Arlam Aqua Lamination Inks

Arlam Aqua is a range of high-performance, water-based gravure and flexographic inks engineered for reverse printing on treated and chemically coated plastic films. Developed for high-speed flexible-packaging converters, it provides a low-VOC alternative to solvent-based systems while acting as a unified ink platform for both adhesive and extrusion lamination.

Built on an acrylic-polyurethane emulsion binder, the inks combine high colour strength and clean printing with good flexibility, adhesion and lamination bond strength. Arlam Aqua is formulated to resist ink smear in direct contact with solvent-free lamination adhesives, and is engineered for compatibility with standard two-component solvent-based adhesives and 100 % solids solvent-free adhesives.

Arlam Aqua can be supplied as finished inks or as a concentrate system of pigment bases, reducing varnish and technology varnish for in-house dispensing. Arctic Materials also offers on-site analytical, colorimetric and process-optimisation support and advice on ink management systems.

• Water-based, low-VOC ink system
• Highly pigmented for brilliant colours; mono-pigmented for clean, pure shades
• Good flexibility and adhesion to chemically coated PET and corona-treated BOPP and PE
• Compatible with 2K solvent-based and 100 % solids solvent-free adhesives
• Formulated to resist ink smear in contact with solvent-free lamination adhesives
• Low foaming and constant printing behaviour
• Fast drying — no thermal oxidation or additional curing required
• Unified platform for adhesive lamination and PE extrusion lamination

Arlam Aqua is intended for reverse-print lamination of snack-food, bakery and confectionery packaging and general-purpose flexible pouches, and for PE extrusion lamination structures. For extrusion-lamination configurations on PET, a primer layer is recommended. Arlam Aqua must not be used for other end uses without confirmation from the Arctic Materials technical team.

Arlam Aqua is not suitable for:

• direct food-contact applications;
• microwaveable, ovenable, pasteurised or retorted packaging;
• printing on aluminium foil, towel or tissue paper;
• general surface printing, unless coated with an approved surface overprint varnish.

As with all water-based systems, film adhesion and printability depend heavily on the quality and uniformity of the film surface treatment.

Anti-blocking protocol. To eliminate the risk of ink blocking or ghosting in the rewound reel, the treatment level of the back, non-printed side of the film must be at least 6 – 8 dynes/cm lower than that of the printed side.

A complete range of vibrant, heavy-metal-free organic and inorganic colours is available, together with a reducing varnish and technology varnish for the concentrate system. High-opacity lamination whites optimise backing coverage and uniform adhesive distribution. Special shades and brand colours are matched against a reference sample; please contact us for the current Arlam Aqua shade card.

The standard pigment range offers reasonable light fastness but is not designed for prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. For outdoor or high-exposure applications, request high-light-fastness pigments at the time of ordering.

Pressroom environment. Arlam Aqua runs from 200 to more than 500 m/min, heavily dependent on drying-tunnel capacity, air volume and velocity, reducer choice and ink coverage. Ambient conditions directly influence the rate of water evaporation; an ideal pressroom, ink kitchen and warehouse environment is 25 °C at 50 % relative humidity. Material moved from cold storage must equilibrate to room temperature before printing.

Viscosity and dilution. Water-based systems drop in viscosity very quickly on reduction, so dilute carefully — typically only 5 – 10 % is required. If an ink is over-reduced, do not add further water or solvent; refill the pan with fresh ink and use the over-reduced ink as an addition component. Keep the ink tray, duct or pump container covered during printing to prevent premature loss of water and volatile amine. Never move a viscosity cup between colours without thorough cleaning.

Press cleaning and resolubility. To prevent drying-in during stoppages, keep the anilox or gravure cylinder turning continuously and wash the plates immediately. At the end of a run, flood the cylinders and aniloxes with ink before draining, then wash with water at once. Wet ink washes up with plain water; a 9 : 1 water and alcohol mix is effective for deep cleaning, and dried-in ink requires a proprietary water-based cleaner.

Lamination. Sufficient forced-air drying capacity and high air velocity are critical: water and amine stabilisers must be completely removed before rewinding, because high residual moisture severely impairs adhesive curing and leads to poor bonds or tunnelling. Validate bond strength and chemical compatibility between the printed substrate lot and the chosen two-component polyurethane adhesive before commercial production. Allow a minimum 24-hour ageing window after printing and before lamination, and 48 hours after lamination for the adhesive to cross-link fully.

Arlam Aqua inks are water-based and are not classified as highly flammable. Store in tightly sealed original containers between 10 °C and 30 °C, away from solvents, UV light and high temperature. Protect strictly from freezing — freezing irreversibly breaks the polymer emulsion and renders the ink unusable.

pH maintenance. Keep containers tightly sealed. Loss of volatile amine stabilisers causes a drop in pH, leading to ink thickening and poor resolubility on press. Check pH on receipt and at intervals during storage, and correct only with the amine stabiliser recommended by Arctic Materials.

Shelf life. 18 months from the date of manufacture in unopened original containers stored as above.

Waste disposal. Water-based ink must not be discharged untreated to drains or watercourses. Dispose of in accordance with good industrial practice and all applicable regulations.

Formulated in accordance with the current CEPE / EuPIA guidelines and the EuPIA Exclusion Policy for printing inks and related products. The formulations exclude:

• substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR categories 1A and 1B) or as acutely toxic under Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP);
• pigments based on compounds of antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium VI, lead, mercury and selenium;
• dyes, solvents, plasticisers and other materials listed in the Exclusion Policy. A copy of the supporting declaration is available on request.

Water-based products contain in-can isothiazolinone biocides, including methylisothiazolinone, to prevent microbial contamination in the liquid state. These may cause allergic skin reactions in already sensitised individuals; handle with the personal protective equipment detailed in the Safety Data Sheet.

All Arctic Materials products are designed with end-use safety built in and must not be mixed with products from other manufacturers.

Indirect food-contact applications. It is the responsibility of the food packer to ensure the packed food is safe, and of the converter and packer/filler to ensure that migration does not exceed applicable legal or industry limits. Under a mutual non-disclosure agreement, Arctic Materials will provide a Statement of Composition detailing any potentially migratable components in its products.

The Technical Data Sheet, Safety Data Sheet and regulatory declarations for this range are issued by our technical department on request.

The Safety Data Sheet, Statement of Composition, EuPIA Exclusion Policy declaration and heavy-metal / regulatory declarations for this range are issued on request by our technical department, and the Statement of Composition is released under a mutual non-disclosure agreement.