Paper, Film & Foil Converter

Move Heavy Rolls Safely & Easily

April 01, 2010

The battery-powered RollMover is said to increase productivity and ensure worker safety when heavy loads must be moved. With the power to move loads ranging

Are We Outsourcing our Future?

July 31, 2005, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Over the last four decades, I have observed the America’s R&D fall from its high pedestal. In fact, I would suggest we are in a free fall.

COF in Printed Packaging

June 30, 2005, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Automatic packaging operations require a specific range of lubricity to process packaging products. Printing inks contribute to the package lubricity and affect both the static as well as kinetic coefficient of friction (COF).

Odor & Exempt Solvents

May 31, 2005, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Requirements for low odor in flexible packaging change as new materials are introduced in printing and laminating operations. Retained solvent is the primary odor concern of the printer and converter, and tight odor standards are maintained for printed and laminated structures.

A Look at Laminating Inks

April 30, 2005, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Packaging inks come in all shapes and sizes and usually must meet unique performance requirements.

Which Ink for Which Substrate?

March 31, 2005, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Every new ink project begins with an analysis of the substrate to be printed. In just minutes, the complexity of the project can be estimated from the surface tension characteristics of the substrate.

UV/EB a Bright Spot in Economy

February 28, 2005, Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

Recent shortages of acrylic acid exemplify the problem of raw material supply and its impact on the price stability. Last year has seen various price increases in raw materials, and this trend is continuing into this year. As a result, it is anticipated raw material price fluctuations will negatively impact UV/EB products.

Evolving Ink Jet Technology

January 31, 2005, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

T he concept of forming droplets of liquid in a stream was studied by Lord Kelvin and Lord Rayleigh and other technologists as early as the late 1800s. However, it was not until 1951 that it was patented for the first practical ink jet device based on Rayleigh’s concept.

Water-Based Printing Inks & pH

December 31, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

In a water-based ink, many of the ink components contribute to the ink pH. For example, the common acrylic resins used in water-based inks are acidic. They are not soluble in water but are soluble when alkaline materials are added.

Aniline printing - 100 Years Later

November 30, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

Flexography evolved from a primitive printing process known as "aniline printing." In the early 1900s, this printing process took root to print flexible substrates using inks that were based on aniline-based dyes. Although the earliest use of aniline printing can be traced to 1860, the first patent for an aniline press was issued in 1908.

Rotogravure an Evolving Process

October 31, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Rotogravure printing evolved from the intaglio printing process, which still is used in specialty applications such as printing our currency. Rotogravure has been used since the beginning of the 20th century and still is considered the quality printing standard by which other printing processes are measured. It has unique characteristics that cannot be duplicated by other printing processes, including...

Inks, Coatings, Compliance

September 30, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Packaging engineers are designing new products to meet the growing demand for food packaging items that can be prepared quickly and conveniently by the

New Inks Have a High IQ

August 31, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Well, we've heard a lot about smart packaging, so it was inevitable such packaging would require intelligent inks. With current packaging development

Antimicrobials: On the Fast Track

August 01, 2004, by Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

If you have been to the store lately, you may have noticed the number of new products that provide antimicrobial protection. It might be an air filter,

Rise & Fall of Printed Film COF

June 30, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Packaging products require a specific range of coefficient of friction (COF) to allow automatic packaging operations to run unhindered and to prevent

Removing Packaging Odors

May 31, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Packaging odors often are a result of residual solvents retained during the printing, coating, and laminating processes.

Unique Issues of Laminating Inks

April 30, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

One of the major advances in flexible packaging was the introduction of film laminated structures. Film lamination allowed different properties to be

What Is Cationic UV Technology?

February 29, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

Cationic UV (ultraviolet)-curable inks and coatings have been offered commercially for more than 30 years, but to many printers and converters, it still is a “new technology.”

UV & Jet Inks: An Exciting Combo

January 31, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Jet ink printers dominate the growth of digital printing. One of the most promising applications of jet ink technologies is radiation-curable jet inks used in package and label printing.

How Dirty Is Your Money?

January 01, 2004, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

The words “dirty money” mean different things to different people. You may think of dirty money as money illegally earned, transferred, or used. Typically, this is money obtained from criminal or corrupt sources that makes its way into our commercial banking system. Most of this is “laundered,” a term that implies making dirty money clean.

Sniffing Out the Sources of Packaging Odors

November 30, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Packaging products consist of substrates, and they can contain adhesives, primers, coatings, or inks. Converting processes involved in package manufacturing

Security Inks Raise Our Level of Protection

October 31, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D. Contributing Editor

Dramatic advances in digital photographic and reprographic technology were made during the 1990s. These advances have had an undesirable side effect in that such technology provides counterfeiters greater capability to create counterfeits.

Hard Copies Keep Paper in Demand For Now

October 01, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

The origin of the word comes from the word Ancient Egyptians created this paper-like substance from papyrus reeds more than 6,000 years ago by taking

Ink Jet PigmentsThe Land of the Small

August 01, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

If you've ever had your ink jet-printed copy get wet, you saw all the inks became soluble and you had a mess on your hands.

Phthalo Green: How Can You Tell If It's Always the Same?

July 01, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

Recently, a question came in from one of our readers (thank you, Joe Woods) as to how one can assure the copper phthalocyanine green pigment purchased from two suppliers is the same chemically.

FTIR Spectroscopy Means Faster, More Reliable Analysis

June 01, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

Although I didn't appreciate it at the time, as I was going to college in the 1960s, major changes were taking place in analytical instrumentation.

Choosing Laboratory Dispersing Equipment That's Right for You

May 01, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

Printing inks are a complex recipe of ingredients, of which the most obvious are colorants. Packaging product-resistance requirements necessitate the

Is There a Great Discovery in the Mess You're about to Trash?

March 01, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

Chance discoveries are common in the history of material science. Many discoveries have been the result of chance observations and accidents rather than

Concern over Phthalates in Food Packaging

February 01, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, Ph.D., Contributing Editor

Plasticizers are used extensively to soften plastics, building products, blood bags, cosmetics, and personal care products, as well as packaging inks

Ink Quality Control Is Complex, But It's Worth the Trouble

January 01, 2003, Dr. Richard M. Podhajny, PhD, Contributing Editor

Inks are formulated with many different ingredients to produce unique recipes that provide color on your finished printed package. End-use properties,