What is the difference between water-based UV ink and ordinary UV ink?

What is the difference between water-based UV ink and ordinary UV ink?

With the continuous development of printing technology, various types of inks have emerged, and UV gloss ink is one of many inks. However, UV ink is divided into ordinary UV ink and water-based UV ink two types. For many people, the difference between the two inks is not very clear. In this article, we will detail the differences and advantages and disadvantages between the two inks.

1. UV ink overview

UV ink is a coating commonly used in printing. It is composed of photosensitizers, monomers (low molecular weight substances), and some additives, which can be cured by ultraviolet light in an instant to form a hard and ductile printing film. This ink has many advantages, such as: high gloss, good hardness, chemical resistance, etc., is a very suitable material for various printing needs.

2. Ordinary UV ink

Ordinary UV inks are usually composed of a group of photosensitizers S (photoinitiators) and a group of monomers T (apparent hard substances). The ink curing speed is fast, the drying time is short, and the curing process can be completed in a few seconds. Ordinary UV ink is suitable for a variety of more regular product printing, such as: advertising materials, brochures, posters, etc., but also suitable for packaging printing, printed circuit boards and other aspects. However, because the monomer commonly used in ordinary UV ink is a silt substance, and the curing speed is fast, it is usually prone to poor ink adhesion, easy to fall off, easy to smell and other defects, and it can not be cured on the special-shaped material.

3. Water-based UV ink

Water-based UV ink is one of the most popular printing inks in the printing industry. Water-based UV ink is based on ordinary UV ink, further combined with water-based resin. This ink is more environmentally friendly than ordinary UV ink, does not emit odor, harmful gases, and has better adhesion and higher durability than traditional flexible environmentally friendly ink. Water-based UV ink due to the addition of a certain amount of water-based resin, so the viscosity of the ink is not high, which also means that it can be applied to printing special-shaped materials. In addition, water-based UV ink also has other advantages, such as: bright color, high picture resolution, high elasticity, easy color adjustment, not easy to fade.

4. The difference between the two inks

The main difference between ordinary UV inks and water-based UV inks is that their composition is different. Ordinary UV inks are mainly composed of photosensitivities and monomers, while water-based UV inks add water-based resins on the basis of ordinary UV inks. In addition, the two inks also differ in curing time and viscosity. Ordinary UV inks have a short curing time and high viscosity, while water-based UV inks have a slightly slower curing time and correspondingly lower viscosity.

In addition, the two inks are also different in use. The adhesion of ordinary UV inks is poor, and it is easy to have insufficient adhesion when printing special-shaped materials, while water-based UV inks do not have this problem. The color of water-based UV ink is bright and not easy to fade, and has a high gloss and durability; The ordinary UV ink has shortcomings in adhesion, odor and so on. Ordinary UV inks and water-based UV inks play an important role in the printing industry. Both inks have their own advantages and disadvantages, and need to be selected according to the actual printing needs. In general, water-based UV ink is more environmentally friendly than ordinary UV ink, better adhesion, higher durability, not easy to fade and other advantages, but also more suitable for printing special-shaped materials.