According to Flint the new colourants increase the colour strength of water ink systems by 20 per cent without compromising the runnability of the ink. In the past, increasing pigment strength in water ink systems made them heavier, more viscous and difficult to run. X-treme Dispersions enable printers and converters to create sophisticated, detailed graphics of intense colour with thinner ink films at faster press speeds.
Steve D’Angelo, Flint Ink Packaging Division director of marketing, says, “Our X-treme Dispersions are the single most significant technological advancement in water inks in the past 10 years. X-treme Dispersions use an exclusive, proprietary chemistry to create stronger inks without increasing viscosity, resulting in significant improvements in print quality, ink curing and press speed. Packaging printers gain high-strength colour, high-end graphics capabilities, and on-press stability in one product.”
D’Angelo credits Flint Ink’s vertical integration for development of the new technology, citing the cooperation between pigment scientists, pigment and dispersion manufacturing, and the packaging division’s product development lab.
According to Flint the new dispersions yield clean, precise images on combination plates fitted with the finest anilox rolls. They create vibrant, resistant ink systems that dry quickly and run easily. “With more concentrated pigment in the ink, ink systems have more room for resin and other additives that improve ink performance both on the press and the substrate,” explains D’Angelo.
The new X-treme Dispersions are available in an array of Pantone colours, and are well suited to inks for flexographic and gravure presses. The new colourants create additional press efficiencies. The inks are more fluid and easier to handle, allowing for faster filling of ink cells. In addition, the high colour concentration of the pigments makes the residual ink easier to recycle.
By ensuring an optimal relationship between ink strength and ink film thickness applied on the press, X-treme Dispersions provide significant cost-savings. The new dispersions help converters achieve colour targets with thinner ink films, creating dramatic improvements in ink mileage.
Flint says in one instance, a converter changed from a standard ink using a 280 line flexo anilox to an X-treme Dispersions ink using a 380 line roller, and reduced ink usage on the job by 30 per cent.
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