Digitization of finishing processes for the packaging industry implementing polymer chemistry

 
Packaging market demand for short runs, quick turnarounds, variable data (i.e. different designs) and more ecofriendly production processes, has led to the request for new fabrication technologies. Digital printing in general and in the packaging industry in particular, is a well-established solution for those new market trends while, oppositely to the printing process, finishing processes haven´t being adapted since were developed two hundred years ago. During the manufacturing of carton based boxes, different finishing processes are applied for example: die creasing and cutting forming the box pattern or embossing that enhance the aesthetics of the product. Since the conventional die finishing technology is inflexible to the above mentioned market trends, I will present a new approach for packaging finishing processes in which controlling the parameters of UV curable resin formulations we can produce polymeric patterns having the required properties enabling high quality creasing and embossing of cardboards.