Flexible packaging continues to grow its market share, branching out into new applications, particularly in food and beverage packaging. In turn, ink manufacturers are developing more advanced inks for their customers to meet these requirements, whether it is adding to shelf appeal or meeting stricter safety standards.
 
“Firstly, the change is driven by the sensitization for packaging safety along with the application of directives on safe handling and low migration performances of all components, including inks,” said Dr. Lutz Frischmann, global product director flexible packaging, hubergroup. “Secondly, the request to have a reduced number of products covering the most popular applications has been a key factor. Furthermore, the growing popularity of using spectrophotometers to define shades has had an influence on the ink market. All these elements contributed to the definition of more engineered and consistent products. Last but not least, the implementation of sustainability concepts in flexible packaging gains more and more importance and requires new advancements in packaging design and hence in inks.”
 
“There have been different kinds of new demands and performance requirements influencing the overall development of ink,” Dr. Ralph Detsch, VP global technology at Siegwerk, noted. “Technical demands have mainly been driven with regard to new printing technologies like HD flexo printing as well as novel printing machines with higher speeds. Besides, the use of continuously down-gauged film structures entails new resistance levels for inks. Steadily increasing regulatory efforts worldwide, that have been driven by stringent regulations like the Swiss ordinance or policies from large global brand owners, have also considerably changed the standards for ink formulations. Product safety remains a very important and challenging aspect of packaging.”
 
“Sun Chemical has seen many new challenges for inks to perform in different conditions,” Tony Renzi, VP, product management packaging inks, North American Inks, Sun Chemical, said. “We have improved our ink systems to adapt to meet the needs of our customers. Inks are being asked to do something new for converters all the time and Sun Chemical has answered, whether the inks need to be formulated with renewable or natural raw materials, meet the strictest regulations, perform at the highest print speeds, and more.”
 
Safety aspects are critical. Knut Fenner, GM of Colorcon NoTox Products, reported that Colorcon has seen the need for printing inks to meet more global safety requirements, especially in the flexible food packaging sector.
 
“While inks are just a part of the process of producing low migration packaging for foods and pharmaceuticals, it has become imperative to use, or develop, unique raw materials for all ink systems,” Fenner observed. “And while formulating in such a manner, ink makers must also be cognizant of the impact that our products have on the cradle-to-grave or cradle-to-cradle (recycling) impact, particularly in the flexible packaging realm.”
 
William Allen, North America business manager – flexible packaging for ACTEGA North America, noted that improved required performance, regulatory requirements, limitations in raw materials, availability of alternate raw materials, faster drying, better adhesion to multiple and alternate substrates have all been a challenge
 
“Newer inks have much-improved performance over those available just a few years ago,” Allen added. “The biggest change is the growth in the number, variety and options for packages and designs that require speed-to-market and flexible order sizes. There is a tremendous increase in the number of SKUs requiring faster change over and increased orders with smaller order sizes.”
 
Deanna Klemesrud, global marketing director, packaging inks for Flint Group, pointed to the example of concentrated detergents and cleaners requiring inks and coatings with higher resistance properties.
 
“Lower odor is also a continued demand,” said Klemesrud. “Films used in flexible packaging applications continue to get thinner and thinner. Because of this, inks need to be lower in migration due to this downgauging of the films. Chemistries need to be adjusted to support the low migration requirements while still providing the same high-quality print. With more complicated structures and films, the application window for inks has become much wider. For example, aluminum oxide coatings films – not so many years ago, these were not used. Now ink producers must develop inks to suit this newer material.”
 
“With the global rise in food safety awareness, the functional and safety demands for food packaging materials, in particular, those from major food brands and packaging converters, became increasingly stringent,” said Hisayuki Abe, president of Toyo Ink America, LLC. “In response to this, ink makers developed toluene-free inks and other materials compliant with EU regulations (Swiss Ordinance), products which have now become de facto standards in the market.”
 
Mark Hill, VP and R&D director for INX International Ink Co., also noted the increased emphasis on recycling.
 
“Ink has had to change to work with recyclability efforts becoming more resistant to recycling processes or conform to certain recycling criteria,” said Hill. “They have become more product resistant due to product exposure and, because of mono web designs, expose ink to the product in some cases.”
 
Joe Kubasiak, market manager, flexible packaging for Wikoff Color, noted that over the past decade, brand owners have continued to push the boundaries on packaging shelf appeal, which in turn demands more technical inks and coatings.
 
“These technical demands include higher strength inks for high definition printing, higher heat resistance, and inks that stand up to high shrink applications,” Kubasiak said. “The demands for specialty overprint varnishes have also become more advanced, requiring a variety of textures, from matte and glossy to soft touch or grit, to enhance the appeal of the printed product. As demands have changed, Wikoff Color inks have become more advanced not only in the development phase but also in the manufacturing process.”
 
“Differentiation in packaging design is a brand owner demand,” Klemesrud said. “Many designers are looking to specialized coatings to bring this next level of impact at the point of sale. Of interest are coatings that provide sensory impacts – such as tactile or paper touch. Furthermore, the security of the package is a growing demand – brand owners are looking for tracking and tracing capabilities through specialized inks and coatings.”
 
“The demands have pushed for more advancements in inks,” said John Pogatschnik, product manager, narrow web North America at Flint Group. “A flexible package design is a complete system. The substrate, ink, coatings, and adhesive need to work together to contain and protect the packaged product. As one piece of the system is changed, it is likely other pieces will also need to evolve to accommodate the new conditions. With ink specifically, the change could be the expansion to new contents in the package that have a unique intolerance to specific contamination or new substrates to lower cost or provide a new function or appearance. As these changes alter the system, so do the capabilities of the ink need to change.”