Uflex has introduced a new product for the flexible packaging industry. According to Uflex, it is the first Indian company to manufacture Glitter Printing Rotogravure Cylinder on its state-of-the-art direct laser engraving line. Pigments of glitter inks are bigger in size as compared to conventional gravure inks.

“It is extremely difficult for a cylinder with electro-mechanically engraved conventional gravure cells to pick up pigments of the glitter ink and transfer them on to the substrate. Therefore in-case of this specialized cylinder, we developed bigger sized customized pits (cells) that trap the high solid content of the glitter ink,” explains P.K. Agarwal, joint president of the Cylinders Business at Uflex. “The customization of cell geometry of the rotogravure cylinder on our direct laser engraving line is the real innovation here. Pigments of the glitter ink have a tendency to get stuck inside the pits/ cells of the cylinder (cell filling). When the printing surface is sandwiched between the impression roller and the gravure cylinder, the high solid contents of the glitter ink get transferred from recessed cells to the substrate with the help of capillary action and the tangential force of the roller.”

Agarwal adds, “Glitter inks, unlike other conventional gravure inks, do not possess self-curing properties. Therefore, to enable quick and effective curing of the glitter ink we developed a Light Emitting Diode (LED) curing system and installed it on the proofing/ printing machines at Uflex. The high solid content of the glitter ink on the printing surface/ substrate imparts superior tactile effect along with the shimmer, tremendously enhancing the shelf impact of the pack, thereby catching the attention of the customer at the already inundated Point-of-Sale (POS). It took us about one month to develop the glitter printing rotogravure cylinder. Our Chemicals Business simultaneously developed the glitter ink. There is great demand for this type of printing from the converters of flexible packaging for high impulse buying consumer goods, particularly in the food and confectionery segment, for which we are fully braced.”

The specialty glitter ink has been manufactured for flexible substrates like paper and heat sensitive films and can be cured using LED lamps applied inline with a gravure printing process using solvent or water based ink system.           

Uflex manufactures different variants like metallic glitter and polymeric glitter inks among others. Conventional metallic shades are available only in gold, silver and copper, whereas polymeric glitter inks are available in several colors.
                                                                                                                              
Rajesh Bhasin, joint president of the Chemicals Business at Uflex Limited, says, “This was one of the toughest challenges posed to us by our client, wherein we were asked to develop glitter ink for a variety of flexible substrates, including heat sensitive films. This ink was required to perform at high speeds and cure quickly on a gravure press. I am so very pleased that our scientists delivered a truly innovative product, which met the client’s expectations on all parameters within a record time.”

“Addressing a need-gap congruently is the real contribution that the manufacturing industry can ever deliver,” says Ashok Chaturvedi, chairman and managing director, Uflex. “I am happy to state that living up to the ethos of being a one-stop solution for meeting all flexible packaging requirements, our Cylinders and Chemicals Businesses demonstrated perfect synergy and engineered the most contemporary and innovative glitter printing solution in record time, delighting our clients.”