Food Packaging and Flexo Packaging Printing

As people's requirements for food nutrition and hygiene increase, the issue of environmental protection on food packaging has become the focus of attention. The society needs a clean environment. Manufacturers need pollution-free packaging. Customers need hygienic foods.

Packaging pollution to the environment is mainly two aspects of packaging materials and packaging and printing. Direct contact with food packaging materials, such as paper, plastics, metals, etc. can not have any sources of pollution, this is the premise; but some materials are inevitable, we must rely on packaging and printing, increase the protective layer on the substrate, so that food is not in direct contact Materials with a residual source of contamination, such as a layer of coating in a metal can, printed or laminated in a plastic film, play a good role.

However, this is not the safest packaging printing, because traditional printing inks inevitably incorporate solvents such as benzene and other harmful substances. Although most of them are volatilized during the printing process, there is always a small amount of residual substances. Continue to distribute during packaging and use. Of course, this will not exceed the standard of food hygiene, but people are always at a loss, hoping to absolutely avoid pollution and get a safer environment.

An important method to solve the problem has now been found, that is, flexo package printing. This printing ink solvent is alcohol, even water, completely non-toxic and completely volatile. Foreign countries have been groping from the 1950s and now have been able to completely solve various technical and quality issues in the printing process. They have a complete set of experience and have achieved great results. In Western Europe, the proportion of flexographic printing in packaging printing was 4% in the early 1950s, 10% in the early 1970s, 18% in the early 1990s, and now it accounts for 28%. This is the fastest and most effective printing process for the entire printing process. In the United States and Canada, the proportion of flexographic printing in packaging and printing is as high as 70%, showing its potential for development and its popularity.

From a food hygiene point of view, flexographic printing is the most suitable packaging and printing process; it is also the natural choice for pharmaceutical packaging. In some developed countries, regulations have even been established that must use flexographic printing to produce pharmaceutical packaging. Therefore, we must call on the whole society to care for the development of the cause of the benefit of mankind in flexographic printing. We hope that all food and drug manufacturers will actively promote and use flexographic prints.

One of the greatest advantages of flexographic printing is the continuity of subsequent processing. General flexographic printing is web rotation printing, and the processes of die cutting, gluing, and bag making can be continuously completed online, especially for the production of automated packaging machines for food production companies. Of course, gravure printing has the same function, but the flexographic version is relatively low cost, and it is easier to produce more varieties and small batches.

In addition, the fastest-growing flexographic printing in recent years is the printing of corrugated boxes. In the market where shipping packaging and sales packaging are gradually integrated, people have more exquisite requirements for sales of large-size electrical appliances and products. Corrugated cardboard boxes are also replaced by rough yellow cardboard with white corrugated paper, while flexographic printing can directly print color pictures on white corrugated cardboard, greatly improving the aesthetics of the package. Moreover, the change from traditional rubber flexography to flexographic printing on carton printing is not costly and the process is relatively simple. It is well received by the carton manufacturers and it is believed that it will soon be welcomed by food factories.

The introduction and development of flexographic printing in China began in the 1970s. Now we have been able to manufacture our own flexographic printing presses and their substrates, as well as various flexographic printing inks. In particular, the regular production of water-based inks and water-based polishes can be applied to other types of inks to cover the waterborne coating of the same color, obstructing the volatilization of the remaining toxic solvents, and direct contact with foods to ensure food safety and hygiene. In addition, we have accumulated a wealth of experience in the printing process, have been able to print no less than the traditional process of print, and in international famous brands "Coca-Cola" and "Pepsi" and other label printing, to achieve international standards, to the international Close up horizontally.

In China, flexible packaging printing has made great progress in the past 10 years, but its development momentum is not fast and progress is not remarkable. From the point of view of packaging and printing practitioners, we should boldly innovate in machinery, materials, and processes, actively explore, and strive to climb the heights. Only with first-class products can we gain the popularity of manufacturers and customers. For the operators of the vast number of food companies, they also hope to emancipate the mind and use the new packaging. For example, flexographic prints do have some delicate aspects that are inferior to traditional prints. Can they adapt to improving the packaging design? Another example is that the flexographic printing color is not bright enough, but it is indeed very thick, and it can completely avoid weaknesses and achieve better visual effects.

Flexo printing is a new thing and it is very useful for food packaging. We hope and fully believe that there are a large number of packaging and printing workers actively working hard, many food operators actively support, China's food packaging will be more and more to promote the flexographic printing, printing more and more beautiful packaging prints.

Source: Printing Online