I. Water-based Varnish
1. Basic Composition
• Main Ingredients: Water as solvent, acrylic resin, additives (e.g., leveling agents, defoamers), and trace ethanol.
• Environmental Protection: Free of or extremely low in VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), compliant with standards (e.g., EU REACH, FDA).
2. Characteristics
• Eco-safety: Non-toxic and odorless, suitable for food packaging, children's products, and other safety-critical fields.
• Drying Method: Natural volatilization or hot-air drying, requiring longer time (typically minutes to tens of minutes).
• Adhesion: Strong adhesion to porous materials like paper and cardboard; pre-treatment needed for non-absorbent materials (e.g., plastics).
• Resistance: Moderate abrasion and scratch resistance, medium water and chemical resistance.
3. Application Scenarios
• Paper packaging: Gift boxes, book covers, shopping bags, etc.
• Food packaging: Prints in direct contact with food (e.g., fast-food boxes, beverage cups).
• Matte/gloss effects: Adjustable gloss levels via formula modification.
II. UV Varnish
1. Basic Composition
• Main Ingredients: Acrylate prepolymers, reactive diluents (e.g., monomers), photoinitiators (absorb UV light to trigger curing).
• Solvent-free: 100% solid content, no volatile residues after curing.
2. Characteristics
• Curing Method: Instant curing (seconds) via UV light irradiation.
• Performance: High gloss, high hardness (up to 3H+), excellent abrasion and chemical resistance.
• Adaptability: Suitable for various substrates including paper, plastics, and metals.
3. Application Scenarios
• High-end packaging: Cosmetic boxes, electronic product packaging, cigarette boxes, etc.
• Special effects: Compatible with hot stamping, embossing, etc., for local varnishing or 3D effects.
• Non-absorbent materials: Plastic prints like PVC, PET, etc.
III. Selection Tips
• Eco-priority: Choose water-based varnish (especially for food/drug packaging).
• Efficiency & Performance: UV varnish for high-speed printing and high abrasion-resistance needs.
• Special Effects: UV varnish enables local varnishing, 3D effects, etc.
