In-mold label for next-generation label application technology
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Although the application of in-mold labels in China is still in its infancy, with its many advantages, in-mold labels will definitely increase market share in the next few years.
Last few years. The widespread use of labels and the growing variety of labels have driven the development of label printing technology. Compared with traditional shrink label printing, direct screen printing labels and adhesive labels (mainly self-adhesive labels). As an emerging label printing technology, in-mold label has been gradually promoted and applied in China in recent years. In-mold label is a new type of label packaging that is different from traditional labels. It has been popular in some countries in Europe and America for more than 20 years. Mainly used in cosmetics, daily chemicals, pharmaceutical industry, lubricants industry. Its production process is processed on the surface with PP or PE synthetic paper. The back is coated with a special hot melt adhesive to be processed into special label paper. Printed into a trademark. Although the application of in-mold labels in China is still in its infancy, it has many advantages. In-mold labels will certainly increase market share over the next few years.
Printing materials determine their market potential
The core of the in-mold label lies in the material itself, not the printing process, which is the difference between it and other labels. The in-mold label material has characteristics of use in addition to the printing suitability of the printing press. Therefore, the in-mold label has many differences in the formulation and structure of the material from the common label material.
At present, the commonly used substrates on the market generally include PP, PE PP/PE composite, PP plus coating, and the like. There are also BOPP and paper substrates. However, the application is still relatively small. From the characteristics of the substrate, PE is the softest. PP/PE followed by PP, which is the most stiff. The materials mentioned above. In addition to paper, it has certain waterproof, oil-proof and acid-proof properties. It can be seen that the extensiveness and versatility of in-mold label materials determine the prospects for their market applications. Label materials are basically divided into two categories according to their physical characteristics. That is, paper and film. Paper-based materials will deform due to water or moisture. Causes the ink to fall off and the strength is reduced, which affects the use effect, and the label must be removed when the bottle (barrel) is recycled. It is inconvenient for packaging reuse. and so. In developed countries, paper-based in-mold labels have gradually been replaced by film materials. In my country. The in-mold label has just started, drawing on foreign experience. All use of plastic film materials.
In the process of using film materials. Although their production process is different. However, the basic structure of the material is the same, that is, it consists of a printed layer, a middle layer and a binder layer. The printing layer accepts the ink to form the graphic: the middle layer acts as a support, so that the material has sufficient strength, does not deform under the action of printing tension and high temperature, ensures accurate overprinting, and can have good transparency or opacity as needed; The agent layer is the key to ensure the use of the label. This layer can melt under high temperature. Make the label integral with the wall of the package (bottle). In order to make the printed layer have good ink repellency, the surface adsorption or corona method is often used to improve the surface adsorption performance. And the surface is required to be flat, no wrinkles, no bubbles.
In-mold label printing process
At present, the in-mold label adopts the traditional printing method, and the surface is coated with a layer of UV or EB curing varnish to protect the back, and the back of the label is coated with a solid chemical adhesive. According to the characteristics of the in-mold label material, it is suitable for a variety of printing processing methods and different inks. Including: screen printing, uV letterpress printing, flexographic printing, gravure printing and lithographic offset printing. The printed label is used to pick up the printed label and place it in the mold. The vacuum hole on the mold firmly holds the label in the mold. When the raw material of the plastic bottle is heated and drooped in a hose shape, the mold with the label is quickly closed. Air is blown into the hose so that it fits snugly against the mold wall. At this time, the temperature in the entire mold is still relatively high, and the label-shaped adhesive adhering to the original shape of the bottle begins to melt and is combined with the plastic bottle body in the mold. So when the mold is opened again, the plastic bottle is formed, and the label and the bottle body are integrated into one body, so that the beautifully printed trademark is firmly embedded on the surface of the plastic product, and the label and the plastic bottle are on the same surface, and there is no label, color. The graphic is printed directly on the surface of the bottle.
In-mold labels have two printing methods: web printing and sheet-fed printing. Different printing methods have different process characteristics. The former can be divided into online one-time processing and multiple-in-one processing, and the processing method is related to the factory's own equipment and label design requirements. If the printing process has a stamp with hot stamping and graphics, and the press has a round stamping and die-cutting device, the processed label can be formed at one time. If there is only a separate stamping machine and die-cutting machine, the label can only be processed multiple times. carry out. It is characterized by high production speed and high efficiency, but it is more suitable for mass production due to the high cost of the roll. The sheet-fed printing process is mostly used for silk screen printing and offset printing. This method is completed in multiple processes on multiple devices. The printing process is related to the process design. The processing is more flexible, the plate-making cost is lower than that of the reel, and it is suitable for small batch production. The printing effect is good, and the screen printing of the screen printing and the offset printing are better than the roll printing effect.
In order to improve some practical or cosmetic effects of the in-mold label, post-processing is also critical. According to customer requirements, glazing, bronzing and other work should be carried out to enhance the application performance of the label. Glazing can improve the gloss of the in-mold label and the surface decoration characteristics of the product. At the same time, in order to improve the wear resistance and high temperature resistance of the in-mold label. Hot stamping can use two techniques of cold stamping and hot stamping. Cold stamping is mainly used for flexographic printing. The use of cold stamping to obtain better visual effects requires higher process technology. Generally, the process of printing after cold ironing is used. A thick layer of ink covers the edge burrs of cold stamping. This technique is recommended if the customer is able to accept the visual effects of cold ironing.
Create productivity with quality
The quality of products is undoubtedly the cornerstone of enterprise development, and the quality of control products can continuously create new market miracles. For the printing of in-mold labels, the influencing factors mainly include white spots, dirty spots, deformation of materials during printing, static electricity problems, unstable quality and ink stick phenomenon, etc., which affect the entire production process and need to be well Grasp the quality control.
Firstly, the control and tension control of the film material in production is the premise of ensuring good registration, and the adjustment of the registration should not affect the paper feeding. The material price of the in-mold label is high, and should be avoided as much as possible: secondly, the control of drying, effective drying does not affect the paper feeding, the general cooling system does not function as it should, there is no support during drying, and the film is heated. After the deformation, the effect of the cold water roller is not obvious. The pure infrared light generated by the filter uV device makes the UV dry coal not have enough heat guarantee. It is recommended to use a professional water cooling system. The improper handling of tension and drying directly affects the speed of the machine and the efficiency of production: there is also the treatment of static electricity, which has always been a major problem for film production. In addition to the installation of electrostatic devices in the process, additional control can be carried out in the printing and feeding process, such as working on auxiliary materials such as ink. Some devices have special handling devices for static electricity. These can effectively reduce the effect of static electricity on printing and die-cutting. In addition, the collection of labels can be plagued by static electricity. Even in the process of printing die-cutting, various methods are generated, and static electricity is generated during the collection process. The larger batch size can be adopted by the United States (COMCO) Concord's rotary collection program, which is collected synchronously with the machine speed, and collected, counted, and stacked once, directly packed, and some custom schemes can be adopted for batches.
However, there are also some limitations in the use of in-mold labels. First, in practical applications, if a self-adhesive label is used, there is a problem in the printing process. Even if it is reprinted, it is just a waste of some labels, even if it has been attached to a plastic bottle. Dissatisfied with the labeling style, only change the bottle, the label can continue to be used. However, the use of in-mold labels, if not satisfied with the printing or labeling process, will cause double waste of the bottle and label; secondly, the use of in-mold labels requires expensive molds. Special container blow molding or injection molding equipment increases the cost of fraud and provides anti-counterfeiting effects while increasing the unit manufacturing cost of the container. If the in-mold label is used to make the blow molding process container, the shape (curvature) of the container must be considered. If the curvature of the container is too large, such as a round bottle, it may cause difficulty in exhausting in the in-mold labeling. In addition, if the container made by blow molding is too large, it is not suitable to use an in-mold label.
Win the trust of customers with their own advantages
The reason why in-mold label printing is used by more and more people is inseparable from its own advantages.
Beautiful appearance. The use of in-mold labels is undoubtedly very novel and beautiful, with a strong inlay, waterproof and moisture-proof. Smooth hand feel, especially for daily chemical products with labels as the main outer packaging. Since the in-mold label is naturally integrated with the bottle body and deformed with the deformation of the bottle body, foaming and wrinkling do not occur. In addition, in-mold labels use film and paper materials in foreign countries. Film materials are used in China, and the surface of the film does not absorb ink. Therefore, the label has bright color and strong three-dimensional effect, and the color effect is obviously superior to paper materials, and it can perfectly reflect the exquisite Patterns and small text. The in-mold label is tightly bonded to the bottle body, and the label has good adhesion to the container. When the container is warped and squeezed, the label will not be separated from it, which can resist collision, scratching and contamination during production and transportation, so that the label can be Maintain integrity and aesthetics for long periods of time.
Anti-counterfeiting performance. At present, only a few companies in China offer in-mold label labeling services because of the large investment in disposable equipment. There are many variables in the mold design, label printing and processing labeling process, so there are technical barriers to the in-mold label, and it is not an easy task to forge. Self-adhesive label technology is very mature in China, so imitation is quite easy. The in-mold label is produced together with the bottle body, and it can be counterfeited unless it is copied together with the bottle body. This technology is only available in a few companies in China, and the use of in-mold labels requires special molds, and the cost of mold production. Higher (a set of molds of several hundred thousand yuan), increased the difficulty and cost of counterfeiting.
Potentially reduce costs. At present, the price of in-mold labels is twice that of self-adhesive labels, which largely hinders the promotion of in-mold labels. However, if the color of the label printed by direct screen printing exceeds four colors, the cost is the most expensive among the three conventional label printing methods. From the point of view of the cost of the label material, the in-mold label does not require a bottom paper, so the material cost has a certain room for reduction. Moreover, the label is embedded in the plastic bottle to increase the strength of the plastic container, reduce the amount of resin in the container, and reduce the storage capacity of the plastic bottle. However, due to the use of in-mold labels, special die-cutting equipment and labeling equipment are required in the printing process, and the printing process requires attention to electrostatic treatment, so the printing cost of the in-mold label may be higher than the conventional label. Relevant experts pointed out. With the deepening of domestic understanding of in-mold labels and the promotion and improvement of in-mold label technology, the price will inevitably reach the level acceptable to customers.
Environmental advantages. The environmental protection function of the in-mold label is also one of the reasons why manufacturers favor it. Since the in-mold label is completely integrated with the bottle body, the chemical composition is the same, it can be recycled together, and the recycling rate is higher. The sticker can't do this, it's separate from the bottle, and the label on it may be difficult to remove.
叩晌The door to the future label market
From the development situation at home and abroad, in-mold labels are mainly used in daily chemical products, oil industry, food industry and pharmaceutical industry, such as shower gel, lubricating oil, coffee, high-grade pharmaceutical packaging. Although the in-mold label does not appear for a long time, it is attracting more and more manufacturers' attention. In Europe and the United States, the development of in-mold labels has entered a stable development track. In China, in-mold labels are developing at a high speed of 70%. Looking ahead, in-mold labels will launch a strong challenge to self-adhesive labels, and will eliminate paper in-mold labels, fully moving toward plastic labeling. Moreover, there will be more and more end customers using in-mold labels.
In-mold labels are accepted by the market and their characteristics are inseparable. It has better chemical resistance, scratch resistance and corrosion resistance than self-adhesive labels, and it can display better printing effect and spot color effect than screen printing. Since the current use of in-mold labels are relatively high-value products, the printing quality requirements are relatively demanding, and some products that are generally recognized by foreign countries are likely to be regarded as waste products in China, which is closely related to the user's strict printing requirements. There are some problems in the domestic label industry: firstly, the quality of the in-mold label is beautiful, which is recognized, but if the in-mold label is used, the whole production process will be completely changed, not only the cost of changing the mold, but also the high cost. The method must be changed accordingly. Secondly, the in-mold label is more suitable for mass production. Only when a certain amount is reached, the cost can be moderately reduced. Therefore, the source problem is also the reason for the manufacturer to hesitate. Finally, the traditional label is generally passed. Adhesives adhere to the surface of the container with a certain degree of flexibility. The in-mold label is to integrate the label and the container. When the product wants to change the label due to poor sales, if the self-adhesive label is used, only some labels will be wasted, and the container will not be wasted. If the bottle is not satisfied, Only by changing the bottle, the label can continue to be used, and the use of the in-mold label is likely to cause double waste of the bottle and the label.
Each new technology is always blocked by traditional methods in the early stage of promotion, and it faces enormous challenges. The application of in-mold labels is also true. Although the in-mold label printing processing market is still in its infancy in China, as it is gradually being further recognized by end users and consumers' demand for packaging, the in-mold label market will surely develop rapidly in the next few years.