By Tom Kerchiss, RK Print Coat Instruments Ltd
February 2010 — Up until comparatively recent times packaging and labeling was regarded as an unavoidable cost centre. In the late 1940s and early 50s for example, when the superstore concept was in its infancy; multi-national organizations were few, and consumer product choice was limited, packaging manufacture focused almost entirely on providing containment and product protection – how the package actually looked was, by modern standards of marketing, scarcely thought about. As consumer purchasing power expanded in the 60s and 70s packaging moved more centre stage as brand owners marketers, retailers and the buying public desired more from product packaging; they wanted it to work for them, albeit often in different and often contradictory ways.
As producers faced increasing competition packaging needed to look good if it was to stand out from others on a crowded retail shelf. For this reason greater attention began to be paid to graphic design and colour. Accuracy of colour reproduction has become essential, but that’s only part of the picture.
Packaging has a crucial role in supporting and enhancing product perception and in encouraging repeat business by making the whole purchasing experience one of satisfaction, for these reasons a holistic approach is taken to package development, one that involves a wide range of disciplines and procedures. Every element must be considered in unison and informed decision taken as to the type of inks and coatings to use. Equally important is substrate selection.
By modifying substrates it is now possible to extend product shelf life by providing a resistance to moisture, light, and gases that taint food and alter its appearance and texture. Modifying substrates in this way reduces product throwaway for all concerned; reduces the risk of a consumer being made unwell from consuming tainted food; preserves subtle flavours and aromas; improves profitability for the retailer and enables the product owner/retailer to store products for longer and to transport them over longer distances.
An increasing number of substrates are derived from natural or synthesized polymers, that is: polyethylene and polypropylene, etc. The method of manufacture and conversion of the polymer determines much of the performance property values, control costs, and influences printability and the ease (or not) of how a product is converted.
Take cellulose for example: it may be engineered so that it is opaque and permeable. This is achieved through matting fibres together in the same manner as paper. Alternatively cellulose can be made semi-permeable and clear by dissolving and precipitating the polymer, a process known as ‘solution casting.’ Regardless of the technique, the polymer retains high thermal stability but the differing manipulative techniques extend application possibilities. And this is the case with many of the substrates and indeed the ink and coating consumables.
Manufacturing methods typically used for polymer films are melt blowing, melt casting, uni-axially and bi-axially stretching or orientating of the polymers. Blown and cast films have low levels of orientation (the way in which the polymer molecules line up and are spaced) in the polymer and are weak in tension, which in turn means they are highly extensible but with good tear and impact resistance. Conversely, with films that are stretched during manufacture, molecular orientation is increased significantly; this in turn results in increased tensile strength and stiffness. The opposite is true of performance properties such as extensibility, tear-resistance and gas and moisture permeability, all of which are reduced.
Given the competition most manufacturers and brand owners face, new technology and ways of conducting business are employed to help move products off the shelf. Resealable closures for example help reduce waste while see-through windows give the consumer an indication of what’s inside. For products such as coffee (but also for perfume, etc) scratch and sniff aroma labels excite senses other than sight.
As alluded to earlier a degree of input comes from many sources other than the printer/converter. Marketers’ source information direct from consumers on what they want; marketers also take into account information provided by statistical and demographic information providers. Still others, the psychologists, etc, examine and explain purchasing motive patterns, i.e., the emotive power of certain colours.
Giving the consumers what they want should be high on the brand owner and retailers agenda. For example, consumers value convenience highly, especially when purchasing food products. Space saving, easy opening single-serve standup pouches; with or without zippers find favour with many consumers. Use and dispose (recyclable) microwaveable bowls, soup presented in cans with easy open ends that eliminate the need for can openers cut down on food preparation and wash up, all illustrate the importance of convenience.
While designers and marketing personnel may conduct brainstorming sessions to come up with innovative and functional product designs it is the packaging and label converter and product technologist that needs to be one step ahead of the game; for it is he or she that has to interpret the various ideas and agree to what is possible to produce and what isn’t on current processing machines.
Suppliers and providers of all persuasions are obliged more often than not these days to ‘think outside the box’, which in part explains the increasing interest shown in quality control, product monitoring and research and development tools.
Compact colour communication devices and pilot print/coat/laminate systems, some of which are highly customizable or are available specifically as bespoke systems are available from RK Print Coat Instruments Ltd and are designed to help converters, consumable producers and many other types of process operatives to keep one step ahead of the game so that they don’t disappoint their customers by outputting printed products whose colour may deviate from the agreed. In addition the FlexiProof enables uses to determine printability and highlight/resolve ink/substrate interaction issues.
Used by packaging printers, label converters, ink producers, paper, film and foil suppliers, component producers and many others, the FlexiProof is functionally identical in every way to a full sized production flexo press, yet weighs just 45kg and occupies a bench top space of just 55cm x 45cm. Whether sited in a laboratory, in a dedicated pre-press environment, next to a press or anywhere else, the FlexiProof 100 and FlexiProof UV saves on press waste by enabling functions such as colour matching, pilot runs, research and development, and much else to be undertaken off-press.
PLC controlled and equipped with quick-change ceramic or steel anilox and swing in doctor blade, the FlexiProof offers multi-tasking capability. It can operate at speeds of up to 100 m/min and can be used with any flexible substrate.
To operate the FlexiProof 100 or newer variant FlexiProof UV the user simply selects and fits the appropriate anilox roll, then fixes the substrate (half A4) to the impression roll using the built in pressure sensitive strip. Printing speed is then set and ink applied using a disposable pipette. Side dams fitted at each end of the doctor blade provide a reservoir holding sufficient ink for producing multi-proofs when required.
Simple to use, the operator then presses both process start buttons and the anilox roller accelerates to print speed and rotates four times to distribute the ink. The stereo and impression roller rotate through one revolution to produce a proof. Additional proofs can be made without cleaning down.
Other colour communication devices are available for print processes including gravure, litho, web offset, etc.
The concept of value-added drives much of the supply chain. And whatever properties the customer is looking for, whether its heat sealability, high slip, barrier resistance or tamper evidency, the converter, coating operative or laboratory product formulator can, generally (given time), either provide a stock material solution or a custom blend. From medical devices to security and from product protection to civil engineering and food packaging the on-going demand for innovative materials and products for a broadening range of applications challenges both the converter and his equipment, a challenge that can only be met by designing and developing bespoke systems such as the VCM (Versatile Converting Machine).
This highly functional machine can be used for developing new-coated products, testing substrate receptivity, and quality control purposes, etc. Customers may select from more than 15 different printing and coating systems, thus enabling the user to conduct trials and test formulations, processes using whatever printing or coating technology is most applicable to the application. Coating/print technologies available include: hot melt, reverse roll, meter bar, rotary screen (printing & coating), gravure-offset (printing & coating), reverse gravure coating, knife-over-roll and flexographic printing, etc. In addition a variety of drying/curing technologies are selectable along with complimentary high-tech accessories and components.
For further information email sales@rkprint.com, www.rkprint.com
Source: RK Print Press Release
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