Arcdeco BV 150 Dry-Offset Spot Colour Ink for Beverage Cans
A thermally cured dry-offset ink series in spot colours for aluminium and steel two-piece drawn and wall-ironed cans, printed on the decorator over a white basecoat or on bare metal. It is formulated to split cleanly on a common blanket at decorator speeds of up to about 2,200 cans per minute and to accept the overprint varnish wet.
Grade Arcdeco BV 150 | Range Metal Decorating Inks | Technology Thermally cured dry-offset paste ink, thermosetting resin vehicle in high-boiling ink oil
Technical Data Sheet
Arcdeco BV 150
Issue 2026.09
1. Product description
A thermally cured dry-offset ink series in spot colours for aluminium and steel two-piece drawn and wall-ironed cans, run on the decorator over a white basecoat or directly on bare metal. Each station lays its colour onto a common blanket, and the ink has to split cleanly at decorator speeds of up to about 2,200 cans per minute without misting, stay open on the inking train and accept the overprint varnish wet without crawling. It is set in the pin oven and its cure completed in the internal bake oven. Mis-specified, it shows as misting, colour shift after the second bake or cracking at the neck. It pairs with Arccan EX 150 and Arccan EX 260.
2. Features
- Clean split without misting at decorator speeds of up to about 2,200 cans per minute
- Stays open on the inking train
- Accepts the overprint varnish wet without crawling
- Set in the pin oven, with cure completed in the internal bake oven
- Pairs with Arccan EX 150 basecoat and Arccan EX 260 overprint varnish
3. Recommended uses
Spot colour decoration of two-piece beverage cans in aluminium and steel, over a white basecoat, or on bare washed aluminium with transparent colours where the design uses the metal as the ground.
Substrates. Aluminium and steel two-piece drawn and wall-ironed bodies, printed over Arccan EX 150 white basecoat, or directly on bare washed aluminium where the design uses the metal as the ground with transparent colours.
4. Typical properties
| Property | Typical value | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | Thermally cured dry-offset paste ink, thermosetting resin vehicle in high-boiling ink oil | Formulation |
| Form and colour range | Paste ink in opaque and transparent spot colours, matched to an approved standard | Visual |
| Composition | Thermosetting resin vehicle in high-boiling ink oil; formulated without PTFE wax | Supplier formulation record, declared not tested |
| Tack | Stated per colour on a named instrument, speed and roller temperature, set against the customer's decorator or printer | ISO 12634, rotary tackmeter; readings compared only on the same instrument type, roller temperature and speed |
| Viscosity at 25 degrees C | 20 to 120 Pa.s, with yield value reported; stated per colour on the Certificate of Analysis | ISO 12644, falling rod viscometer |
| Fineness of grind | 5 micrometres or finer | ISO 1524 |
| Colour and adhesion through later bakes | Colour shift within the agreed tolerance, typically ΔE00 1.0 to 2.0, and cross-cut 0 to 1, after one to three further bakes at the line's schedule | Printed panels over-baked in-house, measured to ISO 13655 and ISO/CIE 11664-6, adhesion to ISO 2409 |
| Formability at the neck | No cracking or loss of adhesion at 6 to 9 mm cupping indentation as a comparative bench check; acceptance on necked cans from the line | ISO 1520 cupping on flat aluminium or steel panels, matching the body metal, carrying the basecoat where used, the ink and the overprint varnish, as a comparative check only, since the ink is printed on the drawn and wall-ironed body; then necked and flanged cans from the customer's line |
| Pasteurisation resistance | No blush, softening, colour change or loss of adhesion after the declared cycle, commonly 20 to 60 min in water at 60 to 85 degrees C | Customer or can-maker protocol on processed cans or panels, followed by tape adhesion to ISO 2409 |
| Rub, scratch and mobility of the finished surface | No breakthrough to the basecoat at the stroke count and weight, 0.9 or 1.8 kg, agreed by grade; mobility held within the overprint varnish window | ASTM D5264 Sutherland rub as a comparative bench check; the can-maker's scratch and mobility protocol decides acceptance |
Typical values, not a specification. Values for each batch are given on its Certificate of Analysis.
5. Application
| Parameter | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Application method | Dry offset on a can decorator with six to nine inking stations according to the machine. |
| Surface preparation | Print over Arccan EX 150 white basecoat, or directly on bare washed aluminium where the design uses transparent colours on the metal. |
| Dry ink film weight | About 0.5 to 2.0 g/m2 dry per colour, set by colour, coverage and press and confirmed at trial. |
| Overcoat | Overprint varnish, Arccan EX 260, applied wet over the ink. |
| Cure schedule | Pin-oven set at about 185 to 200 degrees C peak metal temperature to the schedule of the overprint varnish, with the cure completed in the internal bake oven. Oven profile traced by thermocouple on sample bodies. |
| Qualification | A line trial through necking, filling and pasteurisation is required before approval. |
Process. Dry offset on a can decorator with six to nine inking stations according to the machine, overprint varnish applied wet over the ink, a short pin-oven set at about 185 to 200 degrees C peak metal temperature to the schedule of the varnish, and the cure completed in the internal bake oven. A line trial through necking, filling and pasteurisation is required before approval.
6. Storage and handling
Store in the original closed containers in a cool, dry place away from direct sun and sources of heat, and keep lids closed between uses to limit skinning. Shelf life is stated on the label and Certificate of Analysis. Handle and use the product in line with its Safety Data Sheet.
7. Safety and regulatory information
Read the Safety Data Sheet before use. Safety Data Sheets and regulatory declarations are issued by our technical centre against the product and batch supplied, so they are sent on request rather than published. Request a Safety Data Sheet or declaration.
This Technical Data Sheet is published for on-screen reference. The information is given in good faith from laboratory and application experience and describes typical values; it is not a specification and does not replace a trial on your own substrate and line. Arctic Materials may revise this sheet without notice. Issue 2026.09.
Technical Data Sheets on this site are for on-screen viewing. For a controlled copy, write to tech@arcticmaterials.com.
Other grades in this range
Need a Safety Data Sheet, a regulatory declaration or a grade specified to your line? Contact our technical centre.