Siegwerk has introduced an ink range for gravure printing based on a polyurethane binder system and contains no polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
The new PUR inks are developed to reduce PVC use, ink complexity and set-up times while allowing for quicker changeovers between print jobs.
Siegwerk EMEA Technology Flexible Packaging head Dr Hanns Martin Kaiser said: “Lately brand owners have expressed an increasing interest in PVC-free printing inks to realize complex packaging structures.
“Our new PUR-based ink system fulfills these requirements, while also incorporating other benefits.”
Planned to be made available initially in Europe, the new ink technology is optimized to meet high performance requirements, such as high bond strength values in lamination as well as allows for use in harsh retort conditions.
It enables printers to simplify their portfolio, improve processes and reduce operational costs, the company said.
Kaiser added: “After two years of development, the new ink range performed very successful in first extended industrial trials.
“It showed excellent printability with solid full tone and outstanding half tone reproduction. We optimized it for best dispersion results in order to produce high color strengths.”
Siegwerk noted that the PUR ink system is solely based on ethyl acetate as a solvent to allow utilization in monosolvent set-ups in combination with solvent recovery systems.
The firm manufactures key polyurethane binders at its PUR production facilities in Annemasse, France or Bhiwadi, India.
