Ink is the biggest pollution source of the printing industry; the world’s annual output of ink has reached 3 million tons. The annual global organic volatile matter (VOC) pollution emissions caused by ink has reached hundreds of thousands of tons. These organic volatiles can form more serious greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide, and under the irradiation of sunlight will form oxides and photochemical smoke, serious pollution of atmospheric environment, affect people’s health. At present, the main environmental protection ink has the following kinds:
1) Water-based ink
The water-based ink uses water rather than organic solvent, which greatly reduces VOC emissions and does not affect human health. It is not easy to burn, stable ink, bright color, does not corrode the plate, simple operation, cheap price, good adhesion after printing, strong water resistance, fast drying. It is the world recognized environmental protection printing material.
2) UV curable ink
UV ink refers to the use of UV light, with different wavelengths and energy under UV irradiation to make ink film curing. Using uv spectral energy, the ink binder in the polymerization of monomers into polymers, So UV ink color film has good mechanical and chemical properties. At present UV ink has become a more mature ink technology, its pollutant emission is very small. In addition to no solvent, UV ink is not easy to paste, clear dot, bright color, excellent chemical resistance, consumption, and other advantages.
3) Soy-based ink
Soy-based ink is made of edible soybean oil (or other dry or semi-dry vegetable oils) mixed with pigments, resins, waxes and so on. This ink does not contain volatile organic compounds that pollute the atmosphere, odorless, non-toxic, it is gradually replacing the mineral oil ink. Its popularity and promotion is very fast in Europe, Japan and the United State.
4) Water-based UV ink
Water-based UV ink is in UV ink added a certain amount of water and 5% environmental protection solvent, combined with special water-based resin. This makes the ink not only retains the advantages of UV ink curing fast, energy saving, small footprint, environmental protection, but also to achieve the ink curing, moisture volatilization, so that the ink layer thinning printing requirements. This ink is a new research direction in the field of UV ink.
5) Alcohol-soluble ink
Alcohol-soluble ink is based on ethanol (alcohol) as the main solvent, non-toxic, safe, environmental protection, health, is the ideal replacement of traditional plastic ink products. In South Korea, Singapore, alcohol soluble ink has replaced toluene ink. The alcohol-soluble ink mainly play a role in flexo it is also an eco-friendly ink.
Post time: May-05-2022
