Hygienic products commonly come with eye-catching designs on them. Simply because printed products are preferred by end consumers and, more importantly, they can improve the brand awareness of the company. The primary hygienic printed products are:
- Baby diapers
- Femcare products
In addition to these, although less frequently, you can find other printed products like face masks, dry wipes, and housekeeping wipes.
When it comes to print these types of products, the important aspects to take into consideration are the characteristics of the material to be printed on, and hence its correct tensioning throughout the entire process, and the type of ink that needs to be used.
Flexographic Printing Machinery
Flexo Printing Machinery is highly stable and durable, with excellent printing quality. It is most adept for printing HDPE, LDPE, PP, rolling paper, etc. Even coarse surfaces of non-woven fabrics can be well printed upon. It features high color saturation, strong adhesive force, good smoothness, and high speed.
Over the decades, the quality of printing has improved substantially, thanks to better quality inks, printing plates and machines. Today’s flexo printing machine uses a two-phase process: prepress and printing.
Processed materials
The materials used will play an important role in the printing process, and they vary depending on the product:
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and breathable film, commonly used in diapers. The products using these materials are generally made to be tear-resistant and to have a fluid-resistant outer surface, properties that can make applying ink a challenge during the printing process.
Spunbond for the outer layer of face masks and femcare products
Technology
The technology for flexo printing has advanced significantly over the last few decades. The primary advancements include the use of a single flexible printing plate for each color used in the design and a wide selection of inks, which includes:
- Solvent-based ones
- Water-based ones
- UV-curable ones
It is important to point out that flexographic printing can be an environmentally friendly process if water-based inks are used, as these inks don't release any Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) into the environment.
Equally important than the type of ink used is the web tension control before, during and after the printing process. Over the years, the nonwovens industry has seen an increase in the use of thinner materials for economic reasons. Since the thinner the materials are, the more difficult it is to control their tension, this has required the introduction of advanced controls in flexo printing machines.