Sustainable Alternative for Flexible Packaging

In addition to meeting changing job requirements on a wide variety of plastic film- and paper-based substrates, Sun Chemical’s class leading (EB)-curing inks and coatings offer a host of environmental benefits to help converters and brand owners meet their sustainability targets. These include using no VOCs, enabling light-weighting through the elimination of film layers, deinkability, or, in the case of offset inks, higher amounts of bio-renewable content.

EB Offset

SunBeam Advance

Where flexible packaging applications are in focus, the SunBeam Advance 5 series is the product of choice. It offers expanded gamut 7 color shades plus a blending range. The inks are designed for surface print and reverse print lamination and sleeve applications.

They are optimized for printability, transfer and adhesion on packaging films and meet current food packaging regulations and key brand owner guidelines. The offset ink set is complemented by high performance EB flexo whites in grades for lamination and for sleeve and label applications.

SunBeam Advance 5 inks contain around 30% bio-based carbon (ASTM D6866-18 Method B or AMS), indicating the percentage of carbon from modern “natural” renewable organic sources versus fossil or “synthetic” (petrochemical) sources.

The SunBeam Advance II inks and coatings are specifically designed for stable high speed (350m/min+) folding carton and paper printing. This leading, commercially proven technology exhibits very low misting at high speeds, and shows exceptional lithographic performance on all types of EB offset presets.

They also meet American Soybean Association requirements for soybean oil content, making them an environmentally friendly option.

EB Flexo

WetFlex®

WetFlex® is a revolutionary, completely VOC-free printing technology that is designed for high speed (400m/min) wet trapping flexo printing on modern flexible packaging CI Flexo presses using an EB curing unit at the end of the press. WetFlex inks fully meet the regulatory requirements for high resistance surface and reverse print food packaging applications, while retaining very high print quality with clean screens, dense smooth solids, and stable printing through long runs.

Complementary EB White and Coating Products

Both WetFlex Flexo and SunBeam Offset ink ranges are complemented by complete sets of EB flexo white options and EB flexo coatings for various flexible packaging applications.

The EB flexo whites are designed for high performance lamination, sleeve, and wrap around label applications. The latest water based EB hybrid white technology is designed for high performance surface print film and foil applications and has proven to be fully retortable when used with the suitable EB flexo coating from our coatings range.

The high performance EB flexo coatings portfolio for WetFlex and SunBeam Offset inks ranges from gloss to ultra matt and high slip to anti-skit and includes anti-static and ink protection options for retort applications. In addition to print protection, the coatings provide the opportunity to replace lamination layers and achieve high heat seal resistance in recyclable polyolefin monolayer structures.

Metallic inks and specialty coatings are also available.

Complementary Barrier Primer, Coating and Adhesive Products

Combining these EB products with our SunBar^TM Aerobloc oxygen barrier coatings and Paslim™ oxygen barrier adhesive can lead to further sustainable benefits, such as improved recyclability or increased barrier properties to enhance product shelf life and reduced food waste. Both SunBar^TM Aerobloc and  Paslim™ are featured in our Guide to Sustainable Packaging.