Siegwerk’s new solution is applied under bleeding resistant UV-cured ink layers. Credit: © Siegwerk Druckfarben AG & Co. KGaA.

Printing ink and coating manufacturer Siegwerk has developed a water-based deinking primer for rigid plastic packaging.

The new UV-curing deinking primer provides a solution to converters using a pure UV flexo press that are unable process a water-based primer.

It is ideal for pressure sensitive and wrap around labels, as well as shrink sleeves made of polyolefin- and polyester-based materials.

The washing protocols of the European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) and Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) claimed that the primer is most compatible with UV-curing inks facilitating quantitative deinking.

Siegwerk’s new solution is applied under bleeding resistant UV-cured ink layers and allows an inline printing of deinkable materials in a 100% UV-Flexo press setup.

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The primer layer, which dissolves in the hot washing process, enables the generation of high-quality, colourless recyclates. The non-bleeding ink formulations guarantee a clean and reusable washing solution.

Siegwerk Global Technology Development head Ralf Leineweber said: “We consider deinking primers as a key lever for smart deinking of crosslinked ink systems, especially at low washing temperatures for sleeves, labels, and other printed decoration for rigid plastic packaging.”

Siegwerk’s new deinking primer will complement the existing water-based deinking primer, which is officially approved by The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR).

Both these primers allow smooth deinking in any hot washing conditions currently used in the recycling industry and do not require a dedicated ink series, which makes the process less complex.

They are compliant with different film materials like cPET, PE, or PP.

Besides deinking primers, printing inks, and coatings, Siegwerk offers customers technical services and a value chain to provide an optimised and consistent deinking process.

Siegwerk EMEA Narrow Web vice-president Guido Lander said: “Deinking is not a product for us, it is a ‘Full Service Offering’, where everything needs [to] tie together.

“That’s why we follow a holistic approach and also offer the execution of deinking tests according to the most common washing protocols in our specialised laboratories.”