New LED UV inks for food and pharma

Packaging Solutions

Siegwerk is now offering LED UV printing inks for food and pharmaceutical packaging. By launching the Sicura Nutriflex LEDTec ink series, the company is specifically expanding its low migration UV printing ink portfolio.

Expectations of UV printing inks are very high, particularly in the food and pharmaceutical packaging segment – users want the highest level of product safety at minimal migration risk coupled with optimal efficiency and short production time.

Seven years ago Siegwerk’s ink specialists demonstrated the use of inks, which had been matched to the specific radiation spectrum of LED UV light, on a Gallus EM 280 at Labelexpo 2009 in Brussels.

An increasing number of printers are opting for LED UV technology regardless of the printing process used. With its potential for eco efficiency, cost effectiveness and productivity advantages, it is definitely one technological advance of recent years that will drive future development in the printing industry.

The new Sicura Flex LEDTec ink range is based on the successful Sicura Nutriflex 10 series.

‘Siegwerk regards LED UV curing as one of the growth drivers in the market. Overall we anticipate a volume related switch from conventional UV to low migration UV inks in the printing market in 2016,’ said Rolf Montag, product manager, Narrow Web Business Unit at Siegwerk Switzerland AG. ‘A further expansion of applications will enable printers to use LED UV inks for their full range of print jobs.’

In contrast to conventional UV emitters that feature mercury vapour lamps, LED diodes only emit the light of a very limited spectral range, which avoids very high energy IR radiation as well as hazardous UVB and UVC rays. Other benefits include energy efficiency, low heat generation, the long service life of LED UV lamps, as well as zero generation of ozone and therefore no need for suction removal. Furthermore, UV power is available as soon as an LED UV system is activated, so that the process does not require any warm-up phase.

Siegwerk will be at drupa in hall 3, stand A58.