Flint Group’s new range of PU-based inks for high-end lamination lives up to expectations

Citation

(2011), "Flint Group’s new range of PU-based inks for high-end lamination lives up to expectations", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 40 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2011.12940cab.010

Flint Group’s new range of PU-based inks for high-end lamination lives up to expectations

Article Type: Industry news From: Pigment & Resin Technology, Volume 40, Issue 3

Flint Group’s packaging and narrow web division recorded a series of successes at customers after having launched VarioLam AB, its new solvent-based ink series for the packaging market. The product range is based on a nitrocellulose- and chlorine-free polyurethane/acrylic binder system and is especially designed to meet the requirements of a broad range of high performance lamination applications.

“VarioLam AB is suitable for both flexo and gravure applications and thus allows our customers to manage lamination printing with only one basic ink range,” said Tom Donaldson, Technical Support Manager for Flint Group UK and Ireland.

The new product range has been introduced at a number of customers for a variety of end-use applications including wet wipes solutions, as well as boil in the bag applications.

“We were looking for an ink that maintained good bond strengths after vigorous boiling in hot water for 20 minutes,” explained Dave Wilson, Production Manager at Rockwell, Dundee, Scotland, one of Flint Group’s first European customers with the new VarioLam AB. “After having trialed Flint Group’s VarioLam Inks, we were particularly impressed by the excellent bond strengths they provided while showing good color strength and printability at the same time. In the past, we were using PVB-based inks which while indeed giving good bond strengths, they also gave the normal associated flexo printing problems of poor colour strength, poor printability and difficult wash-ups after use. The VarioLam inks seem to have overcome these issues.”