Sun Chemical demonstrates innovative technologies at SGIA

Citation

(2008), "Sun Chemical demonstrates innovative technologies at SGIA", Circuit World, Vol. 34 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.2008.21734dad.003

Sun Chemical demonstrates innovative technologies at SGIA

Article Type: New products From: Circuit World, Volume 34, Issue 4

SGIA 2008 visitors were introduced to innovative new products from Sun Chemical showing significant developments in display, industrial and electronic materials technologies.

“Sun Chemical’s major investments in research and development are paying off for our customers in the screen, digital, narrow web label, brand protection and electronics materials industries,” said Michael Kellen, the director of specialty inks at Sun Chemical. “For each of these unique applications, we have innovative products that improve both productivity and durability, and at the same time reduce consumable costs”.

At booth 1719, Sun Chemical’s newest additions to its display graphics offerings includes the GEN 7 UV multi-purpose ink system designed for use on a wide range of plastic substrates and the COMETAL UV ink system designed for printing onto coated metals. COMETAL can also be used in the hi-tech graphics market.

The GEN 7 ink system can be used on up to 12 point of purchase display plastic substrates including: treated polyethylene banner material, styrene, treated or top coated mylar/polyester, treated coroplast, treated high-density polyethylene sheet, coated paper and board, rigid vinyl, ABS, acrylic, PETg and polycarbonate.

GEN 7 inks are made with high-performance pigments which offer excellent outdoor durability. The rheology has been optimized for excellent printability which gives a smooth finish with low-dot profile.

GEN 7 ink system is an environmentally-friendly solution that creates no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and is NVP free. It also meets the ISO G7 specification, a certification used for the G7 calibration process that is required by some major retailers in North America to maintain printing consistency.

The COMETAL ink system is a UV ink that can be used on decorated coated metal appliance parts and metal signs that passes the Tabor Test, a world standard test that determines abrasion resistance. Unlike most metal signs using UV ink coatings, COMETAL ink system is very flexible which allows for embossing, debossing and bending without fracturing.

COMETAL ink offers five to seven year outdoor durability and is a UV sustainable ink that produces no VOCs and does not require conventional gas dryers.

Additionally, COMETAL inks resist gasoline and can be printed on metal gas pumps instead of decals that the gasoline over time eats through, providing gas companies with a more durable solution.

COMETAL inks can also be used on promotional signs that require dry erase capabilities. Using COMETAL ink for dry erase displays can help screen printers avoid the cost of using other products that require a single hit of a clear solution that is dry erasable.

Sun Chemical will showcase its Platinum White technology, a UV flexo white ink that improves the productivity of converters when printing narrow web labels by delivering increased line speeds, faster changeovers, improved color separations, and reduced costs.

UV rotary screen white inks have long provided high opacity and brightness for package printing, however, rotary screen printers are restricted to low-press speeds and sometimes borderline adhesion to many substrates. In addition, flexo or letterpress inks printed over them usually require modification for optimal wetting and adhesion.

A recipient of a 2008 InterTech Technology Award, Platinum White technology improves on rotary screen technology by enabling increased press speeds, adhesion to many challenging substrates, overprint ability with standard UV letterpress, UV and water-based flexo inks and coatings, better color separations, faster make-ready times, and reduced consumable costs.

Printers will not need to modify press equipment or invest in costly new equipment to use Platinum White. Additionally, converters can cut further expenses by purchasing flexo plates at a considerably lower cost than easily damaged rotary screens.

At SGIA, Sun Chemical will show visitors its SunTronic product line, a series of screen inks used for PCB, membrane switches, fascia panels, industrial labels, medical sensors and others in the printed electronics marketplace.

Some of the offerings from the SunTronic product line include: Aqualine water based flexo silver conductive inks for circuit boards and medical sensors; SunTronic 280 conductive silver inks for membrane touch switches, fascia panels and industrial labels; and SunTronic 680 UV Dielectric inks for printable insulating layers between conductive tracks on membrane touch switches.

Globally, Sun Chemical is one of the leaders in the PCB, membrane switch, devices, and photovoltaic markets.