Zeller+Gmelin Develops New Cold Foil Adhesives for LED UV Technology

Zeller+Gmelin, a printing ink manufacturer, has added new adhesive systems for the finishing process by means of cold foil transfer on sheetfed and web offset printing presses to its range of products. The adhesives from the Uvalux series with the product codes LED U0850 and LED U0851 are both designed for the product sector of LED UV technology. The company, which has specialized in the market segment of radiation curing and has developed inks and varnishes for this application for quite some time, now also offers LED UV curing adhesives.

The two new products are an important complement to the wide range offered by Zeller+Gmelin for the adhesive sector. Altogether, the Uvalux series is a complete program that provides the appropriate product, including low-migration variants, for various applications in UV offset and letterpress printing on narrow-web printing presses as well as in UV sheetfed offset printing. In addition, the entire program includes the two series Euralux and Uvaflex, with which Zeller+Gmelin also serves the segments of conventional sheetfed offset printing as well as UV flexographic printing.

Thanks to the two new products, users of LED UV technology are able, in combination with UV offset printing, to realize metal effects on paper and cardboard both in package printing (non-food) and commercial printing. For the curing of the highly reactive cold foil adhesives, LED UV systems in the wavelength ranges of 385 and 395 nm can be used. In processing, the adhesives safeguard a good adhesion to the film and the substrate. They feature a sharp edge definition in printing and are very stable in the ink duct, even with high-volume print runs. The difference between the two systems is the coloring, which supports an exact positioning and easier control of the applied quantity. Uvalux LED U0850 is a yellow-colored adhesive intended for the use on gold foils and Uvalux LED U0851 is a grey-colored system for silver foils.

Currently, LED UV systems are increasingly moving into the market as an alternative to conventional UV curing. They offer a number of economic and environmental benefits. These include, among others, low energy consumption and a long service life, as well as the elimination of warm-up time and waiting time when the lamps are switched on or off. The systems do not contain any mercury, do not release any ozone, and due to the lack of infrared radiation, they are also suitable for temperature-sensitive substrates since the influence of heat on the substrate is reduced.

Source: Zeller+Gmelin.