Electron Beam (EB) or “ebeam” curing inkjet inks are Kao Collins’ newest area of energy curable ink development. EB curing occurs by a similar polymerization process as UV and LED curing inks, but without the requirement of photo initiators. Kao Collins embarked on this project after seeing that the prices of ebeam curing units were approaching those of high-end LED UV curing units.
Without photo initiators, the inks are safer, less costly, more stable, more reliable, and nearly odorless. The EB process also offers a more complete cure than UV/LED and does so without generating as much heat as other curing technologies. This opens the door for printing on very thin films and foils. Ebeam should also offer advantages for companies wanting to print low migration labels and packaging for food applications.
Collins’ Quanta line of EB curable inks are available for customization.
* Collins’ in-house ebeam-curing unit from PCT is attached to a web transport for product development and testing. We encourage customers to take advantage of this opportunity to explore the possibilities of ebeam curing.
