Consider the cost from the ink adjustment process

Accurate blending before ink proofing

Before the ink is proofed, it should be accurately adjusted, and the BCM value of the anilox roller should be estimated to reduce the number of repeated ink adjustments on the machine. There are many types of machines for ink color development on the market. It is necessary to use an ink color machine suitable for actual production conditions and cost-effective. The speed and ink volume must be equal to the production conditions. For example, the speed of the small flexo color development machine at the Shengweike laboratory can reach 70 m/min, and the accuracy of ink adjustment is quite high.

Appropriate blending before ink proofing

The ink normally used for color development should not exceed 20g when blended, and the balance used for weighing should be accurate to 4 decimal places. After the color development is confirmed, about 50 to 100 g of ink (except water-based ink) is dispensed to allow the anilox roller and the ink-receiving roller to maintain a short amount of ink. After finally confirming the color on the machine, add some ink for formal proofing.

Design or modification of flexo ink disc

Nowadays, the ink discs of most flexo presses require a minimum of 2 kg of ink. If the ink usage of the ink disk is reduced to 500 g or even 300 g, then the amount of ink used for proofing or the amount of ink remaining in the ink disk after short production can be saved to some extent. At present, some flexo printing machine manufacturers have also taken this point and introduced a small ink disc with an ink usage of 300g, for example, the ink disc of the new P-series flexo press by McAndy. In fact, the label printing company can modify the ink tray of the flexo printing machine by itself, but it must ensure that the ink has sufficient reflow at high speed.

Ink on demand

In actual production, the ink is reduced, not enough to use; the adjustment is increased, and unnecessary residual ink is added. In fact, how much ink is needed can be estimated in advance. Therefore, it is very important to dispense ink on demand.

Considering the cost of production from the machine

Not easy to use additives

Additives can improve the performance of the ink, but can not be added arbitrarily, especially for expensive photosensitizers and leveling agents.

The addition of a photosensitizer is generally due to poor curing of the UV ink, but most of the poor curing is not a problem with the ink, but a problem with the UV lamp. Maintaining UV lamps not only saves energy but also reduces the cost of adding additives. Another situation is the matching problem between UV ink and UV lamp: For example, the UV photosensitizer is mainly UVC, but if UVA-based metal halide lamp is used to cure UV varnish, it will hit the sponge like a fist. It doesn't work, and adding more photosensitizers is a waste.

Leveling agents are used in large quantities in varnishes and in some inks where unevenness occurs during printing. However, sometimes the use of leveling agents may be due to uneven printing materials or poor overprinting, etc., so it is necessary to prescribe the right medicine to avoid "killing the chicken with a knife."

Avoid unnecessary ink waste

In production, the ink at the bottom of the ink tank and the ink in the ink tray (especially white ink) when changing sheets are extremely wasteful. At present, most of the UV inks are packed in 5kg ink drums. When the ink is used up, there will be ink residue at the bottom of the ink tank, and it is not easy to pour out. If it is scraped off, the residual ink is about 100g. In the case of white ink, the residual amount is usually about 150 to 200 g. When printing transparent labels, it is usually made with white ink, and its usage is even more than the sum of the usage of other color inks, so the amount of waste is also larger. In the same way, the ink in the ink tray should be fully scraped off with soft rubber when changing the order, which is environmentally friendly and can save costs.

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