Showing UV-curable, solvent and water-based printing inks combined with in-depth industrial know-how, Marabu has met with great interest among visitors at InPrint 2014.
The premiere of the InPrint 2014 in Hanover was a big success. During the trade show, the explicit interest in industrial printing technologies was clearly evident. Thanks to the wide range of UV-curable, solvent and water-based inks as well as liquid coatings, Marabu's expert team answered pointed questions to specific industrial applications and explained the individual strengths of screen, digital, and pad printing.
Industrial printing with significant potential
Industrial printing presents unique potential in terms of the huge variety and complexity of the forms, substrates and surface finishes involved. Industrial manufacturers are excited about the possibilities and searching for tailor-made solutions for their specific applications. At InPrint in Hanover they could find explicit answers to their questions. It was the perfect platform for gaining first-class contacts and partici-pating in an intensive exchange between visitors and exhibitors. The InPrint also ensured a good network-ing atmosphere among the companies which exhibited. So for the first event all expectations were ex-ceeded and Marabu is already looking forward to a new edition of the Industrial Print Show.
Inkjet on the rise
At the premiere of the InPrint in Hanover, Marabu gave visitors an insight into the versatility and respec-tive benefits of screen, digital, and pad printing – beyond conventional graphic applications. No matter what application, whether in the automotive industry, packaging, membrane switches, technical markings, functional inks and coatings, decorative surface finishing or in textile printing, a clear trend to digital printing was visible. A very special interest was given to solutions with UV-LED-curable inkjet inks. How-ever, the selection of the suitable printing technology is not as easy as it looks like. The different proper-ties of substrates and requirements such as chemical and mechanical resistance, light fastness, opacity, gloss and colour brilliance or odours – in addition to its compatibility with downstream processes such as bending, machining, welding, or moulding, remain crucial. For printing on PET bottle closures, for exam-ple, Marabu's pad printing ink TampaRotaSpeed TPRS or the halogen-free TPHF deliver efficient, cost-effective results for rotary systems. High adhesion and rapid drying mean seamless production processes and finished products that are scratch-resistant, even when packaged in bulk. Before replacing pad print-ing technology by digital printing in this case, it needs to be clarified to what extend the inkjet solution can guarantee the same resistance and light fastness as the traditional pad printing technology.
The solution for the future and one of Marabu's strengths is to switch between different printing technologies depending on the application and the requirements. Furthermore, it would be an advantage to implement the combination of screen, digital, or pad printing within a single application. The combination of screen and digital printing is relevant, for example, when it comes to membrane switches.
As a development partner, Marabu can identify new printing options and highlight innovative solutions for manufacturing. Plus, it can reengineer existing printing processes to maximise production efficiency.
