Characteristics of in-mold label printing equipment and its labeling technology

In recent years, although the degree of specialization of domestic printing companies has greatly improved, it is still less than ideal for developed countries in the printing industry. In the label printing industry, it is difficult to find a truly professional manufacturer. China has not yet formed a "label industry." Magazines and book printers also print labels, so that embossing, offset, and screen printing have long dominated the Chinese label. In the printing market, in fact, flexographic labels have become very popular overseas.

In-mold labeling is a new form of label packaging, which has been popular in developed countries in Europe and America for many years. In recent years, it has also been favored by more and more printed substrate suppliers, label manufacturers and end consumers in China. Shanghai Ziquan Label Printing Co., Ltd. borrowed from the successful experience of international label companies and introduced the FA2500 narrow-width flexographic printing press from Nilpeter of Denmark in early 2004 to further promote the in-mold label in the domestic market.

In-mold label printing equipment features

The use of a narrow-width flexographic printing press to print in-mold labels can well meet the production requirements for in-mold labels. This is mainly due to the characteristics of the equipment itself.

1. Electrostatic dust removal unit

The dust on the printing substrate can be well removed and the substrate can be cleaned so that high-quality prints meeting the requirements of environmental protection can be printed.

2. High-power online corona treatment system

The system ensures the affinity of the printed substrate surface to the ink, allowing better bonding between the ink and the substrate, and also improves the wear resistance of the label.

3. Ultracell+ Super Mesh Laser Engraving Ceramic Anilox Roll

Super-mesh laser-engraved ceramic anilox roller net wall is sturdy, clear, uniform and smooth, and the mesh hole is bowl-shaped, and the effective ink-carrying capacity is high. Even under a high number of lines of 1000 lines/inch, the amount of ink carried can still be reached. 2.5BCM, while other laser-engraved ceramic anilox rollers, the 800 lines/inch ink load is only 2.0BCM, which lays a solid foundation for high-precision screen printing.

4. Unique cold UV curing system

The cold UV curing system reduces the temperature at which the printed substrate dries, ensuring that the in-mold label film with poor thermal stability also has excellent print quality.

5. UV curing ink

UV ink has 100% solid content, no solvent, and the drying mechanism is UV-light photochemical curing. There is almost no physical solvent evaporation, which can avoid the environmental pollution caused by ink drying.

6. Unique UV coating system

The system not only improves the gloss of the in-mold label and the surface decoration of the product, but also improves the wear resistance and temperature resistance of the in-mold label. With anti-static varnish from Arnold, you can better prevent static electricity generated by the label inside the mold and ensure smooth labeling.

7. Online static elimination device

The use of the product is ensured to the greatest extent possible, because static electricity is the biggest problem in in-mold labeling applications and static electricity must be reduced to a minimum during production.

8. Complex post-processing system

Stamping, laminating, round die cutting, flat die cutting. Subsequent processing such as automatic paper delivery makes the production of in-mold labels more automatic and continuous, effectively guaranteeing the timely completion of orders.

The cold stamping unit is configured on the flexographic printing machine, which has the advantages of no heating, fast hot stamping, and in particular, the hot stamping of network lines that cannot be achieved. If the application is not properly applied to key technologies such as UV adhesives and hot stamping films, it is difficult to ensure the sharpness of the hot stamping image.

In-mold Labeling Technology

The in-mold label is made of a composite plastic film coated with a hot-melt adhesive as a base material, and can be used for labeling of thermoformed containers such as blow molding and injection molding. The labeling process is: the robot sucks up the label in the mold, places it in the mold, and melts the adhesive on the back of the label in the mold with the high temperature when the plastic melts, so that the label and the container in the mold are integrated.

Since the in-mold label is integrated with the bottle body and the chemical composition is the same, it can be recycled together and the recycling rate is high, reflecting the environmental advantages of the in-mold label. The in-mold label was attached to the side of the container after labeling, which served to reinforce the side wall of the container. The strength of the container was increased by 120%, and the consumption of blow-molded materials was also reduced to some extent. In addition, the use of plastic film substrates and UV-curable inks has greatly improved the waterproof properties, oil resistance, corrosion resistance, mold resistance, abrasion resistance, and freeze and soak resistance of in-mold labels. The use of in-mold labels.

At present, the price of domestic in-mold labels is twice that of self-adhesive labels, which largely hinders the promotion of in-mold labels. However, with the gradual deepening of domestic understanding of in-mold labeling, technology promotion and improvement, and the decrease in the cost of in-mold label materials, its price will surely reach the level acceptable to customers.

At present, more and more international companies are entering the Chinese market. This is a great opportunity for the label industry that is still in the development stage in China, and brings new technology and quality standards to the domestic label industry. We should seize the opportunity to accelerate our own development.