UK-headquartered narrow web printing ink specialist Pulse Roll Label Products has launched PureTone DC, a new dual-cure UV LED ink range. The new food packaging-compliant ink range includes CMYK+OGV for extended gamut printing.
The new high-performance ink can be cured with UV LED lamps and is suitable for label converters supplying industry sectors that require compliance with food packaging regulations and guidelines.
PureTone DC’s dual-cure formulation allows printers to use just one set of inks with both UV and LED curing presses, delivering efficiency gains by avoiding unnecessary inventory and ink management complexity, as well as being able to convert across press by press. The new ink also matches the strength of other Pulse range products, making it easy to compare and match colours as necessary.
Pulse Roll Label Products managing director Gary Seward said, “LED curing is looking like the future of the industry – and PureTone DC puts Pulse Roll Label Products squarely at the forefront. Offering increased performance compared with other suppliers and with a dual cure formulation, this new solution gives printers the versatility and freedom they need to switch to LED ink at their own convenience.
“At a time when our customers’ energy bills are soaring, solutions like PureTone DC that help cut costs with rapid, energy-efficient curing can make all the difference. As well as needing less energy to run, the UV LED lamps that cure this ink last many times longer than traditional UV equivalents, with output remaining consistent over the bulb’s lifespan. What’s more, disposal is also significantly less complex with UV LED bulbs.
“We’ve even seen improved cure and adhesion over the existing ranges during extensive beta testing, so this really is the next generation of PureTone ink. The message is clear – UV LED technology like PureTone DC is better for your business, your staff, your customers and the planet.”
The dual-cure has been developed to help printers gradually phase out their existing mercury-based curing equipment without requiring expensive initial investments.
With the United Nations (UN) having committed to phasing down mercury use in a wide range of products and processes due to the substance’s harmful environmental and health effects, the ease of disposal of UV LED lamps is another benefit to printers.
As an LED curing ink, PureTone DC can also cure at lower temperatures, making it suitable for a broader range of substrates, including heat-sensitive thin films.
“There are already significant restrictions in place on disposal of mercury and introducing it into the waste stream, and these regulations are only tightening,” Seward said.
“With different rules and procedures across different countries around the world – particularly with regard to landfill – printing businesses are looking to transition away now, to get ahead of the changes on the horizon.
“The ongoing uncertainty over the future of mercury regulations in flexo printing, coupled with the enormous cost and energy benefits, means there’s never been a better time to make the change to UV LED ink.”
