September - October 2014
Volume : 2 • ISSUE 1
Trendspotting:
Way ahead: One never ending question and four mantras There are two things that we often ask ourselves when we think about business: is the industry growing? If yes, what should I do to reap the benefits?
T
he Global label demand (across all technologies) is expected to reach more than 50 billion square meters by 2015. According to another study, analogue packaging will grow by 28% in the 2008-2018 period while all digitally produced material will increase by 375%. Digital printing is well established in label production, where electrophotography and inkjet enjoy growing shares of market value, Smithers Pira forecasts these to reach over 27% in 2018. Although the unit price of digital output is currently much higher than the analogue alternative, there will be significant reductions in this unit price in coming years. These are predicted to accelerate after 2014 as higher performance digital presses enter the market. Another study has found that the overall corrugated production
grew by 3.2% in 2013, and Asia including India and China has registered a growth of 6.3% between 2012-13; that’s almost double the global rate. The report also found that India in particular is expected to become one of the largest corrugated markets based on potential size and economic and corrugated growth rates. The global consumer packaging market is valued at approximately US$400bn and an estimated US$500bn if industrial end markets are included. Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) markets comprise approximately 30% of global demand, increasing as their economies further develop. Packaging sales in the emerging markets are expected to continue to show strong growth as both increased consumption and demand for consumer goods drives the need for more sophisticated packaging, due to a growing middle class.
So one thing is settled — the industry is moving upwards. But does that assure you a seat on the top or a better topline? Unfortunately, no. Here are five mantras that emerged during our discussions with the industry’s movers and shakers throughout the year: Sow what you want, throw what you don’t There is a fun management thought:
The blame is always yours. This is often said in context of CEOs. Management needs to be skilled at determining how much to spend on maintaining and adding to the capabilities of their machine park. Spend too little and your competitiveness (and EBITDA) erodes over time. Spend too much on the wrong machines and your cash flow suffers. Therefore, finding the quantum and mix
of capex spend that sustains EBITDA and cash flow is key. Given the increased volatility in the market in the last couple of years, it is best to gauge and think hard before investing in a fancy press. While brands may sound chic, it’s not always the most economical if you can’t get the cost per print right. So, the blame is not on the brands but the investment. Although, it sounds
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Editorial
PUBLISHER & EDITOR IN CHIEF
Jignesh Lapasiya +91 9867978998 labelstalk@gmail.com SENIOR EDITOR
Sonal Shah
The opportune moment Every year, we come across reports that go gaga about the growth in the label and packaging industry. However, this year, there is a wave of optimism that is almost
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Madhvan A
difficult to ignore. However, while we all know that the industry is growing; it is equally important that we all gear up and streamline our operations to actually benefit from the
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Brand Designers
opportunities that we come across. And as you read this issue of Labels Talk, I am sure you will notice a lot is happening around you, too.
WEB SUPPORT
Pratik Shah
In the last few months, the global market has signalled that better days are ahead. Thomas
PRINTED AT
A Edison once said: Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls
Star Printer
and looks like work. It is long time to shun the cottage industry working culture and act as
MEMBER OF
a global brand -- not just because the time demands it, but because we have the calibre. Remember, without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable.
CONTENTS TRENDSPOT ................................................................................................................... 1 SPRY MEDIA 702, Jugal Appartment, Liberty Garden, Road No 3, Malad (W), Mumbai 400 064, Maharashtra, India. Mobile : +91 98679 78998 E Mail : labelstalk@gmail.com Website : www.labelstalk.in All material printed in this publication is the sole property of SPRY MEDIA. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. LABELSTALK is a bi-monthly tablolid printed and published by Jignesh Lapasia. All printed matters contained in the magazine are based on information from those featured in it. The views, ideas, comments and opinions expressed are solely of authors, LABELSTALK does not subscribe on the same.
10 page 2
Way ahead: One never ending question and four mantras
SPOTLIGHT.................................................................................................................. 10 Vivek Kapoor: Creative Labels the bottom line will guide!
TECHTALK .................................................................................................................... 12 Demystifying holograms and the need for it
TECHNOLOGY ............................................................................................................14 Components of Self adhesive Labelstocks
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September / October 2014
News
customer and makes him want to pay for it would be tricky. Augmented reality using gaming systems, innovative designs, offline-online interaction with customers, information rich packaging are few of the things that would hit the market. If it can be measured, can be delivered
very curt but invest if you need to, cut corners if you truly must. Devil is in detail Packaging is about the attention to details. Often a well designed idea is like a half-backed cake. Although the industry is still moving in the direction, it is important that brand owners understand that each idea has its limitations, and therefore, it is important to give a much clearer brief to the printer
and converter. Moreover, often the issue is lack of understanding between the various executors of the design. Get talking! Catch the eye or shun the game Innovation should be interesting, don’t do if you don’t know what it will offer to your customer. As the retail industry catches up with the loss made in the last few years, driving sales share through packaging that catches the eye of
There have been instances when printers have wrongly “Guessed’ the business volume and stocked paper. The result, by the end of the year, the reports were that he was selling the stock. This was just one of the issues, there are many other issues that stem out of no or wrong measuring process. Not all packaging businesses use the right metrics, have consistent measurement across production sites or even the means to collect and analyse the data. Some
have the means, but don’t do anything with the information. It is also important to record and review working capital metrics, the most notable of which include days sales outstanding (DSO), days payable outstanding (DPO) and days inventory outstanding (DIO). Blow your trumpet It is important that packaging companies walk out of the shell and take themselves seriously as a brand if they want others to take them seriously. Often the rhetoric is: we are a small company, we don’t need it, we already know our customers, this is as much as we spend on marketing. Seriously, to create a brand just good work is not enough. Think about it, you wouldn’t know about anything around if you never saw them advertise or market themselves.
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News
Arrow Digital unveils label finisher Arrow Digital, distributor and solution provider to packaging, coatings, labelling and inkjet segments, recently unveiled its laser cutting/finishing system at its R&D centre in Ahmedabad. The Arrow Label Finisher 216 is a desktopsized (220mm web station) system using an air-cooled CO2 laser unit. The machine is equipped
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with a vision system as well as cutting mark sensors to compensate for registration errors in the printed label itself. It supports cutting on the fly without stopping; the cutting speed is 5-20m/ min, making it up to 20 times faster than knife cutters. Other highlight of the machine is that it supports halfcutting, full-cutting and
hatch marking at the same time, as well as supporting variable data. The machine is provided as full-featured package including software, table, screen display, computer, dust-collector, blower and air-compressor. The web station is designed for precise control of registration with ±0.3mm widthdirection variance, with supporting gap sensors and black mark sensors. The machine can print labels of sizes up to 20.5-120 cm on various media such as art papers, certified PET, gold and silver paper, teslin etc. This press is an ideal in-house solution for companies in various segments like pharmaceuticals, food & beverages, FMCG,
healthcare, cosmetics, home appliances etc. Having inline laminator and matrix removal together makes it a complete label finishing system. The Finisher is compatible with any label printing system – Flexo, Screen, inkjet, colour laser, digital etc. Along with the label finisher, Arrow also launched a digital label printer, thereby giving customers an in-house solution for on demand/ short run jobs. The demo centre was established in the year 2007 by Sameer Patel, managing director and CEO of Arrow Digital to explain technology and showcase the end-product to its customers, all under one roof.
Cosmo Films in mould label films
Ahmedabad based Canpac invests in Param ERP
Cosmo Films has developed in mould label (IML) films at par with global standards. The films have a low static charge which offers better dust resistance, better stacking for robotic arm pick up and good machinability. IML, which is one of the recent primary product identification and decoration techniques, has qualities like affordability and durability working in its favour. It delivers g economies manufacturing
At the recently concluded IndiaCorr ExpoSinoCorrugated show in Mumbai, Ahmedabadbased Canpac Trends opted for a Speedeq ERP software from Param ERP. Canpac was established in 1997 and has recently set up a a four lakh sq/ft plant in Ahmedabad’s Bavla Taluka. The company converts 600 tonnes of paper and paperboards per month with a manufacturing facility
for carton packaging. Some of Param’s clients are: Art-O-Print in Ahmedabad, Concorde Entreprises in Vadodara, Jaipur Printers in Jaipur, Multiplexes in New Delhi, Print Pack, Sama Printers in Nepal. The company claims it has 100 clients.
are employed) also offer environmental advantages. It has realised the potential of the technique. Its IML films is a low density product with density as low as 0.55kg/m3 offers good orange peel effect along with better yield and is
used mostly for small containers. The film’s structure is designed in such a way that it offers gloss to the printable surface and better bond with the container through its matte surface. The film also offers high opacity and whiteness index.
and efficiencies without compromising on the aesthetics of the product packaging. By providing photographic-quality graphics, it performs well on thin-walled plastic packaging and, as a result, has attracted considerable interest from the global manufacturers of spreads, ice cream and similar high-volume consumer products. Thinner containers coupled with thinner labels (particularly when a e sub bst a es film label substrates
September / October 2014
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News
Kaygee Loparex to highlight new release liners at Glassine C1S release loads and increased Labelexpo India Converting prime labels requires release liners that are smooth, strong, economical and have stable release values to handle the rigors associated with high speed adhesive coating, printing, diecutting and dispensing. Considering this, Kaygee
Loparex will unveil its new range of Glassine, CCK and SCK release liners at Labelexpo which would offer valuefor-money performance for Indian labelstock manufacturers. The range includes prime grade as well as cost-effective grades including 50 gsm
liner, 55 gsm CCK C1S release liner, and 67 gsm SCK C1S release liner. The 50 gsm glassine release liner is designed to offer similar strength and thickness characteristics as popular 60 gsm liners but helps our customer to reduce their environmental
yields helps them with better cost-performance. The company will also highlight a number of applications utilising its line of products at at its stand B15, Hall 12.
Innovative Flexotech to show photopolymer plate making solutions at Labelexpo India Gujarat based Innovative Flexotech will display photopolymer plate making machine and thermal imagesetter (Negative Film Making Solution) at Labelexpo India 2014. Established in 1997 in Ahmedabad, Flexotech boasts of a huge worldwide customer base spread over 110 countries. The company offers flexography, a ‘systems approach’ to prepress, with a complete selection of equipment
for flexo and enjoys over 4000 satisfactory customer installation. The company manufactures CI flexo printing press, wide web flexo printing press, central impression flexo press, stack type printing press, single to eight colour flexo printing press, photopolymer and flexography plate making equipments, water wash flexo plate making equipment, varnishing plate maker, pad printing plate making equipment,
among others. For the purpose, the company has established an ultramodern manufacturing set up covering an area of 30,000 sq. ft. The company has installed latest equipments to guarantee delivery of the best quality production. All ‘Job Parts’ possess the CNC, VMC, boring machines and plano miller. Innovative has also established and applied a stringent Quality Control System
for design, development, and production for paper converting machinery according to the requirements of ISO 9001:2008. Some important customers where the company has installations are Shree Rama Multitech, Polymedicure, Focus Labels, P B Holotech (India), Sicon Packs, Empire Packages, Pune Polytech, Northan Railway Ticket Printing Press, Die Heard.
Mark Andy Print Products offers tesa Softprint Secure plate mounting tapes Mark Andy Print Products has announced the addition of the tesa Softprint Secure plate mounting tapes to its offering of pressroom products. tesa Softprint Secure is designed to handle
two major challenges for narrow web printers: plate lift and long run lengths. With the newly developed adhesives on both the plate roll/ sleeve and plate side of the double-sided foam tape series, it effectively prevents plate lift on small repeat cylinders and sleeves while maintaining a strong, secure bond. SNAP-ON tesa Softprint Secure plate
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mounting tapes don’t just hold down plate edges effectively. tesa engineers have developed a bonding agent which also offers easy plate mounting and demounting characteristics. This SNAP-ON adhesive is patented by tesa for its unique chemical formulation.
The tesa Softprint Secure The tesa Softprint Secure is a double-coated foam tape, designed specifically for print process security in wide-web flexographic printing. The revolutionary adhesive system is extremely
solvent resistant, holds the edges, even of thick, photopolymer plates down on minimal diameter sleeves or cylinders. This makes this product the ideal solution for faster printing speeds, longer print jobs and designs that require minimal joins. The open side adhesive is designed to function on steel and sleeves. The covered side of adhesive is different and very solvent resistant. The medium foam makes this the ideal solution for printing combinations of screens and line work.
September / October 2014
News
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News
Gallus unveils DCS 340 digital label printing machine Gallus unveiled its future machine generation for digital label printing during the “Gallus Innovation Days 2014”, which took place from 23 – 25 September. A pre-series model of the digital printing system was presented to the industry for the first time. Gallus
is the designation of the new digital inline label printing system, which has been developed in cooperation with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and Fujifilm and will set new standards in digital label production. “Due to continuing growth in short-run
DCS 340 (Digital Converting System)
label production and personalised, versioned
labels, we are seeing investment on the market steadily shift towards printing presses that utilise digital printing. The growth potential for this printing method is considerable and we expect to see high growth rates over the next ten years,” said Stefan Heiniger, COO Label Business at Gallus Ferd. Rüesch AG. As a result of collaboration with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and its partner for inkjet technology, Fujifilm, the new Gallus DCS 340 digital inline label printing system features a printing module with next-generation inkjet printing heads. The unique print head design enables several heads to be joined together
for a greater print width, without visible transitions. A native resolution of 1200 dpi delivers print quality that is unmatched in UV inkjet printing today. By combining the strengths of digital printing with an inline finishing process that has been specially optimised for digital printing, the Gallus DCS 340 gives users the chance to varnish, embellish and further process labels inline – from the roll to the finished die-cut label in a single production operation. The standardised, user-friendly interface of the Gallus DCS 340 makes sure that label printers benefit from the speed, quality and consistency they need in digital printing.
DuPont to showcase new flexographic plate and equipment at Labelexpo India DuPont Packaging Graphics (DuPont) is highlighting new flexographic plate and equipment technologies for the tag and label market Labelexpo India 2014. Shown for the first time at Labelexpo India, these new featured products include the DuPont Cyrel FAST DFUV plate, the DuPont
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Cyrel FAST 1001 TD processor and the DigiFlow 1000 EcLF exposure-unit. The new Cyrel FAST DFUV flexographic printing plate is designed specifically for the narrow web printer who needs a high-performance plate for use with ultraviolet (UV) curable inks. It is a thermal process plate that comes up to color quickly minimizing startup waste and prints smooth and dense solids, without compromising dot gain, highlights and resolutions.
This new plate can improve solid ink density, reduce waste, save time and cost in applications involving high-end substrates such as pressure sensitive and self-adhesives labels. The new Cyrel FAST 1001 TD processor is meant for narrow web printers who want a more efficient and more sustainable solventfree processor. It is a small format thermal platemaking system that has been redesigned and streamlined for improved dimensional stability and efficiency. The Cyrel FAST 1001 TD uses a unique thermal management system and multiple roller design to improve clean-out, provide more consistent relief depth and a more
uniform floor, especially with thin gauge (.045”) plates often used for tag and label applications. For narrow web printers who want to deliver superior print quality and productivity, Cyrel DigiFlow 1000ECLF is a powerful tool to improve solid ink densities and print contrast, while maintaining the outstanding image quality typically associated with Cyrel, all within the existing digital workflow. The Cyrel DigiFlow 1000ECLF exposure units were designed for use on an ‘as-needed’ basis, and can easily be switched off when the standard digital dot is the preferred result.
September / October 2014
Label Planet
page 9 September / October 2014
SPOTLIGHT
Vivek Kapoor: Creative Labels…the bottom line will guide!
Vivek Kapoor, Managing Director of Navi Mumbai based Creative Labels, is the current and longest serving President of LMAI (label manufacturers association of India). With his office in South Mumbai and factory in Mahape, Navi Mumbai, one is left wondering how Vivek manages to control his one man show and still find time for the label association and also indulge in an extremely busy lifestyle. “I operate by delegation,” says Vivek, he further adds, “If I have to be in the factory all day long then I would not be able to do anything else”. It is interesting to note that Vivek‘s mentor and a close relative Surinder Kapur was the founder President of LMAI. The large extended family of Kapoors has given two out of the four Presidents to LMAI since inception.
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The Indian label industry is appreciative of their contribution. In April 2011, I wrote about Surinder Kapur whose grandfather Lala Jai Dayal Kapur, with support of his friend Lala Karam Chand Thapar founder of Ballarpur Industries, started their paper trading business at Amritsar where they had relocated from Lahore after partition of India. Around the same time Jai Dayal Kapur’s brother Ram Lal Kapoor also started his business in paper trading with distribution agency from the then British owned Titagarh Paper Mills. Today the large extended families of both the brothers are spread in various cities around India and well established in paper and printing business. Pyare Lal Kapoor, one of the four sons of Ram Lal Kapoor had six sons who
were, in typical Punjabi tradition expected to join the joint family business but one of his son Shashi Mohan Kapoor who had pursued education in chartered accountancy, drifted away from family business. Initially it was out of curiosity to try his hand in practicing he moved to Mumbai as big business was there and eventually with a successful practice in place, he never actively returned to the family business, though he remains a part of it even today passively. Shashi Mohan wanted his son Vivek to also become a chartered accountant and take over his well established practice but it appears the influence of cousins in business and the traditional Punjabi business traits of a large extended business family prevailed. Vivek completed one group of in Chartered accountancy and also prepared for the 2nd group but never appeared for the final exams, because he knew if he did, he would have to be a CA like his father. He did not wish to take up that career as he feels, “it is postmortem of accounts.” Shashi Mohan like any caring parent was a worried man, now that his son Vivek wanted to be in business. He was worried because Vivek did not have any experience. It was only his interaction with his large extended family that this decision had been made. Initially they toyed with the idea of going into textiles but the number of processes involved to reach a
finished product was a deterrent. With passage of time Shashi Mohan started discussing with family and friends the options available. It was when he discussed with his cousin Surinder Kapur who was already in production of labels that Surinder suggested Vivek also make labels. Shashi mohan had been very close to Surinder’s father and also took care of their tax matters. He thought since he was in know of their suppliers and customers this would be unethical. Surinder and his father assured Shashi Mohan it was not an issue with them and they even took upon themselves to train Vivek at their Taloja factory, R K Papers. With this decision made, Vivek trained for 4-5 weeks at R K Papers and thus started his journey into the world of labels. Vivek and Shashi Mohan to this date are indebted to Surinder Kapur and his father Raj Kumar for initiating Vivek in labels. Vivek took to the label industry as if it was made out business for him, the online converting in a single pass suited his temperament and appealed to him immensely. In 1996-97 a young 28 year old Vivek Kapoor setup his startup venture Icon prints at Navi Mumbai with a cousin as partner. They bought their first label press, a four colour semi rotary Iwasaki. Yet, he was a novice in printing. When he went to show a printed sample to one of his earliest customer, the customer asked him to bring LSD. Vivek was
September / October 2014
SPOTLIGHT
stunned, thinking the guy was asking for some drug! It was eventually explained to him that LSD in print meant “Light Standard Dark”. Another nightmare happened when he was on the verge of losing a pharma customer as each time he printed, the colour would smudge. The customer wondered if Vivek could ever get it right. The solution when it happened makes him smile at how simple it was. Instead of printing orange first and then black, he printed black first and the problem was over! He was a fast learner and thereafter progressed to buy their second label press and this time an Etipole in the year 2000. Initial years were tough for Icon Prints as they started to sell plain labels which were sold mostly in the unorganised market and had to be competing with small timers who sold without invoicing on cash. The very first year they ended up with a cash loss and considered closing the business. It was only when they started to print and add value to their product that the venture started to look up. Vivek is nostalgic about his first label that he printed was for a multinational consumer goods company. At that point of time FMCG companies were importing labels and winning an order against quality coming from foreign lands was a very satisfying accomplishment. Vivek further draws pleasure in being first person in India to produce labels for seamless tubes for packaging “Brylcream” as the brand owners were finding it difficult to print the logo, this started the trend of tube labels in India.
September / October 2014
Ten years after starting Icon Prints, restlessness and differences between the partners started to surface. Vivek wanted to expand against the wishes of his cousin who was his partner. Finally in 2007 the partners separated and Vivek quit Icon Prints to start Creative Labels at a 4500 square feet rented premises in Navi Mumbai with a new LR3 7 colour Iwasaki. This indeed was a turning point in his career so far. It was struggle from scratch once again. Giving up all that was achieved at Icon Prints and building a new customer base after a gap of almost six months was like establishing his startup venture all over again. Ethically, Vivek did not want to start a business in parallel, while the partnership was in separation mode at Icon so it became all the more indulgence and hard work to succeed when eventually he started his new venture. He soon realised that if he had to bring success to his new venture, he had to adopt and accept technological changes and developments in narrow web label printing. Initially he expanded his startup by installing a Gallus EM 280 but as Creative Labels got a foot hold in the marketplace, Vivek recognised the need for a short web path in narrow web label printing to reduce wastages and reduce operator intervention and thus he decided to buy a Gallus ECS label press. Vivek like most of the other label printers feels digital will one day change the scenario but yet it is time to keep a close watch on the technology and the plunge will be taken at an appropriate time. According to him,
one has to change with time. When asked where he sees himself and his company in five years, he says, “We grow as we grow. We make our efforts and growth will come naturally”. However end of the day the Chartered Accountant in him, inherited from his father says it all, “The bottom-line will be the guide”. In 2013 Creative prints acquired an industrial plot close to their first rented factory and built it to accommodate their expansion. They now operate out of a total production floor area of 12000 square feet 7500 in the new factory and 4500 in the old factory. They employ a work force of 60 employees and possess three label presses. Vivek’s family also has partnership interest in Kapco Prints (Offset Printers) at Chandigarh and Baddi (H.P.). It is interesting to note that Vivek’s father Shashi Mohan and his brothers, all the six of them are still partners in the printing business. Vivek’s only son Vidur is a fine young teenager. Though Vivek insists that he does not see him as a label printer in the future but it appears Vidur is already there. Vidur is a part of every label event and is recognisable by most of the established printers. We will leave the prerogative for his future to be his very own for this young man! Vivek has taken keen interest in industry association and as the President of LMAI has been instrumental in creating a unique platform for the Indian Label Industry, “The annual LMAI label conference”. I remember when the first conference was being organised at Goa, the kind of effort put in
was gigantic. LMAI has successfully organised two conferences at Goa with global attendance from most of the reputed suppliers. Under Vivek’s leadership the members of the label association LMAI have been able to get subsidies on investments, on travel and participation in premier trade shows abroad like Labelexpo, from the Ministry of MSME (Micro Small & Medium Enterprises). Vivek has also taken initiatives with support from leading industry suppliers to support schooling of operators for label presses. This is an area that is a cause of worry due to shortage of trained operators to run the high-end sophisticated presses. If his efforts succeed this will help increase the operator availability in India. Each time I interview a leading label printer, I ask a question that is important for us and our environment. Given the fact that 50% of all the label material that label printers use, goes to landfills impacting the environment adversely, I wish to know the initiatives that they have taken in this direction. The question becomes all the more important in case of Vivek as he heads the label association. He has tried various initiatives with industry suppliers on waste management but success has been evasive. He says, “We firmly believe that it is for the better of future generations that we leave behind a cleaner earth. I will continue to find ways to implement systems and environmentally friendly production processes.” The above article is written by Harveer Singh Sahni, Managing Director, Weldon Celloplast Limited New Delhi.
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TechTalk
Demystifying holograms and the need for it
D
evelopers and users of innovative packaging solutions are faced with the many significant technical challenges of effectively bringing a product to the marketplace. Depending on the nature of the product to be packaged, the problems that can be encountered are diverse and, therefore, require a diverse set of solutions. When you think about all the different technologies employed in an extremely effective innovative packaging system, it is amazing that today’s high tech packaging requirements can be met in a costeffective fashion. Yet cost is an extremely important factor due to the very nature of packaging. It is usually only required to get the product to market and, therefore, is often a recyclable or throwaway item with a very finite end-use requirement. Materials must be chosen carefully to allow for adequate but not over- performance. For example, when choosing a colour pigment for a plastic packaging application, the colour
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will need a certain level of light stability. It is unlikely, however, that the level of colour stability required for a packaging application will be anywhere near as great as that required for an exterior automotive application. Therefore, a formulator who chooses a colour with the correct level of light stability will usually have a cost advantage over someone who uses an ‘automotive’ grade pigment, which provides more performance than is actually required. Another example of the importance of choosing the right material can be illustrated when considering effect materials. On the surface, it often appears that special effect materials are relatively expensive compared to other packaging materials. However, it has been demonstrated in many studies that attracting the consumer’s eye is of extreme importance in building brand recognition and increasing market share. Using effect materials such as pearlescent
pigments and effect films, combined with standard colours and various printing techniques, all represent important methods employed in building brand equity. Effect materials can also be used in anticounterfeit and brand protection strategies. Holographic films were once commonly employed (and in some cases still are) as an overt means of brand protection. This type of easily visible security device at one time provided a barrier to counterfeiters. Now, it appears that a new hologram in the marketplace can be cheaply reproduced in China in 24 hours or less. Another example of the evolution of security measures is the use of shrink films for tamper evidence. Not so long ago, a piece of shrink film placed over a closure gave a certain level of overt tamper evidence protection. Now, anyone with a piece of oriented polystyrene or PVC and a hair dryer can easily shrink a piece of film over a closure giving the appearance of safety. Since counterfeiters
are becoming more advanced, brand owners are now adopting more sophisticated brand protection strategies, often consisting of multilevel covert and overt security measures. Since no security strategy can provide 100% guaranteed counterfeit protection, it is important to use a number of different methods to provide barriers to entry for a counterfeiter and make it more difficult for the counterfeiter to be able to duplicate the package exactly. When designing a package, it is very important to choose materials that give adequate performance without over-engineering so that the package remains cost competitive. When choosing special effect materials, try to go for eye-catching, brand building looks using materials that can also be employed to create brand protection, anticounterfeit and tamperevident functionality. Despite proven applicability and benefits, hologram printing is still one of the most discussed techniques. The printability of the material is fantastic. For instance, Avery Denison utilises polyester-based films, a material that is inherently easy to print upon. Most of the print-treated PET accept most flexo inks (UV and water-based) and semitransparent inks that allow the holographic image to show through. Typically any standard printing: flexo, (with UV and water-based flexo inks) and offset will also work. The materials which are available in the market are printtreated to help with
September / October 2014
TechTalk
ink adhesion. However, the digital printing of holograms still needs miles before it can be perfected. As far as the curvature of packaging is concerned, the facestock is typically a 2 Mil PET, so it’s stiffer than a comparable BOPP. Conformable holographic product using MDO material is another option. Consumers are very visual and creatures of habit. An average trip to the supermarket can bombard the consumer with 30,000 items fighting for attention. According to research, the products that are noticed have only one sixth of a second to connect with the consumer. One-sixth of a second to convince hurried shoppers to take a second look means that the enticement almost must be visual appeal since it is difficult to read anything significant in this time frame! How can you get consumers to notice your new package on the shelf when it gets lost in a sea of thousands of SKU’s? The importance of colour is well known and
there are many studies showing preferred packaging colours for specific demographics. OK, colour is important but everyone has colour! How can you distinguish your product? One highly effective method is to use various types of special effect materials which can offer an interesting or unique visual aspect to the package. Special effects used in packaging create visual glitz that can catch a consumer’s eye and make them want to examine the package more closely. If the consumer actually picks up the package, research has shown that the longer he or she holds it, the greater the chance that they will buy it. Finally, cost. Of course cost is an important aspect of any package design. A package is often a recyclable or throwaway item with a limited lifetime requirement and therefore, it is difficult to justify increasing cost unless this can be directly linked to selling more products. In the increasingly competitive store shelf environment, it costs a lot more to go unnoticed than it does
to augment or enhance the visual appeal of your package. Due to the increased costs involved in the past, marketers commonly used an ‘in and out’ strategy. The initial introduction of a new brand comes with special effect packaging. Then, after a period of time – often in the range of six months, the marketer switches to a more conventional material. This approach is still sometimes employed, but there are risks associated with the switch back to more conventional packaging since some consumers may mistakenly get the impression that the product has changed. This can damage recently pledged brand loyalty. Another increasingly important means of addressing the cost concern of these special effect materials is to seek to gain an additional benefit. This is often a form of brand protection or an anti-counterfeit strategy. Many special effect materials are used for overt brand protection. Optically variable pigments and holograms are the most
notable initially, but their success, especially holographics can be their downfall. A knock-off of a hologram can now occur almost overnight! Therefore, some of the best strategies employ various special effect materials combining overt and covert elements that offer brand recognition and eye catching shelf appeal as well as anti counterfeiting and brand protection functionality. Conclusion Special effect packaging is a powerful communicator that enhances the important interaction between product and shopper. Many different types of special effect materials are in use today including holographic films, special effect pigments, special effect iridescent films, metallics and even lenticular effects. All of these are employed to catch the consumer’s eye and thereby increase market share and brand strength/equity. Hologram, albeit, is a well-known effect, but its utilisation has often lacked innovation.
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Technology
Components of Self adhesive Labelstocks
T
his is a very large subject and volumes can be written on it as exhaustive information is available and needs to be dwelled upon. However, I have tried to reconstruct the gist of an article that I wrote in 2002 and have moderately updated it. I hope it benefits all the producers, converters and end users in labels to understand the self adhesive materials. The labelstock which is the starting material for self adhesive labels consists primarily of three main components.
separately and dwell on their impact in the process of label converting. There was a time in India, not long ago, when with just one multi-purpose coater you could cater to most of the label printers, making release liners and then coating and laminating with adhesives on the same equipment. Alternatively silicone liners were outsourced but intense competition made in house siliconising an imperative. Though this may still hold good for many a labelstock
finding place in the manufacturing units. Face stocks: Paper remains the most widely used face material for labels, though in recent times filmic stocks have gained substantial market shares. The most predominantly used varieties of paper initially were the uncoated matt, the one side or two side coated semi-gloss popularly known as the chromo art paper and the cast gloss also known as mirror coat paper but in recent times semi-gloss
Some printers in India have become innovative and use special dies to emboss and deboss paper while converting on their label presses to produce textured effects. 1. The facestock: Which can be paper, film, foil, fabric, etc. 2. The adhesive: This is anchored on to the face stock. 3. The release liner or the protective backing: This can be paper or film. We shall discuss each of the components
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manufacturer, yet things have changed at the higher end for the better. Specialized equipments for coating the newer silicone technologies, different adhesives like hotmelts, emulsions and solvented systems and other equipments to technically upgrade the labelstocks are
or one side coated C1S paper is the most used variety. The usage of woodfree or uncoated paper variety is also substantial but seems limited to plain price labels, mailing labels and VIP labels. With the advent of UV curable inks and varnishes which also provide high gloss
attributes to labels, the usage of Mirror coated or cast gloss paper has not grown in labels or has decreased. Moreover because of stiffness of this paper, a self adhesive label may have edge lifting defect at higher ambient temperatures. It is advisable that for tightly curved surfaces flexible varieties of face stocks be used. Now with customer needs getting to be more specific, it is necessary to use more modified varieties of paper. General requirements of the paper include the surface and mechanical characteristics. Printability is a function of the paper surface quality while mechanical properties like lay flat property, dimensional stability and flexibility, influence the processes of printability due to curling, die-cutting, waste matrix removal and label dispensing. While papers are largely used as they are supplied directly by mills however films need to be modified if not already done so by the suppliers. Modifications of the
September / October 2014
Technology
surface characteristics include top coating, metalizing, laminating, etc. For non contact printing like inkjet on films, a relatively porous surface would be needed requiring special coatings that will make ink dry by absorption. Various pigments, compounds, fillers, binders and primers are used to coat the surface. Different pigments possess different surface energies and ph stabilities, the binders which are vehicles to carry pigments; influence the anchorage of the ink or topcoat, the stiffness, the porosity and ink absorbance. Depending on the requirement of the printing process i.e. offset, letterpress, flexo, gravure, screen, inkjet, laser, thermal transfer, digital, etc. the top coatings are designed accordingly. The top coatings for paper are mostly done at the paper mills where the paper is produced however some coaters develop their own coatings and coating methods to achieve different qualities in face papers but this is getting to be rare. Sometimes paper is coated with a barrier or a primer on the reverse side to prevent any migration of the plasticizer from the adhesive to the face or for acting as an anchoring agent for the adhesive. However the adhesive technologies have improved to an extent that this process is not largely required now. Other surface improvement techniques include latex impregnation for weather resistance, laminating with films to achieve hi-gloss, varnishing, top coating for frozen food and long life labels, special coatings with colorless leuco dye and
September / October 2014
acidic colour developer for producing direct thermal printing paper, etc. Due to requirements of producing in line to achieve economies of scale, now paper surface modification at the level of labelstock production is almost not there. Specialised converting companies supply modified paper for thermal transfer printing, direct thermal printing, etc. Labelstocks with textured surfaces are also in use in Europe and USA, especially for wine and gourmet food labeling. Some printers in India have become innovative and use special dies to emboss and deboss paper while converting on their label presses to produce textured effects. For mechanical properties requirements, (a) the strength of the paper is important (high for faster conversion and waste matrix removal requirements and low for security labels to achieve tamper evidence), (b) Bulk and moisture content of the paper influences the dimensional stability. An ideal paper would have 6% humidity. Most widely used face papers are in the range of 70-85 GSM. Today most of mechanical properties are left to mills and labelstock manufacturers just need to select the mill from which to source paper and decide on the grammage of paper that will deliver the desired mechanical strength. The label printers use from films of 15 microns to boards of 300GSM. Synthetic face materials are finding extensive usage, given the requirement of the no label look and the better aesthetics exhibited by the film labels. Consider a shampoo
bottle and the harsh environments it has to encounter in its lifespan. The heat, steam, cold, and sometimes dry conditions all exist in the bathrooms. Add to that the continuous squeezing of the bottle, well you can understand that paper will not do the job, it will not stretch with the bottle and return to its shape, you will end up having a wrinkled label, so you really need a film label and that to a flexible one maybe like Polyethylene. To get the right kind of printing the surface properties of the film are of very high importance. The surface properties required include, the surface tension to be higher than 40 dynes. The ideal would be to have an online corona treater. Films generally have better surface finish, good gloss or matt as required, excellent aesthetics and chemical resistance. Film manufacturers now offer improved surface properties by supplying top coated films for better printability. These films come with a print receptive primer coating. This however makes the product more expensive. Labelstock manufacturers do offer pretreated film stocks but the level of treatment falls on extended storage and leads to reduced anchorage of the printed matter. It is for this reason that an online corona treater is recommended. The
ideal still would be a film top coated for print receptivity. As regards mechanical properties, the films have generally improved die cutting and faster waste matrix removal provided proper dies are used. The filmic materials require a sharper angle for blades than paper. Take for example LLDPE which is neither foldable nor stiff and difficult to die cut due to increased elasticity. One ends up blaming the release liner even though the problem lies with the selection of the filmic face stock or the flexible die. For automatic label dispensing the film has to be stiff enough and flexible enough to conform to the shape of the container to resist deformation. Today companies are using multilayer construction of films or hybrid films to achieve the correct properties in terms of printability, die-cutting, dispensability and squeezabilty. Adhesives: As regards adhesives, again here the scenario is fast changing in India. Gone are the days when you could coat only the general purpose permanent acrylic emulsion adhesive and keep servicing all the segments in labels. With surfaces becoming diverse and the usage of labels becoming complex, a label printer needs to offer a wide variety of adhesives namely acrylic emulsions, solvent
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Technology
borne acrylics, Hotmelt adhesives, rubber resin adhesives, etc. with different grades such as permanent, removable, low-tack, medium tack, high tack, delayed action, deep freeze, high temperature resistant, etc. The selection of adhesive is of prime importance and needs the continued partnership between the labelstock manufacturer, label printer and the label user. Consideration of the substrates, the conditions of application, the converting process, the storage and usage conditions is imperative before deciding on the adhesive. The adhesive cannot be such that it does not anchor on to the face or the substrate on which is to be applied. In either case it will create a non acceptable situation whereby either the face will come off leaving the adhesive on the substrate or the label will not adhere well on the substrate. Another point to consider would be that die-cutting is better in emulsion adhesives as compared to hotmelts. Also the high initial tack of hotmelts make the diecut adhesive to rebond on keeping making waste matrix removal difficult. Hotmelt adhesives have very high initial tack while emulsion adhesive attain final tack over a period of time, so if a label has been fixed wrongly in case of acrylic adhesive, it can be instantly removed and refixed but it cannot be done so with hotmelt adhesive. As it will bond immediately and removal will amount to a damaged and wasted label. It is for this reason that companies who use large sized labels prefer acrylic emulsion adhesive
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to have less wastage due to wrongly affixed labels. Release Liner: These are the most performing part of the labelstock. Unfortunately they land up in the dustbin as soon as the label is dispensed and starts its journey as a part of the final product. The types of substrates being used to produce release liners are: 1. Glassine, which is the most popular in India 2. SCK or super calendered Kraft 3. CCK or Clay coated Kraft 4. Saturated papers or papers impregnated with saturants. 5. Polycoated papers 6. Synthetic liners like BOPP, PET, LDPE, etc The above mentioned substrates are coated with silicone formulations to become release paper or release liners. The silicone chemistries available and there evolution so far is as follows: 1. Solvented silicone with Tin catalyst and thermal curing: This is a cost effective product having post curing reaction and the cross linking reaction, triggered by the heat in the drying chamber, could go on for days. In this the consistency in release levels is always in question. The usage of this chemistry has reduced substantially in recent times. In fact the technology has virtually become obsolete and is on the verge of being phased out. The usage of Tin catalyst and solvent in the system is a deterrent for any converter due to suspected toxicity of Tin compounds and Toluene. The solvent in
the system is a perpetual fire hazard. A small spark due to static build up could cause massive damage by catching fire. 2. Solvented Silicones with platinum catalyst and thermal curing: It is better than the tin system as it has no or little post cure reaction but use of solvents is continuous fire hazard besides being toxic and not friendly to the environment. Many Indian siliconisers had shifted to this system as it could be coated on their existing equipments but due to the problems mentioned more development in this product cannot be expected. I am not aware of this product being used in India by anyone. 3. The solvent less platinum catalyst system with thermal curing: This system came to be implemented in India around 2003 and requires specialized equipment to coat the materials from a 100% solvent free bath. It gives a much enhanced performance with improved surface gloss ensuring increased area of contact for the adhesive, consistent and controlled release levels and is reproducible. Weldon Celloplast Ltd. was one of the first amongst the Indian labelstock manufacturers to report a shift over to solvent free silicone coating in the latter part of 2003. Today all new installations are being made employing this technology. 4. Solvent less silicone with platinum catalyst and UV curing: It is much quicker but not widely used in India. Some installations have been made in recent times and this is the preferred technology for heat
sensitive films. It also eliminates the need for solvents or long heating chambers. Caution again here because the normal UV curing results in inconsistency in release levels. The UV curing of silicone needs to take place in an inert nitrogenous, oxygen free environment. The availability of this silicone is at present also an issue as the silicone has to be imported and is not formulated locally. 5. Solvent less silicone with platinum catalyst and Electron beam curing: It is an improvement on the UV curing system. Again this chemistry has not reached India as yet. There are perhaps just one or two installations at present in the country. The additional advantages of the shift towards platinum catalysts systems is that the reaction is not post curing. All the curing is done in the heat chamber itself and the reaction comes to a stop when the substrates return to ambient temperatures. Also there exists the additional possibility of achieving different release levels by employing Control release additives. With evolution of the label usage, selection of the right base paper or liner is also now of utmost importance. In the earlier days Indian label printers, end users and labelstock manufacturers would only want to use glassine based liners. Everything else was considered lower in quality. As the market has matured, CCK (Clay Coated Kraft) are preferred liners for the sheeted labelstock market. The base paper experiences high temperatures in excess of 150 degrees C for thermal curing
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Technology
of silicones and at this temperature the paper loses moisture and shrinks. On adhesive coating and exposure to atmospheric moisture the release paper expands bringing curl to the gummed sheets. This is not acceptable in offset printing. For this reason now CCK is advised because it has a porous back due to which the paper quickly regains moisture to stabilize and impart flatness to the converted sheets. In case of glassine which is a highly calendered paper which will not absorb moisture quickly even when subjected to inline humidification. Glassines are the preferred liners for barcode labels where the transparency is a necessity for sensing the labels and also in auto label dispensing glassine is preferred due to consistent caliper for die-cutting, better release levels and higher tensile strength. All these applications are for labels in roll form. These properties aid higher speeds with lesser web breaks. Similarly other varieties need to be considered for demanding applications. Die cutting and other issues: Die cutting is a technical operation transforming web like materials to discrete items like labels. It depends on solid state components of the laminate like face material and the release liner. Their quality and combination are important. For a good clean cut it is necessary to have a uniform caliper, densified paper liner. The thickness and density of the face paper are less important. Best results are obtained by having a highly densified paper, like glassine as
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liner. However where lay flat properties are of importance it is advisable to use the densified Kraft liners with porous backing. Dimensional stability of the liner is of utmost importance. As mentioned earlier in this article, if a liner is exposed to high temperature without rehumidification while siliconizing it loses its moisture content. This can cause wrinkles or curling. It is always advisable as far as possible to maintain the moisture level at 6-7% for both the face paper and the release paper. Printers often encounter problems like: 1. Over cutting: This occurs if the die punctures a little into the release paper, the rest of the paper will split itself causing a thru punch. 2. Undercut: If the die blade cuts only the face and does not go though the adhesive, there is the possibility of labels coming off with the waste matrix. This happens because the adhesive has also cohesive properties due to which the adhesive film stays together. It
is important to cut the adhesive layer also. 3. Clean cut: In an ideal situation the die blade should cut through the face paper and the adhesive and come to stop just before and on the surface of the release paper. Dies employed for die cutting also play an important role in die cutting. For example in case of paper if the angle of the blade is wider the waste matrix removal becomes better. However this may not be applicable for films as for a clean cut a different angle of blade is necessary. This is a very technical issue and needs the close cooperation of the printer and the die manufacturer. As for face stocks the best cutting is that of paper followed by PET which is quite similar in cutting to Paper and then we have BOPP and PE. Waste matrix removal is a highly technical operation. It depends on a variety of issues. The strength of the face material is of prime importance and equally important is the release levels of the release liner. But here one has to strike a balance. If the release is too easy the
labels may lift with the matrix and in case of computer labels they may come off while passing over rollers and stick to the print head and damage the same. In case the release is too tight the waste matrix will keep breaking, making converting a painful process. Other issues that confront the label printer are tensile strength requirements of release paper for the automatic label dispenser, residual moisture in the adhesive, adhesives tend to lose tack in winters due to hardening of polymers, emulsion adhesives attaining peak performance over a period of time, lack of adhesion to low energy surfaces like HDPE and a host of similar requirements. All these can be addressed effectively when all the three, the labelstock manufacturer the label printer and the label user put their brains together as partners and design the product. The above article is written by Harveer Singh Sahni, Managing Director, Weldon Celloplast Limited New Delhi.
September / October 2014
Heena Machine Tool
TECHSETTER 2
page 19 September / October 2014
Kagee loparex
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September / October 2014