Flexible packaging printing: the exquisite art of modern packaging industry

In a dazzling array of supermarket shelves, those soft packaging products with bright colors and exquisite patterns are always the first to attract consumers' attention. As an important part of the packaging industry, soft packaging printing has penetrated into every aspect of our daily life, from food packaging to medical supplies, from daily chemical products to electronic products, all of which reflect the exquisite and charm of this technology.

There are significant differences between flexible packaging printing and traditional printing. Traditional printing mostly uses rigid printing materials, while soft packaging printing mainly uses flexible materials such as plastic film, aluminum foil and paper, which makes the printing process need higher technical content. Common flexible packaging printing processes include gravure printing, flexographic printing and digital printing, among which gravure printing has become the first choice for high-end commodity packaging because of its bright colors and rich layers. Flexographic printing has obvious advantages in the application of water-based ink because of its environmental protection characteristics; The emerging digital printing technology provides the possibility for small batch and personalized packaging.

Technological innovation is the core power to promote the development of flexible packaging printing. In recent years, the wide application of environmentally friendly water-based ink has greatly reduced VOC emissions; The maturity of UV curing technology makes printed matter have better wear resistance and gloss. The popularization of pre-printing technology has greatly improved the production efficiency. It is particularly worth mentioning that some leading enterprises have introduced artificial intelligence technology into printing quality control, realized real-time defect detection through machine vision, and controlled the defective rate of products below an astonishing 0.1%.

With the enhancement of consumers' awareness of environmental protection, green printing has become an irreversible industry trend. According to statistics, about 65% of flexible packaging printing enterprises in the world have implemented or are implementing sustainable development strategies. From the research and development of degradable materials, to the promotion of solvent-free composite technology, and then to the recycling of printing waste, the whole industry is undergoing a profound green change. The case of an international food brand shows that the adoption of environmentally friendly flexible packaging not only reduces the carbon footprint by 38%, but also wins the favor of more consumers with strong environmental awareness.