Although more and more cigarette pack printing companies have begun to pay attention to water-based inks, the application of water-based inks in cigarette gravure printing in China has also improved somewhat. However, current water-based inks are still mainly used in low-grade cigarettes with low requirements for printing quality. On the package, the application of high-grade cigarette packs is not optimistic, and there are still many cigarette pack printing companies do not dare to get into the water-based ink field. So, what exactly is the problem that has led to the limited application of gravure ink jet ink?
Problem 1: Insufficient ink performance According to Zheng Xiaobo, head of technology research and development of the ink technology development center of Yunnan Qiaotong Packaging and Printing Co., Ltd., “Overall, some of the properties of water-based inks are still unable to compete with solvent-based inks, and their printing effects and solvents There is also a certain gap between the inks, which is one of the main reasons why the domestic cigarette pack printing companies have not accepted the water-based inks.
The first is dryness. The water-based ink uses water as the main solvent, and the latent heat of evaporation of water is large, and the volatilization rate is slow at room temperature. Therefore, the leveling property, adhesion, and glossiness of the water-based ink are lower than that of the solvent-based ink, which is easy to produce. Printing quality problems; followed by solubility, the solubility of water-based inks depends on the solubility and drying properties of water-based emulsions and pastes. It requires frequent mixing in production, and different brands of water-based inks, safe storage period Differently, water-based ink that exceeds the safe storage period is prone to sedimentation or delamination, and even if it is stirred, it does not produce much effect. At this time, unavoidable knife line failure will occur, and even worse.
In addition, the current standards have some shortcomings, and they have failed to pay enough attention to and recognize the inadequacies of certain water-based inks. Taking GB/T 26395-2011 "water-based cigarette gravure ink" as an example, the standard part of the expression of water-based gravure ink can still see the shadow of alcohol-based gravure ink, and it does not exist outside the ban list but must There is a clear limit to the amount of additives added, and there is still some distance from the actual water-soluble or water-based ink standards. Engineer Ma Guangguang of Shandong Luyan Laizhou Government Printing Co., Ltd. pointed out: "If new standards are introduced in the future, if the prohibition on organic solvents can be turned into an admittance system, that is, if the substances other than the regulations are not allowed to be used, then the water-based inks will be used. The application of cigarette gravure printing plays a significant role in promoting.
Problem 2: The production process needs to be adjusted in the gravure package. If the original solvent type ink is changed to water-based ink, it must be adjusted and improved in many aspects such as plate making parameters and equipment structure, otherwise it will affect the printing effect. "This requires not only the active cooperation of ink production companies and suppliers of plate materials, but also the higher requirements for operators' operating practices and skills," said Liu Fengjie, manager of the Quanzhou Printing Technology Division and manufacturing manager.
For example, due to the irreversibility of the drying of the waterborne resin used in the water-based ink, if the engraving intaglio of the traditional "diamond-like" shape is still used, the ink solidified at the bottom of the cell will cause blocking as the use time increases. Version, resulting in insufficient ink transfer, and thus affect the consistency of the printing hue. In this regard, on the one hand, it is necessary to use a laser engraved intaglio of a square-shaped cell; on the other hand, it is required that the operator must clean the intaglio plate in time and thoroughly, otherwise, the entire roll after drying will be scrapped.
In addition, in order to make up for the lack of water-based ink drying, it is necessary to modify the drying device of the existing gravure printing machine, or to increase the drying power of the drying device, or to change the drying power without changing the drying power of the gravure printing machine. Drying device air volume, wind speed to enhance the drying capacity.
Question 3: Concerns about costs With the development of the tobacco industry's benchmark activities, each Chinese tobacco company began to strictly control the cost of cigarette packs, prompting a sharp drop in the prices of cigarette packs, and even triggering a wave of price cuts. At the same time, raw and auxiliary materials and energy prices continue to rise, and labor costs continue to increase, making the profits of cigarette pack printing companies continue to be diluted, and the cost considerations of cigarette pack printing companies have become extremely sensitive and cautious.
As far as the current situation is concerned, the use of water-based inks for gravure printing in cigarette packets is indeed more expensive than the use of solvent-based inks. On the one hand, water-based inks are based on water-based resins, and their purchase prices are much higher than those of ordinary solvents. On the other hand, in order to meet the printing characteristics of water-based inks, they need to be more or less used in terms of energy consumption for production, equipment modification, etc. Some capital investment. Therefore, for those cigarette printing companies that have not yet entered the water-based ink sector, this will increase their concerns to some extent.
Problem 1: Insufficient ink performance According to Zheng Xiaobo, head of technology research and development of the ink technology development center of Yunnan Qiaotong Packaging and Printing Co., Ltd., “Overall, some of the properties of water-based inks are still unable to compete with solvent-based inks, and their printing effects and solvents There is also a certain gap between the inks, which is one of the main reasons why the domestic cigarette pack printing companies have not accepted the water-based inks.
The first is dryness. The water-based ink uses water as the main solvent, and the latent heat of evaporation of water is large, and the volatilization rate is slow at room temperature. Therefore, the leveling property, adhesion, and glossiness of the water-based ink are lower than that of the solvent-based ink, which is easy to produce. Printing quality problems; followed by solubility, the solubility of water-based inks depends on the solubility and drying properties of water-based emulsions and pastes. It requires frequent mixing in production, and different brands of water-based inks, safe storage period Differently, water-based ink that exceeds the safe storage period is prone to sedimentation or delamination, and even if it is stirred, it does not produce much effect. At this time, unavoidable knife line failure will occur, and even worse.
In addition, the current standards have some shortcomings, and they have failed to pay enough attention to and recognize the inadequacies of certain water-based inks. Taking GB/T 26395-2011 "water-based cigarette gravure ink" as an example, the standard part of the expression of water-based gravure ink can still see the shadow of alcohol-based gravure ink, and it does not exist outside the ban list but must There is a clear limit to the amount of additives added, and there is still some distance from the actual water-soluble or water-based ink standards. Engineer Ma Guangguang of Shandong Luyan Laizhou Government Printing Co., Ltd. pointed out: "If new standards are introduced in the future, if the prohibition on organic solvents can be turned into an admittance system, that is, if the substances other than the regulations are not allowed to be used, then the water-based inks will be used. The application of cigarette gravure printing plays a significant role in promoting.
Problem 2: The production process needs to be adjusted in the gravure package. If the original solvent type ink is changed to water-based ink, it must be adjusted and improved in many aspects such as plate making parameters and equipment structure, otherwise it will affect the printing effect. "This requires not only the active cooperation of ink production companies and suppliers of plate materials, but also the higher requirements for operators' operating practices and skills," said Liu Fengjie, manager of the Quanzhou Printing Technology Division and manufacturing manager.
For example, due to the irreversibility of the drying of the waterborne resin used in the water-based ink, if the engraving intaglio of the traditional "diamond-like" shape is still used, the ink solidified at the bottom of the cell will cause blocking as the use time increases. Version, resulting in insufficient ink transfer, and thus affect the consistency of the printing hue. In this regard, on the one hand, it is necessary to use a laser engraved intaglio of a square-shaped cell; on the other hand, it is required that the operator must clean the intaglio plate in time and thoroughly, otherwise, the entire roll after drying will be scrapped.
In addition, in order to make up for the lack of water-based ink drying, it is necessary to modify the drying device of the existing gravure printing machine, or to increase the drying power of the drying device, or to change the drying power without changing the drying power of the gravure printing machine. Drying device air volume, wind speed to enhance the drying capacity.
Question 3: Concerns about costs With the development of the tobacco industry's benchmark activities, each Chinese tobacco company began to strictly control the cost of cigarette packs, prompting a sharp drop in the prices of cigarette packs, and even triggering a wave of price cuts. At the same time, raw and auxiliary materials and energy prices continue to rise, and labor costs continue to increase, making the profits of cigarette pack printing companies continue to be diluted, and the cost considerations of cigarette pack printing companies have become extremely sensitive and cautious.
As far as the current situation is concerned, the use of water-based inks for gravure printing in cigarette packets is indeed more expensive than the use of solvent-based inks. On the one hand, water-based inks are based on water-based resins, and their purchase prices are much higher than those of ordinary solvents. On the other hand, in order to meet the printing characteristics of water-based inks, they need to be more or less used in terms of energy consumption for production, equipment modification, etc. Some capital investment. Therefore, for those cigarette printing companies that have not yet entered the water-based ink sector, this will increase their concerns to some extent.
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