and is gaining traction in the industry. Conversions of conventional sheetfed presses to LED provide an excellent path to higher productivity.”
    Olsson said that Flint Group has seen a significant uptake in UV LED products since Q3 2022.

    “Contributing to this increase is the focus by printers, converters, and brand owners on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions,” Olsson said. “Currently, Asia and the United States have a larger share of LED lamps. In Europe, there is a large number of pending installations of UV LED lamps. We estimate that lamp installations in Europe will double over the next 12 months, where high energy costs and potential electricity shortages are driving this change.”

    Köhn said that as in previous years, UV LED is growing faster than traditional UV, in particular in Europe, where high energy costs act as a catalyst for the LED technology.

    “Also in markets like India, Southeast Asia and Latin America, we see an ongoing strong momentum towards UV LED,” Köhn said. “UV LED systems continue to become more and more cost-competitive and more and more new products are launched on the market that complete the offering.”

    EB Printing

    By contrast, the EB printing and ink segment has not had anywhere near the growth of UV, largely due to higher costs, although Dedman said there does seem to be some growth in adding EB capability in the wide web packaging market.

    “Using EB inks for flexible film packaging applications continues to be an area of interest for quite a few converters in North America,” Bishop noted. “Converters seek the ability to surface print a multitude of film types, including recyclable films, which offer many advantages. EB offset and flexographic inks are actively used and possess the ability for utilization on reverse lamination prints. EB topcoats offer a variety of gloss levels, high abrasion resistance, and are remarkably resilient. We’ve seen press speeds rise to 1600 fpm.”

    “Globally, EB curing remains rather a niche market compared to UV technology,” said Blasek. “The reasons for this are the advanced technical and safety requirements as well as high purchase and consumption costs for the equipment. The US market is definitely in a leading position when it comes to EB applications.”

    “In offset packaging printing, we see an increasing interest in EB curing,” Schröder noted. “However, it remains to be seen whether the investments will come and contribute to market growth.”

    “We see a growing interest in the EB segment that is mainly triggered by product safety concerns,” Köhn said. “But we don’t see a growing market yet.”

    “The EB sector is expected to grow in the future,” Hinataya said. “Despite the high cost of installation, we expect understanding of the benefits of EB to spread.”

    “The ink industry is fortunate that the suppliers of EB curing technologies have a strong understanding of how EB can provide unique solutions for certain printing applications,” Graunke said. “They realize that working with ink suppliers is the key to success, which allows the development for specific applications.”

    UV/EB and Food Packaging

    Whenever the subject of food packaging comes up, so too does the topic of low migration and regulatory matters. UV/EB ink industry leaders believe that energy curing is ideal for food packaging.

    Bishop pointed out that energy curable inks and coatings, including UV and EB products, are being formulated to meet increasingly more demanding compliance standards, so that converters and brand owners can have full confidence to apply these technologies in food packaging applications.

    “As validation, migration and additional testing efforts intensify, the technology in return is becoming more precise,” Bishop said, noting that Sun Chemical operates four analytical labs globally to conduct migration studies of finished packages.

    “Year after year, we recognize additional merits in energy curing technologies,” said Olsson. “While there are still perceptions that newer technology, such as UV LED for food packaging applications, must continue to be tested and proven, we believe that the consistency and longevity of cure performance on labels and packaging printed under UV LED lamps is a major benefit for these markets. And, the fact remains that reduced costs and energy consumption drive the UV LED market forward.”

    Köhn observed that all over the globe, brand owners care for enhancing the product safety of their food packaging.

    “And as there will be implemented new regulations over the next years, such as the German Ink Ordinance or the French Decree N° 2020-172 to ban mineral oils in packaging to just name two, more and more printers and brand owners already prepare for future compliance now,” Köhn said.

    “Overall, energy curing technologies have clear advantages over other ink technologies that printers and brand owners do not want to miss.,” Köhn observed. “In terms of food packaging, a full product offering in UV and UV LED is already available worldwide that meets the high requirements of food applications. However, one cannot stress enough that food compliant inks are only an enabler to produce food compliant packaging. At the end, it’s about adapting the entire production process to meet the stringent requirements. Here, ink suppliers can actively support printers in a successful production changeover.”

    “UV/EB continues to be a strong viable technology for food packaging applications,” Graunke said. “It is high speed, instantly dry, and its surface printed resistance properties allow for package lightweighting. As companies move to different materials for printing, UV/EB can be a natural fit. An example is how the traditional, single-use beverage containers are moving to all plastic to improve their recycling capabilities. UV is a natural fit for printing on those containers.”

    “In some food packaging, there is growing interest from solvent-based printing to other printing methods due to environmental considerations, in which case energy-cured technology with high film strength may be the technology of choice,” Hinataya said.

    “Around the world, UV flexo applications are predominantly used for food packaging,” Blasek said. “Of course, the most common applications are labels, shrink sleeves, and wrap arounds. The UV flexo technology has several advantages for printers: It can be used for a variety of printed products and short runs are possible. In narrow web printing, several technologies such as water-based and UV can be combined.”

    “We’re definitely seeing an increase in interest for UV low migration inks for food packaging, I believe mainly because of the proliferation of so many smaller runs and multiple SKUs, which fit very well into the narrow web print sector,” Dedman said. n
    Related Searches
    • UV and EB Inks
    Related Knowledge Center
    • UV and EB Inks
      Loading, Please Wait..
      Breaking News
      • Pacer Print Produces High Quality Labels with Epson SurePress L-6534VW UV
      • BASF Expands Certification of Recyclability of Multi-layer Films Containing Polyamide
      • Mark Andy Selects Duane Pekar as CEO
      • Xerox Recognized in Quocirca’s 2023 Sustainability Leaders Report
      • Advancion Launches Multi-Functional Etheramine
      View Breaking News >
      CURRENT ISSUE

      October 2023

      • 2024 Buyers’ Guide
      • The Digital Textile Market Continues to Expand
      • The 2023 Asia-Pacific Ink Market
      • The Raw Material Market Sees Some Stabilization in 2023
      • Significance of Sustainability in Printing Inks
      • Current Trends for Packaging and Packaging Printing in Europe
      • Innovation is at the Heart of Nur Ink’s Digital Inks
      • View More >

      Cookies help us to provide you with an excellent service. By using our website, you declare yourself in agreement with our use of cookies.
      You can obtain detailed information about the use of cookies on our website by clicking on "More information”.

      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms And Conditions
      • Contact Us

      follow us

      Subscribe
      Nutraceuticals World

      Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

      Ahiflower Replaces Key Tissue DHA in Mice Comparably to Marine DHA
      Chromadex’s Niagen NR Tested in Phase 1 Parkinson's Study
      Alkemist Announces New Participants in its Transparency Program
      Coatings World

      Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

      PPG Earns Equality 100 Award in 2023 Corporate Equality Index
      Beckers Aiming for New Industry Standard for Sustainability
      Birla Carbon Celebrates 65th Anniversary of Cubatão Plant in Brazil
      Medical Product Outsourcing

      Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

      What You’re Reading in November
      Millstone Medical Outsourcing Moves Testing Services into Expanded Facility
      Nordson Medical Expands Easton, PA Operations
      Contract Pharma

      Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

      Intas Pharmaceuticals Receives Another Warning Letter from FDA
      Ono Expands Investment in Ono Venture Fund to $200M
      Sirnaomics Names Francois Lebel Chief Medical Officer
      Beauty Packaging

      Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

      Mary Kay Expands Operations into Hungary
      Anti-Aging Products Market to Hit $60 Billion by 2030
      Wella Company Marks 3 Years of Success—& Aims to Expand
      Happi

      Latest Breaking News From Happi

      Beverly Hills MD Sells Over 7.5 Million Units of Its Dermal Repair Complex
      Mary Kay Expands to Hungary
      Itching: Is a Common Skin Bacterium Behind It?
      Ink World

      Latest Breaking News From Ink World

      Pacer Print Produces High Quality Labels with Epson SurePress L-6534VW UV
      BASF Expands Certification of Recyclability of Multi-layer Films Containing Polyamide
      Mark Andy Selects Duane Pekar as CEO
      Label & Narrow Web

      Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

      Top stories from November
      Davis-Standard's headquarters attains ISO 14001 certification
      Abbott Label named AFFLINK preferred supplier
      Nonwovens Industry

      Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

      Optima Packaging Group Awarded for its Digitalization Strategy
      What You’re Reading on Nonwovens-Industry.com
      ISSA Clean Advocacy Summit and Fly-In Set for April
      Orthopedic Design & Technology

      Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

      ODT’s Most Read Articles in November
      Anika's Integrity Implant System Makes its O.R. Debut
      Study Shows How a Multimodal Feedback System Can Improve Laser Surgery
      Printed Electronics Now

      Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

      Emerson Appoints Michael Tang as Chief Legal Officer
      Canatu Presents Film Heaters at DVN LiDAR
      Jabil Updates Fiscal 2024 Outlook

      Copyright © 2023 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.

      AD BLOCKER DETECTED

      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.


      FREE SUBSCRIPTION Already a subscriber? Login