David Savastano, Contributing Editor05.29.24
Over the years, the growth of the energy curing industry has been a constant. New applications have emerged that are benefitting from the use of UV, UV LED and EB curing, while graphic arts and coatings continue to see opportunities emerge.
One of the interesting aspects has been the reasons why the use of energy curing has expanded. Initially, it was performance benefits, as the ability to instantly cure a product makes for a huge advantage. Environmental benefits soon came to the forefront, as eliminating solvents is sought after.
Now, sustainability is the new goal, and UV, UV LED and EB curing offers numerous advantages. The energy curing community recently convened in Orlando, Fl, for RadTech 2024, RadTech International North America, The Association for Ultraviolet and Electron Beam Technologies’ biennial convention, which was appropriately titled “Today’s Choices, Tomorrow’s Future: UV+EB for Sustainable & Responsible Manufacturing.”
RadTech 2024 featured three short courses, 30 conference sessions with more than 90 presentations, more than 65 exhibitors, and a series of panel discussions on important topics such as coil coatings, metal packaging, the regulatory landscape and much more.
“Sales in matte packages are higher than gloss – it elevates consumers expectations and communicates naturalness,” Heathcote observed, adding that UV has always given a highly glossy look.
“We are working on creating degrees of matte-mattifying agents and surface modification,” said Heathcote. “We can use an excimer lamp, apply the ink or coating, pre-gel it with an LED or gallium lamp, and use the excimer lamp to just touch it followed by a final full cure. We’re seeing more of this in Europe and starting to see it in the US.”
“We are seeing huge demand for super matte for anti-glare, anti-fingerprint, and anti-reflective improved stain resistance for labels, flexible packaging, rigid packaging, commercial printing, furniture, flooring cabinets, appliances and home décor,” added Ryan Turner of GEW, Inc.
Nicholas Penrose of of BYK USA, Inc. covered “PFA-free Sharpie Marker and Stain Resistance for UV-cured Wood Floor Coatings.” He noted that PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are persistent, adding that a lot of regions are starting to restrict, require reporting or eliminate PFAS. In this case, he focused on stin and Sharpie resistance, and area where substances using PFAS is effective.
“More than 64 additive and combinations were tested,” Penrose reported. “Surface-free energies and their components and contact angle do not correlate to stain and Sharpie marker resistance. Beading of stains typically resulted in lower stain scores. Currently, a 3% commercial defoamer combination, 2% novelty polyurethane W&D agent, 5% commercial PE wax and 5% liquid non-reactive acrylate surfactant gives the strongest performance.”
“The Future of Sustainability in UV/EB Packaging” panel looked into packaging, with moderator Todd Fayne of PepsiCo beginning the discussion with some thoughts on sustainability.
“Sustainability means something different to everyone,” Fayne observed. “Do you focus on greenhouse gases, reducing materials, recyclability and composting? It’s not one or the other. Maybe developing compostable packaging is the best approach, as there are a lot of plastics is the environment. UV/EB is a critical component in what we are trying to do.”
Rich Cohen of Elevate Packaging, Inc. noted that there is some discussion about endocrine disruption due to microplastics.
“We have to address both the recycling and human concerns,” said Cohen. “Sustainability is here to stay – it’s not going away, and the younger generation wants to solve this problem, so as a business you want to think about your longer-term prosperity.”
Bill White, The Meyer’s Printing Companies, added that it’s been very interesting to watch the changes over the years.
“Most of our packaging is paper-based,” White said. “Most of the packaging we produce is paper-based – we look at inks and coatings that can be recycled. UV and EB addressed the VOC issue, and now we are transitioning to UV LED, which uses much less energy.”
This panel was followed by a session dedicated to packaging, beginning with Im Rangwalla of Energy Sciences Inc., who discussed “Latest Recyclability and Total Energy Consumption Update on Making Sustainable Packaging with Electron Beam Processing.” Rangwalla began with a recyclability update on monomaterials.
“To facilitate recycling of flexible packaging, similar material laminates like PE/PE are being developed to replace PET/PE or OPP/PE,” said Rangwalla. “Heat resistance of PE films is increasing with a higher dose of EB irradiation. PE films after EB treatment increase in temperature resistance and have better mechanical properties, but will it be functional in packaging forming and filing, and is it recyclable? EB treated laminates can be recycled.”
Karl Swanson, PCT Ebeam and Integration and Sharon Beeman of S-One combined on a talk on “Enhancing Flexible Packaging with EB Finishing Techniques.”
“Brand owners choose digital print to provide a unique package to consumers, but that’s just one layer,” Swanson reported. “The most prominent laminating methods are solventless laminators, thermal laminators or EB.”
“We can use excimer lamps with EB, which can produce ultra-matte effects with the flip of a switch,” said Beeman.
Prashant Atre, Toyo Ink Arets India managing director, followed with “The Future of UV Inks in the Packaging Industry: A Technological Renaissance.”
“The ink should dry as soon as possible,” said Atre. “We cannot print film with offset and we cannot produce short and quick print jobs with gravure and flexo. How can UV, LED and EB contribute to sustainability and a safer world?
“Energy curing reduces energy and improves resource efficiency,” Atre added. “There are no VOCs unlike solvent-based chemistry. It also reduces waste. It is also independent of substrate, allowing printers to use one ink system, and it’s also being produced with bio-based formulations. Almost 40% of our inks are using renewable and vegetable-based formulations. All de-inking tests with our UV LED inks so far show results between 96% and 100% de-inking according to Ingede.”
“Advancements in Flexible Ultra-Low Odor and Low Extractable Coatings for Greenpack Applications towards Sustainable and Versatile Solutions,” presented by Todd Griffin of Greenpack Inks and Coatings, closed the packaging section.
“We have demonstrated significant advances in low odor,” said Griffin. “It is important to minimize extractables to migrate out; this is key for food, cosmetics and medical devices. We eliminate VOCs; raw material selection is critical. Flexibility is a key element for energy-curable coatings, such as mechanical bending and stretching for applications such as flexible packaging, automotive interiors and printed electronics.”
In the Sustainable Solutions session, Angelique Runacre, Fujifilm Ink Solutions Group and RadTech Europe president, spoke about “Formulating Inkjet Inks with Sustainability in Mind.”
Runacre noted that inkjet is ideal in terms of sustainability, as it requires press, ink, primer and inkjet head cleaner. Meanwhile offset needs many consumables and has more substrate waste.
“Previously when we formulated an ink, the focus was on functionality and cost,” Runacre said. “Now we have to consider human impact credentials, health and safety of employees, carbon footprint, regulatory compliance and product recyclability. Raw material selection includes reliable performance, improved product footprint and product lifetime.
“We must also consider the ink’s impact further down the chain, such as recyclability and compostability,” Runacre added. “UV curable inkjet ink facilitates a sustainable approach to many printing processes. Advances in sustainable raw materials and an understanding of the inkjet manufacturing process allows formulators to reduce the cradle to gate impact in inks. More work is required to understand the full circular impact of ink technologies. We see increased adoption of UV LED curing inkjet printing.”
Corey Lewis of The Pokémon Company International presented the special Fireside Chat, with an emphasis on UV and Pokemon cards and packaging.
“Working at Pokemon is every kid’s dream,” Lewis told the audience. “My career at TPC lets me fulfill my two biggest passions in life – executing world-class creative with the transformative power of print and design while bringing joy to the world on a brand I’ve loved since childhood. My team of talented print roducers and I manage the production of Pokemon Trading Card Game material from inception, printing, and then packout and assembly. Everything is possible and there’s nothing we can’t do.”
Lewis noted that during COVID, there was a tremendous interest in collectibles, and Pokemon’s sales just of printed cards exceeded $1 billion in revenue. The previous high was $400 million in 2016. That trend is continuing, as Pokemon’s sales were $2.4 billion last year.
“We continuously need more capacity and expertise in producing our product,” said Lewis. “UV printing of trading cards is a match made in heaven. We operate a fleet of 14 printing presses in Raleigh, NC. They are hybrid of conventional and UV printing operations. The yellow is a spot color and run the magenta way down, and the blue borders are an additional spot color. We print the backs of the cards in large quantities and the card face will be laminated in foil for specialized cards.”
Lewis observed that his company printed a total of 10 billion Pokemon cards every year.
“Pokemon cards that are printed on laminated foil casino grade cardstock feature three potential UV coatings to apply embellishments,” said Lewis. “In 2023, with our new SV01 expansion, several card coatings were switched from aqueous to UV. Although it is slightly more costly, the scratch resistant properties of the coatings were found to reduce customer service inquiries on scratched or scuffed cards by more than 50%. We’re also using EB flexo printing, and it could be a game-changer for us.”
Coil coatings have become a strong opportunity for energy curable coatings, and the “UV/EB for Coil Coatings” panel gave excellent insights. The panelists included Pauline Maillot of Beckers Group; Karl Swanson of PCT Ebeam; Sebastien Villeneuve of AkzoNobel; and Diego Pedemonte of Globus Srl.
Swanson said that at the end of the day, the coatings still have to perform.
“The coil industry is so used to 100-foot ovens, and to replace it with an EB device is a major change,” he said. “We have machines that keep up with the speeds coil manufacturers are currently running. The payback on the EB system is less than two years. There’s a strong economic case that could be made.”
Villeneuve reported that AkzoNobel has started transitioning to energy curing from waterborne, adding that “it’s a very important project.”
“We have global groups working to get it ready for the future,” said Villeneuve. “The performance is key. We cannot ignore that we have to match the conventional system’s performance. If you look at the chemistry, most conventional systems can be reproduced. Chemistry is a means to reach performance; the goal is to exceed the performance.
“Some Asian companies have the guts and the speed to implement it,” Villeneuve added. “In the US there are companies already using it. The ROI should be positive. There is a conservatism, but this is a very important change. Things are not the same as they were five or 10 years ago.”
Maillot said that Beckers Group does mostly solventborne coil coatings but are moving away from solvent toward UV.
“We have three pillars of sustainability and look at the impact on everything,” Maillot noted. “We have a lot of data available on solventborne and the challenge is to convince customers that you can do the same with a different curing process. On the Beckers side, we are already commercial with radiation cure, and our customers would not have done so if they didn’t get the performance. That’s a proof of concept right there.”
Maillot observed that the whole supply chain has to work together, because if the coatings manufacturer doesn’t have the material, they can’t make the coatings customers are asking for.
“Some customers are ready to go in the US and want to know what the timeline is,” Maillot said. “Many use a combination of UV and EB. It depends on regulation; Europe could go first, the US is already there, and Asia will move fast. The paint will be more expensive, but you will paint twice as much as a solventborne drum. As with any new technology the price starts high and comes down over time. The most surprising thing I have seen is the pushback we have received, asking why they want to change. People ignore all of these advantages because they know what they are doing.”
Globus designs and manufactures coil coating lines, and Pedemonte said this is the most significant evolution in this industry since he started in the industry 25 years ago.
“One aspect that we need to consider is regulation that is coming; the pressure is becoming more and more significant,” said Pedemonte. “I don’t see any major obstacles in adopting this technology. We have been involved in projects using EB and there have been no issues. The coatings are ready. It’s not really an issue to add the equipment.”
Pedemonte said that once you can demonstrate the performance. it is a huge benefit.
“As soon as the paint manufacturers can supply product that meets specifications it will be quite easy,” Pedemonte noted. “The difficult part is to get validation of the process first. They run from 100 to 1200 feet per minute. There is also a cost of maintenance of equipment that you won’t need anymore. You’d probably need one or two years to show that it is viable. The US is in the leading position right now.”
Lewis returned to the stage for the “UV Curing Technologies with Print Embellishment Processes,” joined by Jeff Peterson of the Foil & Specialty Effects Association and David Biro of Sun Chemical. Peterson said he is seeing increasing growth in digital embellishments.
“With cold or hot foil, as long as there is fiber, it will be sorted into the recycling stream,” Peterson added. “Offset cold foil has grown a lot in the last few years, as the foil suppliers have come up with products that run at much higher speeds and are now as shiny as hot stamp foil. By using a foil board, you can put cold foil wherever you want. If you use a full foil board you have to print white opaque ink on it, which is less sustainable.”
Biro said that Sun Chemical is seeing interest in color changing and cast and cure systems.
“Metallic inks can play a good role in this,” Biro continued. “You can do a lot with them. we’re seeing a lot more vacuum metalized pigments, and we see them moving toward UV LED.”
Pokemon’s Lewis said that when you work in the collectibles market, you are always looking for what’s new.
“People are unboxing Pokemon packages on You Tube; what will take it to the next level, will drive value on the secondary market and have people keeping them,” Lewis said. “The first thing we look at is the artwork, considering a UV coating or microemboss. We see what embellishments will enhance it. If it’s cool, we’ll do it. We ran a recent project on a Scodix press that caught people’s eyes. It resonates with consumers.
“Cast and cure is certainly becoming part of our Pokemon business; we can use the film upward of five times,” Lewis observed. “It wasn’t a long time ago when we would laminate a box, but now using cold foil in select areas makes better business sense. You can print CMYK on cold foil, which is usually silver. We are primarily UV LED due to sustainability benefits, and we are collaborating with Sun Chemical on EB for flexible packaging.”
Fuchs noted that there hasn’t been a lot on the regulatory front coming from the federal government in the past five years, but there is more occurring from state governments.
“We are seeing states ignoring on the risk management part and the focusing on hazardous materials,” Fuchs observed. “These state regulations are in the legislative phase, but eventually become de facto national regulations.”
Fuchs said that having 50 states making their own rules creates an enormous amount of problems.
“The only restrictions is that states cannot be less restrictive than the federal government,” said Fuchs. “When federal agencies are thinking about new rules, there is a comment period. States don’t have that restriction. The federal government is also required to do a cost analysis and if it is justified. States have no such restrictions.”
One area is using carbon black in packaging, which New York is looking to eliminate.
“I suspect the states will see an awful lot of litigation,” said Fuchs. “We don’t know why and can’t get answers. People need to watch for information on state regulations from your organizations and then reach out to your legislators.”
“We are starting to see all kinds of reporting requirements in the EU as part of the Green New Deal,” Gainey noted. “Regulations are everywhere and it is very challenging to keep up with all of them.”
Loof noted that these state actions impact the rest of the country.
“In California, environmental regulations are driven by groups,” Loof pointed out. “Zero is the only acceptable level. Now the California regulators are looking at water vapor as a greenhouse gas.”
Loof noted that she tells groups that these rules result in more fees and more paperwork but they don’t result in any improvement.
“Sadly, it leads going to more regulations and more fees,” Loof added. “It is very important for us as businesses to be involved in policy making. We the business are part of we the people. Unfortunately, of the decision makers, 99.9% of these people are not technical people. Chemicals are a bad word to them.
“I have to take the chemical issues and translate it, and show them how these products improve their lives,” Loof concluded. “The demand for goods will exist whether they are manufactured in the state or trucked in. Having our side of the story out there is very important. For us in the energy curable world, there are opportunities.”
The panel on “Metal Packaging – Sustainability Defined” was next up, with presenters including John Clark, Excelitas Noblelight America; Kellie Hedberg-Wareham, Sherwin Williams; Sarah Jacks, INX International Ink Co.; Will Parish, Cleveland Steel; and Allison Christy, CC Industries.
Parish pointed out that aluminum cans contain 73% of recycled content on average, up to 20 times the recycled content of plastic bottles.
“In 2014 Cleveland Steel installed the first radiation-curing coil production line for rigid packaging in the world, eliminated nearly 680 tons of VOCs,” Parish said. “It was a financial decision and environmental decision as well.”
Jacks observed that sustainability is the hot topic right now.
“Our EcoCan ink is our newest development – the industry’s first metal ink to achieve Cradle to Cradle certification,” said Jacks. “We have reached the Gold level for Material Health for using only the optimized materials. It has been trialed successfully and base inks have been manufactured in low volumes so far.
“EcoCan is low VOC, BPA-NI and offers excellent print performance properties,” Jacks added. “This helps brands to be immune to future regulations concerning inks. We expect continued restrictions on chemicals and more emphasis on sustainability and more digital ink development.”
Hedberg-Wareham noted that chemical coatings go on the inside and outside of the can.
“Sustainability by Design is our packaging product development protocol, and includes rigorous product testing and regulatory compliance,” said Hedberg-Wareham. “We have Platinum C2C ratings on all of our products.”
Toyo Ink’s Atre said that his experience at RadTech 2024 has been “wonderful.”
“In my career of 35 years, I’ve never seen speakers so open in their discussions about their successes and failures,” Atre added. “That is very heartening. I saw this in talks on automotive and lithium ion coatings and water purification. Energy curing is getting much bigger in our lives and I’m glad I’m part of it.”
“As a young person in the industry, I find how things work together,” said Anna Casto of Sherwin-Williams. “Having all the technology in one place helps me see more possibilities.”
“There are a lot of new faces here,” Biro said. “We are seeing new people entering the industry. The traffic is good. I was able to attend some of the talks, and they were practical for formulators.”
“This is the premier industry event for energy curing technology and we want to get our newer chemists exposure about raw materials, equipment and regulatory trends,” said Jon Graunke of INX International Ink Co. “The hope is that everyone comes back with at least one idea they would like to explore.”
Exhibitors also reported that the show was busy.
“RadTech is very useful for the conferences and meetings with industry co-suppliers and customers,” said Lisa Swain of Evonik. “We appreciate that it is a true technical conference. We are also impressed with the high level of customer involvement.”
Robert Ruckle of Siltech noted that the opportunity to meet with conference attendees was a huge benefit for everyone, as the first session of talks ended for two hours just as the show floor was opening.
“It’s been pretty busy,” said Ruckle. “We walked away with more than two dozen leads. The organizers offset the talks so there’s a few hours gap in the morning, which allows conference attendees to visit the show floor.”
Biren Oza of Covestro also pointed to the first morning being particularly active. “The first morning was really good, and we saw a lot of new customers and new faces,” said Oza. “Overall, RadTech 2024 was better than the previous show.”
“The show was quite active,” said Andrew Walton of Keyland Polymer. “We had some really good networking with industry professionals.”
“I heard from companies that I had never met before,” added Mike Gunther of Siltech.
‘It’s been very productive, with a lot of customer interaction, and I enjoyed meeting with old friends,” said BASF’s Charlie Hsu.
RadTech’s Mickey Fortune noted that RadTech 2024 was one of the best shows and the highest attendance levels RadTech has had since the pandemic.
“We are seeing a lot of industrial applications including coil coatings,” he noted. “We see every major coating and ink manufacturer here, as well as major end-users. The R&D people are here and they make it happen. It all bodes really well for the industry.”
One of the interesting aspects has been the reasons why the use of energy curing has expanded. Initially, it was performance benefits, as the ability to instantly cure a product makes for a huge advantage. Environmental benefits soon came to the forefront, as eliminating solvents is sought after.
Now, sustainability is the new goal, and UV, UV LED and EB curing offers numerous advantages. The energy curing community recently convened in Orlando, Fl, for RadTech 2024, RadTech International North America, The Association for Ultraviolet and Electron Beam Technologies’ biennial convention, which was appropriately titled “Today’s Choices, Tomorrow’s Future: UV+EB for Sustainable & Responsible Manufacturing.”
RadTech 2024 featured three short courses, 30 conference sessions with more than 90 presentations, more than 65 exhibitors, and a series of panel discussions on important topics such as coil coatings, metal packaging, the regulatory landscape and much more.
Matte Trends, Packaging and More on Day One
There were nine session and two panels on the first day of RadTech 2024. Among them, Applications featured four talks, including “Matte and Super-Matte Surface Trends Surge Demand for Excimer UV Curing,” presented by Jennifer Heathcote of GEW, Inc. Heathcote spoke of the increased interest in matte coatings.“Sales in matte packages are higher than gloss – it elevates consumers expectations and communicates naturalness,” Heathcote observed, adding that UV has always given a highly glossy look.
“We are working on creating degrees of matte-mattifying agents and surface modification,” said Heathcote. “We can use an excimer lamp, apply the ink or coating, pre-gel it with an LED or gallium lamp, and use the excimer lamp to just touch it followed by a final full cure. We’re seeing more of this in Europe and starting to see it in the US.”
“We are seeing huge demand for super matte for anti-glare, anti-fingerprint, and anti-reflective improved stain resistance for labels, flexible packaging, rigid packaging, commercial printing, furniture, flooring cabinets, appliances and home décor,” added Ryan Turner of GEW, Inc.
Nicholas Penrose of of BYK USA, Inc. covered “PFA-free Sharpie Marker and Stain Resistance for UV-cured Wood Floor Coatings.” He noted that PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are persistent, adding that a lot of regions are starting to restrict, require reporting or eliminate PFAS. In this case, he focused on stin and Sharpie resistance, and area where substances using PFAS is effective.
“More than 64 additive and combinations were tested,” Penrose reported. “Surface-free energies and their components and contact angle do not correlate to stain and Sharpie marker resistance. Beading of stains typically resulted in lower stain scores. Currently, a 3% commercial defoamer combination, 2% novelty polyurethane W&D agent, 5% commercial PE wax and 5% liquid non-reactive acrylate surfactant gives the strongest performance.”
“The Future of Sustainability in UV/EB Packaging” panel looked into packaging, with moderator Todd Fayne of PepsiCo beginning the discussion with some thoughts on sustainability.
“Sustainability means something different to everyone,” Fayne observed. “Do you focus on greenhouse gases, reducing materials, recyclability and composting? It’s not one or the other. Maybe developing compostable packaging is the best approach, as there are a lot of plastics is the environment. UV/EB is a critical component in what we are trying to do.”
Rich Cohen of Elevate Packaging, Inc. noted that there is some discussion about endocrine disruption due to microplastics.
“We have to address both the recycling and human concerns,” said Cohen. “Sustainability is here to stay – it’s not going away, and the younger generation wants to solve this problem, so as a business you want to think about your longer-term prosperity.”
Bill White, The Meyer’s Printing Companies, added that it’s been very interesting to watch the changes over the years.
“Most of our packaging is paper-based,” White said. “Most of the packaging we produce is paper-based – we look at inks and coatings that can be recycled. UV and EB addressed the VOC issue, and now we are transitioning to UV LED, which uses much less energy.”
This panel was followed by a session dedicated to packaging, beginning with Im Rangwalla of Energy Sciences Inc., who discussed “Latest Recyclability and Total Energy Consumption Update on Making Sustainable Packaging with Electron Beam Processing.” Rangwalla began with a recyclability update on monomaterials.
“To facilitate recycling of flexible packaging, similar material laminates like PE/PE are being developed to replace PET/PE or OPP/PE,” said Rangwalla. “Heat resistance of PE films is increasing with a higher dose of EB irradiation. PE films after EB treatment increase in temperature resistance and have better mechanical properties, but will it be functional in packaging forming and filing, and is it recyclable? EB treated laminates can be recycled.”
Karl Swanson, PCT Ebeam and Integration and Sharon Beeman of S-One combined on a talk on “Enhancing Flexible Packaging with EB Finishing Techniques.”
“Brand owners choose digital print to provide a unique package to consumers, but that’s just one layer,” Swanson reported. “The most prominent laminating methods are solventless laminators, thermal laminators or EB.”
“We can use excimer lamps with EB, which can produce ultra-matte effects with the flip of a switch,” said Beeman.
Prashant Atre, Toyo Ink Arets India managing director, followed with “The Future of UV Inks in the Packaging Industry: A Technological Renaissance.”
“The ink should dry as soon as possible,” said Atre. “We cannot print film with offset and we cannot produce short and quick print jobs with gravure and flexo. How can UV, LED and EB contribute to sustainability and a safer world?
“Energy curing reduces energy and improves resource efficiency,” Atre added. “There are no VOCs unlike solvent-based chemistry. It also reduces waste. It is also independent of substrate, allowing printers to use one ink system, and it’s also being produced with bio-based formulations. Almost 40% of our inks are using renewable and vegetable-based formulations. All de-inking tests with our UV LED inks so far show results between 96% and 100% de-inking according to Ingede.”
“Advancements in Flexible Ultra-Low Odor and Low Extractable Coatings for Greenpack Applications towards Sustainable and Versatile Solutions,” presented by Todd Griffin of Greenpack Inks and Coatings, closed the packaging section.
“We have demonstrated significant advances in low odor,” said Griffin. “It is important to minimize extractables to migrate out; this is key for food, cosmetics and medical devices. We eliminate VOCs; raw material selection is critical. Flexibility is a key element for energy-curable coatings, such as mechanical bending and stretching for applications such as flexible packaging, automotive interiors and printed electronics.”
Pokemon, Coil Coatings and More on Day 2
There were 12 sessions, three panels and a fireside chat on the second day of RadTech 2024.In the Sustainable Solutions session, Angelique Runacre, Fujifilm Ink Solutions Group and RadTech Europe president, spoke about “Formulating Inkjet Inks with Sustainability in Mind.”
Runacre noted that inkjet is ideal in terms of sustainability, as it requires press, ink, primer and inkjet head cleaner. Meanwhile offset needs many consumables and has more substrate waste.
“Previously when we formulated an ink, the focus was on functionality and cost,” Runacre said. “Now we have to consider human impact credentials, health and safety of employees, carbon footprint, regulatory compliance and product recyclability. Raw material selection includes reliable performance, improved product footprint and product lifetime.
“We must also consider the ink’s impact further down the chain, such as recyclability and compostability,” Runacre added. “UV curable inkjet ink facilitates a sustainable approach to many printing processes. Advances in sustainable raw materials and an understanding of the inkjet manufacturing process allows formulators to reduce the cradle to gate impact in inks. More work is required to understand the full circular impact of ink technologies. We see increased adoption of UV LED curing inkjet printing.”
Corey Lewis of The Pokémon Company International presented the special Fireside Chat, with an emphasis on UV and Pokemon cards and packaging.
“Working at Pokemon is every kid’s dream,” Lewis told the audience. “My career at TPC lets me fulfill my two biggest passions in life – executing world-class creative with the transformative power of print and design while bringing joy to the world on a brand I’ve loved since childhood. My team of talented print roducers and I manage the production of Pokemon Trading Card Game material from inception, printing, and then packout and assembly. Everything is possible and there’s nothing we can’t do.”
Lewis noted that during COVID, there was a tremendous interest in collectibles, and Pokemon’s sales just of printed cards exceeded $1 billion in revenue. The previous high was $400 million in 2016. That trend is continuing, as Pokemon’s sales were $2.4 billion last year.
“We continuously need more capacity and expertise in producing our product,” said Lewis. “UV printing of trading cards is a match made in heaven. We operate a fleet of 14 printing presses in Raleigh, NC. They are hybrid of conventional and UV printing operations. The yellow is a spot color and run the magenta way down, and the blue borders are an additional spot color. We print the backs of the cards in large quantities and the card face will be laminated in foil for specialized cards.”
Lewis observed that his company printed a total of 10 billion Pokemon cards every year.
“Pokemon cards that are printed on laminated foil casino grade cardstock feature three potential UV coatings to apply embellishments,” said Lewis. “In 2023, with our new SV01 expansion, several card coatings were switched from aqueous to UV. Although it is slightly more costly, the scratch resistant properties of the coatings were found to reduce customer service inquiries on scratched or scuffed cards by more than 50%. We’re also using EB flexo printing, and it could be a game-changer for us.”
Coil coatings have become a strong opportunity for energy curable coatings, and the “UV/EB for Coil Coatings” panel gave excellent insights. The panelists included Pauline Maillot of Beckers Group; Karl Swanson of PCT Ebeam; Sebastien Villeneuve of AkzoNobel; and Diego Pedemonte of Globus Srl.
Swanson said that at the end of the day, the coatings still have to perform.
“The coil industry is so used to 100-foot ovens, and to replace it with an EB device is a major change,” he said. “We have machines that keep up with the speeds coil manufacturers are currently running. The payback on the EB system is less than two years. There’s a strong economic case that could be made.”
Villeneuve reported that AkzoNobel has started transitioning to energy curing from waterborne, adding that “it’s a very important project.”
“We have global groups working to get it ready for the future,” said Villeneuve. “The performance is key. We cannot ignore that we have to match the conventional system’s performance. If you look at the chemistry, most conventional systems can be reproduced. Chemistry is a means to reach performance; the goal is to exceed the performance.
“Some Asian companies have the guts and the speed to implement it,” Villeneuve added. “In the US there are companies already using it. The ROI should be positive. There is a conservatism, but this is a very important change. Things are not the same as they were five or 10 years ago.”
Maillot said that Beckers Group does mostly solventborne coil coatings but are moving away from solvent toward UV.
“We have three pillars of sustainability and look at the impact on everything,” Maillot noted. “We have a lot of data available on solventborne and the challenge is to convince customers that you can do the same with a different curing process. On the Beckers side, we are already commercial with radiation cure, and our customers would not have done so if they didn’t get the performance. That’s a proof of concept right there.”
Maillot observed that the whole supply chain has to work together, because if the coatings manufacturer doesn’t have the material, they can’t make the coatings customers are asking for.
“Some customers are ready to go in the US and want to know what the timeline is,” Maillot said. “Many use a combination of UV and EB. It depends on regulation; Europe could go first, the US is already there, and Asia will move fast. The paint will be more expensive, but you will paint twice as much as a solventborne drum. As with any new technology the price starts high and comes down over time. The most surprising thing I have seen is the pushback we have received, asking why they want to change. People ignore all of these advantages because they know what they are doing.”
Globus designs and manufactures coil coating lines, and Pedemonte said this is the most significant evolution in this industry since he started in the industry 25 years ago.
“One aspect that we need to consider is regulation that is coming; the pressure is becoming more and more significant,” said Pedemonte. “I don’t see any major obstacles in adopting this technology. We have been involved in projects using EB and there have been no issues. The coatings are ready. It’s not really an issue to add the equipment.”
Pedemonte said that once you can demonstrate the performance. it is a huge benefit.
“As soon as the paint manufacturers can supply product that meets specifications it will be quite easy,” Pedemonte noted. “The difficult part is to get validation of the process first. They run from 100 to 1200 feet per minute. There is also a cost of maintenance of equipment that you won’t need anymore. You’d probably need one or two years to show that it is viable. The US is in the leading position right now.”
Lewis returned to the stage for the “UV Curing Technologies with Print Embellishment Processes,” joined by Jeff Peterson of the Foil & Specialty Effects Association and David Biro of Sun Chemical. Peterson said he is seeing increasing growth in digital embellishments.
“With cold or hot foil, as long as there is fiber, it will be sorted into the recycling stream,” Peterson added. “Offset cold foil has grown a lot in the last few years, as the foil suppliers have come up with products that run at much higher speeds and are now as shiny as hot stamp foil. By using a foil board, you can put cold foil wherever you want. If you use a full foil board you have to print white opaque ink on it, which is less sustainable.”
Biro said that Sun Chemical is seeing interest in color changing and cast and cure systems.
“Metallic inks can play a good role in this,” Biro continued. “You can do a lot with them. we’re seeing a lot more vacuum metalized pigments, and we see them moving toward UV LED.”
Pokemon’s Lewis said that when you work in the collectibles market, you are always looking for what’s new.
“People are unboxing Pokemon packages on You Tube; what will take it to the next level, will drive value on the secondary market and have people keeping them,” Lewis said. “The first thing we look at is the artwork, considering a UV coating or microemboss. We see what embellishments will enhance it. If it’s cool, we’ll do it. We ran a recent project on a Scodix press that caught people’s eyes. It resonates with consumers.
“Cast and cure is certainly becoming part of our Pokemon business; we can use the film upward of five times,” Lewis observed. “It wasn’t a long time ago when we would laminate a box, but now using cold foil in select areas makes better business sense. You can print CMYK on cold foil, which is usually silver. We are primarily UV LED due to sustainability benefits, and we are collaborating with Sun Chemical on EB for flexible packaging.”
Regulatory World, Metal Packaging on Day 3
The closing day of RadTech 2024 saw nine more sessions and two panels, with the first panel focused on “UV+EB Regulatory Town Hall: Challenges & Opportunities,” featuring George Fuchs of NAPIM, Rita Loof of RadTech and Shannon Gainey of Huber Corporation.Fuchs noted that there hasn’t been a lot on the regulatory front coming from the federal government in the past five years, but there is more occurring from state governments.
“We are seeing states ignoring on the risk management part and the focusing on hazardous materials,” Fuchs observed. “These state regulations are in the legislative phase, but eventually become de facto national regulations.”
Fuchs said that having 50 states making their own rules creates an enormous amount of problems.
“The only restrictions is that states cannot be less restrictive than the federal government,” said Fuchs. “When federal agencies are thinking about new rules, there is a comment period. States don’t have that restriction. The federal government is also required to do a cost analysis and if it is justified. States have no such restrictions.”
One area is using carbon black in packaging, which New York is looking to eliminate.
“I suspect the states will see an awful lot of litigation,” said Fuchs. “We don’t know why and can’t get answers. People need to watch for information on state regulations from your organizations and then reach out to your legislators.”
“We are starting to see all kinds of reporting requirements in the EU as part of the Green New Deal,” Gainey noted. “Regulations are everywhere and it is very challenging to keep up with all of them.”
Loof noted that these state actions impact the rest of the country.
“In California, environmental regulations are driven by groups,” Loof pointed out. “Zero is the only acceptable level. Now the California regulators are looking at water vapor as a greenhouse gas.”
Loof noted that she tells groups that these rules result in more fees and more paperwork but they don’t result in any improvement.
“Sadly, it leads going to more regulations and more fees,” Loof added. “It is very important for us as businesses to be involved in policy making. We the business are part of we the people. Unfortunately, of the decision makers, 99.9% of these people are not technical people. Chemicals are a bad word to them.
“I have to take the chemical issues and translate it, and show them how these products improve their lives,” Loof concluded. “The demand for goods will exist whether they are manufactured in the state or trucked in. Having our side of the story out there is very important. For us in the energy curable world, there are opportunities.”
The panel on “Metal Packaging – Sustainability Defined” was next up, with presenters including John Clark, Excelitas Noblelight America; Kellie Hedberg-Wareham, Sherwin Williams; Sarah Jacks, INX International Ink Co.; Will Parish, Cleveland Steel; and Allison Christy, CC Industries.
Parish pointed out that aluminum cans contain 73% of recycled content on average, up to 20 times the recycled content of plastic bottles.
“In 2014 Cleveland Steel installed the first radiation-curing coil production line for rigid packaging in the world, eliminated nearly 680 tons of VOCs,” Parish said. “It was a financial decision and environmental decision as well.”
Jacks observed that sustainability is the hot topic right now.
“Our EcoCan ink is our newest development – the industry’s first metal ink to achieve Cradle to Cradle certification,” said Jacks. “We have reached the Gold level for Material Health for using only the optimized materials. It has been trialed successfully and base inks have been manufactured in low volumes so far.
“EcoCan is low VOC, BPA-NI and offers excellent print performance properties,” Jacks added. “This helps brands to be immune to future regulations concerning inks. We expect continued restrictions on chemicals and more emphasis on sustainability and more digital ink development.”
Hedberg-Wareham noted that chemical coatings go on the inside and outside of the can.
“Sustainability by Design is our packaging product development protocol, and includes rigorous product testing and regulatory compliance,” said Hedberg-Wareham. “We have Platinum C2C ratings on all of our products.”
Thoughts on RadTech 2024
In discussing RadTech 2024 with the show’s organizers, attendees and exhibitors, there was a unanimous sense that the c9onference and trade show was a success.Toyo Ink’s Atre said that his experience at RadTech 2024 has been “wonderful.”
“In my career of 35 years, I’ve never seen speakers so open in their discussions about their successes and failures,” Atre added. “That is very heartening. I saw this in talks on automotive and lithium ion coatings and water purification. Energy curing is getting much bigger in our lives and I’m glad I’m part of it.”
“As a young person in the industry, I find how things work together,” said Anna Casto of Sherwin-Williams. “Having all the technology in one place helps me see more possibilities.”
“There are a lot of new faces here,” Biro said. “We are seeing new people entering the industry. The traffic is good. I was able to attend some of the talks, and they were practical for formulators.”
“This is the premier industry event for energy curing technology and we want to get our newer chemists exposure about raw materials, equipment and regulatory trends,” said Jon Graunke of INX International Ink Co. “The hope is that everyone comes back with at least one idea they would like to explore.”
Exhibitors also reported that the show was busy.
“RadTech is very useful for the conferences and meetings with industry co-suppliers and customers,” said Lisa Swain of Evonik. “We appreciate that it is a true technical conference. We are also impressed with the high level of customer involvement.”
Robert Ruckle of Siltech noted that the opportunity to meet with conference attendees was a huge benefit for everyone, as the first session of talks ended for two hours just as the show floor was opening.
“It’s been pretty busy,” said Ruckle. “We walked away with more than two dozen leads. The organizers offset the talks so there’s a few hours gap in the morning, which allows conference attendees to visit the show floor.”
Biren Oza of Covestro also pointed to the first morning being particularly active. “The first morning was really good, and we saw a lot of new customers and new faces,” said Oza. “Overall, RadTech 2024 was better than the previous show.”
“The show was quite active,” said Andrew Walton of Keyland Polymer. “We had some really good networking with industry professionals.”
“I heard from companies that I had never met before,” added Mike Gunther of Siltech.
‘It’s been very productive, with a lot of customer interaction, and I enjoyed meeting with old friends,” said BASF’s Charlie Hsu.
RadTech’s Mickey Fortune noted that RadTech 2024 was one of the best shows and the highest attendance levels RadTech has had since the pandemic.
“We are seeing a lot of industrial applications including coil coatings,” he noted. “We see every major coating and ink manufacturer here, as well as major end-users. The R&D people are here and they make it happen. It all bodes really well for the industry.”
