Inks Used in Flexo Printing

Inks Used in Flexo Printing.

There are three most preferred types of ink in flexo printing:

solvent-based ink, water-based ink, and UV-based ink.

Solvent-based inks have low viscosity and possess volatile and quick-drying properties because of the solvents used in them.

Alcohol-based inks, on the other hand, have better colour intensity and are faster to dry but are disadvantageous to the health of employees due to the smell it emanates and inhaling of the solvent.

2-) If water-based inks are used, drying ovens should be included in the printing.

However, a decrease in the colour intensity of such printing inks is also observed. They are easier to clean from hoppers.

3-) UV-based inks have a unique drying method which cannot be dried with conventional methods. Although they are usually used in the label sector, the printing comes out very bright and vivid. They also don’t come off easily with scraping.

In flexo printing, foam is formed because the anilox roller rotates continuously in the ink chamber. In order to

prevent this problem, a ‘FOAM CRUSHER’ should be added to the flexo inks.

Generally, flexo printing machines in use are rotary. Therefore, they print on plastic film in a coil state quickly and in series.

The flexo printing technique has an essential place in the packaging industry. Flexographic printing can be used for pasta packaging, pulse packaging, frozen foods, sweets, stick sweets, chocolate packaging, water labels, duct tape printing, and printing on many other products. Products printed with this technique are flexible, hygienic, and have a bright appearance. In terms of the cost of its printing plates and rapid production, it offers significant advantages compared to gravure printing.