Germany’s Marabu, a global manufacturer of liquid coatings and screen, digital and pad inks, will be presenting ink solutions suitable for the glass industry, including screen, digital and pad printing at the upcoming Glasstec 2018, which will be held in Düsseldorf from 23 to 26 October. A particular highlight at their stand will be a single-component ink for glass applications that is unique in character worldwide. It will unveil two new screen-printing inks for decorating glass. The company, a specialist in organic inks, will also spotlight its broad range of products for the traditional printing of bottles, drinking glasses, fragrance bottles and flat glass.
The company’s single-component ink system Mara Tech MGO for metal and glass can be used for both screen and pad printing and can be deployed in a wide variety of scenarios. MGO is ideal for printing on the first and second surfaces of flat and container glass. It is particularly suitable for the food and personal-care product industries. Mara Tech MGO is BPA-free and highly resistant to chemicals, making it an outstanding solution for sensitive products, especially baby bottles and medical supplies.
Marabu offers UV-curable and solvent-based inks such as Ultra Glass UVGL and Mara Glass MGL for printing on glass touchscreens and touchpads. Moreover, the company has developed the new two-component Mara Glass MGLA for printing on second surfaces – this is primarily employed for outdoor applications, including door intercoms, ticket vending machines, streetlight management systems (e.g., at airports or in pedestrian zones), and boat control systems. It is also suitable for lamination.
In Dusseldorf, Marabu will be showcasing its solvent-based screen-printing ink Mara Glass MGL, plus its pad-printing solution Tampa Glass TPGL, which can be used as a four-color system. For both screen and pad printing, MGL and TPGL are compatible with diverse substrates, and deliver brilliant, precise colors. The two-component UV-curable ink Ultra Glass UVGL also cuts energy costs and upfront investment and enables fast production processes for greater efficiency.
Marabu UVGL-RH/-RL ink can be harnessed to create tactile effects that could previously only be achieved via molding. A thick-film coating is precisely applied to a screen-printed design on flat or container glass – exactly matching the existing contours. It is then cured with UV light. In particular, the combination of the two varnishes enables the printing of highly diverse patterns. The ratio of high-viscosity and low-viscosity components can be freely adjusted in line with the required results and printing parameters. Furthermore, hot foil stamping in conjunction with UV-curable screen printing continues to be in demand. This approach achieves brilliant high-gloss metallic effects comparable to precious metals – but is considerably more cost-efficient.
Digital printing on glass
At this year’s Glasstec, Marabu will be drawing attention to the broad range of applications for UV-curable digital direct printing. Inkjet inks can be employed for custom decorative elements on flat and container glass. Marabu’s Ultra Jet DUV-C is suitable for printing diverse glasses and bottles. Direct printing is used for custom decorations on beverage bottles, plus for high-quality fragrance bottles and decorative objects. Flat-bed printers are employed for flat glass. Further applications include advertising materials and interior design. In addition, the ability to print on the second surface is attractive for industrial customers; for example for the manufacture of touchscreens. In this context, the combination of screen and digital printing is increasingly important; designs can be produced via digital printing, for instance, followed by a blocking layer applied via screen printing.
A special primer for glass
Marabu will also present its Mara Shield liquid coatings at Glasstec 2018. These products can be leveraged to prime, finish or protect high-quality digital prints. In the case of Mara Shield UV-CGL inks, they can be harnessed for roller-coating large areas of glass. A broad choice of colors creates opportunities to match customer’s desired shades from Pantone, RAL, HKS and other color systems – making these inks particularly interesting for kitchen and furniture component suppliers.
