The raw material cost of preparing EB ink is usually lower than that of UV ink.
Jonathan said: "Because photoinitiators (photosensitizers) are not required in EB inks, the cost of EB ink raw materials is lower than that of UV ink raw materials. However, when we measure the overall cost of EB inks, we must also consider another factor affecting Factors, because the purity of raw materials is very high to obtain low-odor EB inks, the price of highly purified raw materials is higher, and the purity analysis of raw materials and finished inks in the laboratory is also one of the cost factors to be considered. In addition, EB The operation and maintenance of curing equipment also requires a lot of research and development costs; the detection of ink products also requires a certain cost. "
Nevertheless, EB ink and UV ink have their own characteristics, so choosing between them is also a problem.
Jonathan continued: "Comparison of EB ink and UV ink is not an easy task, because they have their own advantages and disadvantages. They should really be treated as completely different processes."
Flint Ink (Flint) 's technical director Rodney Barr defaults that direct comparison between EB ink and UV ink is not easy. Basically, the current EB ink printing process is limited to rotary presses and may change in the future. The curing of EB ink must be in inert air, so nitrogen is required for curing. The price of the EB curing system is declining. In fact, the cost of the EB curing system may be lower than the refurbishment cost of installing UV lamps between the units of the rotary printing machine.
On the other hand, EB ink has some obvious advantages over UV ink: it does not release ozone; cold curing without heat source; curing is not affected by the color of the ink; curing depth is more thorough; there is no photoinitiator and therefore the smell is small.
Each printing company has different demands on the performance of printed matter and the bottom line of the overall cost of printing. Compared with UV curing ink printing, the product quality of EB ink printing is more stable, and the predictability of the curing degree of different printing jobs is more reliable. Compared with UV ink, the curing degree of EB ink is more uniform and stable, regardless of ink color and ink film thickness. Because EB ink does not require a photoinitiator, EB ink prints have little or no odor. The structure of UV curing lamps is complex, so maintenance is difficult.
Due to the high cost of EB curing equipment, many printing companies often make purchase decisions only at the end. If the printing company uses EB ink to print plastic film, the printing house will worry that EB ink will degrade the plastic film, which will eventually affect the integrity of the plastic film. In addition, like UV inks, EB curing equipment is not suitable for installation between units of multicolor printing machines. If such a strategy is adopted, the equipment cost is very expensive. Some printing plants install UV curing units between the units, and EB curing units are installed at the end of the printer to cure the printed matter.
As we all know, EB and UV inks have some advantages. Compared with general inks, the most important advantage of energy curable inks is that energy curable inks have the characteristics of not polluting the environment. The curing degree of UV or EB inks and coatings is almost 100%, and its components do not contain VOCs (organic volatiles) that are harmful to humans and the environment.
In addition, the printed matter printed with UV and EB ink has a beautiful appearance and excellent resistance performance, which adds gloss and three-dimensionality to the printed matter. Compared with ordinary inks, energy-curable inks can be dried and fixed in an instant, making online operations such as printing, coating, glazing and compounding possible.
? Printing with UV and EB inks can also reduce the cleaning time of the printing press, because the UV and EB inks on the ink fountain or the printing press will not show skin hardening even if stored for one night, thus reducing the waste of ink.
Once the printing house is determined to use energy-curable inks for printing, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of EB inks and UV inks is mentioned on the agenda. In terms of cost, the price of EB ink is very close to that of UV ink. The EB ink formulation does not require expensive photoinitiators (photosensitizers), but the EB ink formulation combines some other expensive raw materials to give the printed matter a beautiful printing effect, and has good resistance in special applications.
Mike McGovern, director of sales and marketing of energy-curable inks at Sun Chemical Ink Company, said: "The biggest difference between UV inks and EB inks in function should be their different applications in food packaging printing. In food packaging printing, EB The printing effect of the ink is stable and uniform, the repeatability is good, and there is no photoinitiator in the ink composition. Therefore, the printed matter of the EB ink has a lower odor and less migration of the components in the ink. "
Although the initial cost of EB ink is slightly more expensive than UV ink, the performance of EB ink is better. Sometimes the printed matter may need to be combined with three layers of film on its surface, so that the printed matter can be dried and fixed on both sides in an instant. With EB ink printing, the printing speed can be as high as 3000 feet / minute. The energy consumption of the current EB curing equipment is declining, making the EB ink printing more efficient.
Jonathan, UV / EB technical service director of INX International Ink Company, believes that the advantage of EB ink is that it is fully cured, especially the thick ink film is cured more thoroughly, the odor is less, and there will be no strong heat that causes the substrate to deform during curing; The disadvantage is that the capital investment is large, the operating cost is high, and the floor space of the EB curing device and the nitrogen container is limited.
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