Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor01.15.15
PCT Engineered Systems hosted the Electron Beam Benefits in Packaging Seminar on January 13 in Newark, NJ, USA. During the conference, PCT representatives and industry colleagues discussed the advantages of electron beam (EB) curing.
In addition to the Iowa-based manufacturer of the BroadBeam EB 4-in-1 converting line, representatives from ACTEGA-Kelstar, Uteco North America, Wikoff Color Corporation and Precision Press explained EB technology and the benefits it has presented to their companies.
“I think that EB technology is the driving force in packaging,” said John Salkeld, marketing manager at PCT. “We’re all looking to be in the fast lane, and we want to make sure EB is considered in that journey.”
EB curing actually serves as more of an “electron cloud” than an actual beam, and it is an alternative to thermal curing. This cloud of electrons passes through a thin-metallic foil window and provides an instantaneous effect on the moving web substrate.
With running speeds up to 1,300 fpm, the Broadbeam EB changes the chemical composition of the desired substrate instead of drying a liquid until it becomes solid. This curing system can be applied to flexo printing, narrow web and label printing and digital inkjet printing. PCT reports several positive reviews after exhibiting the machine at the 2014 Labelexpo in Chicago.
“There are a variety of potential advantages to package printers and converters,” added Salkeld. “There are a variety of benefits beyond just packaging.”
Speed is one of the key benefits. Not only does the substrate endure instant curing, but this process enables immediate diecutting, stacking and shipping, as well.
The price of the initial investment has deterred many from using EB, but according to PCT, the process is becoming more cost effective. Precision Press' operation costs following the material investment have begun to shrink. The absence of natural gas or heat result in lower operation costs.
UV lamps also weaken over time, making durability a feature of EB. Other benefits include the omission of solvents, VOCs and photoinitiators. Since there is less waste, EB is not as harsh on the environment.
“We’ve always been a place that – before it was en vogue to be environmentally friendly – we’ve been environmentally friendly,” said Lane Gravley, general manager of Precision Press. “It’s important to us to not put anything in the landfill, and we haven’t for over 20 years.”
Applications for production
The EB process has been used for a wide range of products, including but not limited to folding cartons (milk, juice cartons), flexible packaging (pouches for dry food like seasonings and soup mixes), cold seal packaging (candy and granola bars) and shrink sleeve labels.
Some of the substrates include paperboard and BOPP film.
“You need an instant curing technology to diecut these cartons immediately after curing, so it’s really an excellent fit here,” said Steve Lapin, applications specialist for PCT. “The cartons used to have an MVTR coating, which works very well as a moisture barrier, but the film is an even better moisture barrier. With powder detergents, there were issues with moisture getting through the carton, which would cause the detergent to cake.”
For shrink sleeve labels, substrates include OPP, APET and PS, while it is recommended to avoid PVC. Because of the cooling process in the absence of thermal curing, heat sensitive materials may be used with EB.
In regards to flexible packaging, the process can involve a web offset printing designed to trap six to eight colors. An EB clear coating is then applied and subsequently cured with a single unit at the end of the press.
This process offers advantages, such as high quality lithographic printing, low odor and low migration and a high gloss EB coating finish.
Emerging applications for EB technology include security and sterilization. Security may involve narrow web flexo and screen printing for food packaging, laminations and high opacity inks. These can also be applied to bank notes, lottery tickets and various other anti-counterfeiting labels and packages.
On sterilization, Lapin added, “This is EB installed not on the printing press but on the filling machines. ... EB is an attractive alternative to peroxide sterilization. It’s a non-chemical way to sterilize the packaging.”
Looking to the future, curing of inkjet printing on 3D objects and the printed electronics on RFID packaging are realistic possibilities.
Sustainability
Sustainability is essentially a reduction in the consumption of resources, including energy, water and fossil and packaging materials. It also involves an increase in the usage of renewable resources and recycled content. In manufacturing, the goal is to use clean and safe production technologies while minimizing toxic emissions, organic emissions like VOC and HAPS, greenhouse gas emissions and waste.
In thermal curing, more than just the substrate and coating are being heated. This process, although requiring less of an initial investment, creates more waste and a greater loss of energy.
“It takes a lot of energy; that heat that’s put into that oven has to heat and move large volumes of air,” said Ronald Golden, president of FocalPoint Consulting. “You’ve got to heat up the equipment and maintain the processing temperature. You’re not just heating up the substrate and the coating. You’ve got to keep the whole heating capacity of that oven at temperature.”
In EB curing, the polymerization takes place on the substrate as opposed to in the reactor. All the while, the equipment remains cool. In addition, the smaller footprint features less startup waste, leading Golden to call the curing technology “pollution prevention.” A small amount of nitrogen displaces oxygen from the cure zone and evacuates any traces of unreacted volatiles and ozone.
“[Companies] realize that good sustainability practices save them money, and the customers recognize that they add value to their products,” said Golden.
According to Golden, there are numerous advantages to this technology. Studies have shown that there are no carcinogenic or mutagenic properties in EB curing, and the process also has low acute systemic toxicity and low chronic toxicity.
“A lot of people think this stuff is dangerous, and I’ve heard all sorts of bad stuff about these things. But actually, they’re inherently safer than solvents,” he added.
EB is also not flammable, has a high flash point and features a reduced risk of explosive vapors.
“After a lot of consideration and a lot of feedback from our customer base, I think the biggest thing was carbon footprint,” explained Mario Mucciacciaro, executive vice president for business development at Uteco North America. “Everybody wanted to reduce carbon footprint. The material recycling was a big thing, also safety in the plant.”
EB technology in ink and coating technology
According to Don Duncan, the director of research at Wikoff Color Corporation, the majority of EB inks sold in the world today are for lithographic printing, and most of that has been done on cartons.
Wikoff invested in its first EB curing unit in 1993 as customers clamored for an alternative to solvent-based printing.
“You get very low migration printing, and that makes EB popular and effective for food packaging,” said Duncan. “The high energy of the electron beam gives you the high degree of cure, which leaves you with nothing left to migrate.”
There are multiple suppliers of press manufacturers using EB curing. An increasing number of inks and coatings are available, giving printers the option to use this technology, too.
In UV curing, the presence of photoinitiators increases migration levels.
“You can run an EB press generally as fast as the inks will allow you to run,” added Duncan. “It’s not how fast the beam allows you to run; it’s how fast the ink allows you to run.
“With the higher degree of cure with EB over UV, you get more cross linking, which gives you higher rub resistance, higher chemical resistance. There’s just more tied down.”
To view more pictures, click here to open the slideshow.
The label and packaging industries continue to explore newer technologies for improved efficiency, and one of the latest trends involves curing. In addition to the Iowa-based manufacturer of the BroadBeam EB 4-in-1 converting line, representatives from ACTEGA-Kelstar, Uteco North America, Wikoff Color Corporation and Precision Press explained EB technology and the benefits it has presented to their companies.
“I think that EB technology is the driving force in packaging,” said John Salkeld, marketing manager at PCT. “We’re all looking to be in the fast lane, and we want to make sure EB is considered in that journey.”
EB curing actually serves as more of an “electron cloud” than an actual beam, and it is an alternative to thermal curing. This cloud of electrons passes through a thin-metallic foil window and provides an instantaneous effect on the moving web substrate.
With running speeds up to 1,300 fpm, the Broadbeam EB changes the chemical composition of the desired substrate instead of drying a liquid until it becomes solid. This curing system can be applied to flexo printing, narrow web and label printing and digital inkjet printing. PCT reports several positive reviews after exhibiting the machine at the 2014 Labelexpo in Chicago.
“There are a variety of potential advantages to package printers and converters,” added Salkeld. “There are a variety of benefits beyond just packaging.”
Speed is one of the key benefits. Not only does the substrate endure instant curing, but this process enables immediate diecutting, stacking and shipping, as well.
The price of the initial investment has deterred many from using EB, but according to PCT, the process is becoming more cost effective. Precision Press' operation costs following the material investment have begun to shrink. The absence of natural gas or heat result in lower operation costs.
UV lamps also weaken over time, making durability a feature of EB. Other benefits include the omission of solvents, VOCs and photoinitiators. Since there is less waste, EB is not as harsh on the environment.
“We’ve always been a place that – before it was en vogue to be environmentally friendly – we’ve been environmentally friendly,” said Lane Gravley, general manager of Precision Press. “It’s important to us to not put anything in the landfill, and we haven’t for over 20 years.”
Applications for production
The EB process has been used for a wide range of products, including but not limited to folding cartons (milk, juice cartons), flexible packaging (pouches for dry food like seasonings and soup mixes), cold seal packaging (candy and granola bars) and shrink sleeve labels.
Some of the substrates include paperboard and BOPP film.
“You need an instant curing technology to diecut these cartons immediately after curing, so it’s really an excellent fit here,” said Steve Lapin, applications specialist for PCT. “The cartons used to have an MVTR coating, which works very well as a moisture barrier, but the film is an even better moisture barrier. With powder detergents, there were issues with moisture getting through the carton, which would cause the detergent to cake.”
For shrink sleeve labels, substrates include OPP, APET and PS, while it is recommended to avoid PVC. Because of the cooling process in the absence of thermal curing, heat sensitive materials may be used with EB.
In regards to flexible packaging, the process can involve a web offset printing designed to trap six to eight colors. An EB clear coating is then applied and subsequently cured with a single unit at the end of the press.
This process offers advantages, such as high quality lithographic printing, low odor and low migration and a high gloss EB coating finish.
Emerging applications for EB technology include security and sterilization. Security may involve narrow web flexo and screen printing for food packaging, laminations and high opacity inks. These can also be applied to bank notes, lottery tickets and various other anti-counterfeiting labels and packages.
On sterilization, Lapin added, “This is EB installed not on the printing press but on the filling machines. ... EB is an attractive alternative to peroxide sterilization. It’s a non-chemical way to sterilize the packaging.”
Looking to the future, curing of inkjet printing on 3D objects and the printed electronics on RFID packaging are realistic possibilities.
Sustainability
Sustainability is essentially a reduction in the consumption of resources, including energy, water and fossil and packaging materials. It also involves an increase in the usage of renewable resources and recycled content. In manufacturing, the goal is to use clean and safe production technologies while minimizing toxic emissions, organic emissions like VOC and HAPS, greenhouse gas emissions and waste.
In thermal curing, more than just the substrate and coating are being heated. This process, although requiring less of an initial investment, creates more waste and a greater loss of energy.
“It takes a lot of energy; that heat that’s put into that oven has to heat and move large volumes of air,” said Ronald Golden, president of FocalPoint Consulting. “You’ve got to heat up the equipment and maintain the processing temperature. You’re not just heating up the substrate and the coating. You’ve got to keep the whole heating capacity of that oven at temperature.”
In EB curing, the polymerization takes place on the substrate as opposed to in the reactor. All the while, the equipment remains cool. In addition, the smaller footprint features less startup waste, leading Golden to call the curing technology “pollution prevention.” A small amount of nitrogen displaces oxygen from the cure zone and evacuates any traces of unreacted volatiles and ozone.
“[Companies] realize that good sustainability practices save them money, and the customers recognize that they add value to their products,” said Golden.
According to Golden, there are numerous advantages to this technology. Studies have shown that there are no carcinogenic or mutagenic properties in EB curing, and the process also has low acute systemic toxicity and low chronic toxicity.
“A lot of people think this stuff is dangerous, and I’ve heard all sorts of bad stuff about these things. But actually, they’re inherently safer than solvents,” he added.
EB is also not flammable, has a high flash point and features a reduced risk of explosive vapors.
“After a lot of consideration and a lot of feedback from our customer base, I think the biggest thing was carbon footprint,” explained Mario Mucciacciaro, executive vice president for business development at Uteco North America. “Everybody wanted to reduce carbon footprint. The material recycling was a big thing, also safety in the plant.”
EB technology in ink and coating technology
According to Don Duncan, the director of research at Wikoff Color Corporation, the majority of EB inks sold in the world today are for lithographic printing, and most of that has been done on cartons.
Wikoff invested in its first EB curing unit in 1993 as customers clamored for an alternative to solvent-based printing.
“You get very low migration printing, and that makes EB popular and effective for food packaging,” said Duncan. “The high energy of the electron beam gives you the high degree of cure, which leaves you with nothing left to migrate.”
There are multiple suppliers of press manufacturers using EB curing. An increasing number of inks and coatings are available, giving printers the option to use this technology, too.
In UV curing, the presence of photoinitiators increases migration levels.
“You can run an EB press generally as fast as the inks will allow you to run,” added Duncan. “It’s not how fast the beam allows you to run; it’s how fast the ink allows you to run.
“With the higher degree of cure with EB over UV, you get more cross linking, which gives you higher rub resistance, higher chemical resistance. There’s just more tied down.”
To view more pictures, click here to open the slideshow.