Plastic bottle is a kind of packaging container that is used very frequently in daily life and is widely used in all walks of life. The appearance printing of plastic bottles is also an important part, which can not only improve the aesthetics of the bottles, but also play a role in brand promotion and product promotion.
Therefore, the printing process of plastic bottles is becoming more and more important. This article will introduce you to the basic process and common techniques of plastic bottle printing process.
1. The basic process of plastic bottle printing process
design
First of all, it is necessary to design, that is, design printed patterns, text, logos and other elements, and carry out typesetting. In the design process, factors such as printing materials, printing methods, and printing effects need to be considered, as well as target consumer groups and market demand.
plate making
Plate making is the process of converting designed printing patterns into layouts. Plate making can be divided into two ways: digital plate making and chemical plate making. Digital plate making is to make the design pattern into a printing plate through a computer, which can achieve high-quality, high-resolution printing effects.
Chemical plate-making is to print design patterns on special photosensitive films, and then make printing plates through chemical treatment.
Printing is the process of transferring the pattern on the printing plate to the surface of the plastic bottle. According to the printing effect and production requirements, different printing technologies such as flexo printing, gravure printing, digital printing, and inkjet printing can be selected.
During the printing process, it is necessary to strictly control the printing color, thickness, alignment and other parameters to ensure that the printing effect meets the design requirements.
drying and curing
After printing, the printing ink needs to be dried and cured in a short time to avoid problems such as printing sticking or peeling during subsequent packaging, storage and use. The drying and curing methods can adopt different methods such as natural drying, hot air drying, and ultraviolet curing.
Inspection and Packaging
After the printing is completed, it needs to be inspected to check whether the printing effect meets the requirements and whether there are problems such as missing printing, misalignment, and color difference. After passing the inspection, it is packaged, and the packaging method can be selected according to actual needs.
2, Common plastic bottle printing technology
flexo printing
Flexo printing is a printing technology that prints ink onto the surface of plastic bottles by letterpress, and is mainly used for single-color or small-color printing. The flexo printing machine can adopt different printing methods such as ink printing, UV printing, solvent printing, etc., and the printing speed is fast, which is suitable for high-volume production lines.
gravure
Gravure printing is a printing technology that prints ink onto the surface of plastic bottles through gravure, and is mainly used for multi-color, high-precision printing. There are graphics and characters of different depths on the surface of the gravure, ink is left on the surface of the gravure, and the ink is transferred to the surface of the plastic bottle by the printing machine. Gravure printing machines can be used for dry or wet printing, and can print good graphics and text details.
digital printing
Digital printing is a printing technology that directly sprays ink onto the surface of plastic bottles through computer-controlled nozzles, which can achieve high-resolution, colorful, and high-quality printing effects. Digital printing can realize fast and efficient customized printing, which is suitable for small and medium batch production and personalized printing needs.
inkjet printing
Inkjet printing is a printing technology that sprays ink onto the surface of plastic bottles through an inkjet head, and is suitable for producing low-cost, small-batch plastic bottles. Inkjet printing can achieve a variety of color printing effects, and is simple to operate and easy to adjust, but the printing quality is greatly affected by the accuracy of the nozzle and the inkjet speed.
In general, different plastic bottle printing technologies have their own advantages and disadvantages, and should be selected according to comprehensive consideration of printing requirements, production costs and printing effects. At the same time, the printing quality should be strictly controlled during the printing process to ensure that the printing effect meets the design requirements and improve product quality and brand value.
