Arcray MX 710 UV Metallic Silver and Gold
Silver and gold UV flexo inks based on aluminium and bronze pigment flake rather than dispersed pigment particles, for narrow-web stations set up with coarse anilox and light doctoring. The effect comes from flake orientation, so anilox volume, cell geometry, blade pressure and handling govern the result.
Grade Arcray MX 710 | Range Narrow-Web UV and LED-UV Flexo Inks | Technology Dual-cure UV and LED-UV reactive system with aluminium or bronze pigment flake; no solvent or water
Technical Data Sheet
Arcray MX 710
Issue 2026.09
1. Product description
Silver and gold metallic inks for narrow-web UV flexo, based on aluminium and bronze pigment flake rather than dispersed pigment particles. Because the effect comes from flake orientation, anilox volume, cell geometry and doctor blade pressure govern the result far more than they do for a process colour, and over-shearing the ink in pumps, blades or a grind gauge destroys the effect. This is the only Arcray subfamily where the pigment is a flake, so station setup, ink handling and print sequence all change; an overprint varnish or laminate is normally needed to protect the surface, and because varnishing reduces the metallic effect the combination must be trialled.
2. Features
- Aluminium flake for silver and bronze flake for gold
- Runs on 8.0 to 14.0 cm³/m² anilox with light doctoring
- Low-shear handling to keep the flake intact
- Normally protected by an overprint varnish or laminate, trialled together
- Dual cure under mercury-arc or LED at 395 nm
3. Recommended uses
Metallic silver and gold decoration on self-adhesive paper and board facestock, filmic PP and PET, and metallised and clear filmic label stock.
Substrates. Self-adhesive paper and board facestock, corona-treated or top-coated PP and PET, metallised and clear filmic label stock.
4. Typical properties
| Property | Typical value | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | Dual-cure UV and LED-UV reactive system with aluminium or bronze pigment flake; no solvent or water | Formulation |
| Appearance | Silver or gold metallic liquid | Visual |
| Carrier | None. A reactive system with no solvent or water, converted to film by photopolymerisation; nothing evaporates in print | Formulation |
| Viscosity at 25 °C, cone and plate | 0.6 to 1.8 Pa.s | ISO 2884-1 |
| Fineness of grind | Not applied. The gauge reads flake dimension rather than dispersion, and the draw-down damages the flake | ISO 1524 not applicable to flake grades |
| Density at 20 °C | Stated for each shade on the confirmed Technical Data Sheet, as silver and gold differ | ISO 2811-1 |
| Cure energy at the web, UV-A | Set at the press trial and verified with a radiometer at the web. The 8.0 to 14.0 cm³/m² anilox lays a heavier film than a colour station and the flake shades the base of the film, so the dose is normally higher than at the process and line colour stations | In-house, band-calibrated radiometer read at the web |
| Metallic effect | Assessed against an agreed reference on the production stock, with and without the chosen overprint varnish | Customer or supplier protocol |
| Rub resistance | Assessed in the finished construction under the chosen overprint varnish or laminate; the unprotected metallic surface is not rated | ASTM D5264, on the finished construction |
| Adhesion of the cured film at 24 hours | No removal in a tape pull over a printed solid, assessed in the finished construction under the chosen overprint varnish or laminate | Tape pull over a printed solid, customer or supplier protocol, on the finished construction |
Typical values, not a specification. Values for each batch are given on its Certificate of Analysis.
5. Application
| Parameter | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Application method | Narrow-web UV flexo on 8.0 to 14.0 cm³/m² anilox with light doctor blade pressure |
| Handling | Stir gently by hand. Avoid pumps, high blade pressure and any step that over-shears the ink, and keep metallic grades away from the mixing station |
| Surface preparation | Filmic facestock at 38 mN/m or above at the point of printing, not at the point of manufacture (ISO 8296 on PP; equivalent wetting tension test on PET). In-line corona on PP; PET normally top-coated or primed |
| Dilution | Supplied at press viscosity. No solvent or water. Any viscosity adjustment only with a reactive thinner approved by Arctic for the grade, within the limit on the confirmed Technical Data Sheet |
| Cure | Mercury-arc or LED at 395 nm, dose measured with a radiometer at the web |
| Next step | Overprint varnish or laminate is normally required to protect the surface. Varnishing reduces the metallic effect, so print sequence and varnish are agreed at a press trial |
Process. Narrow-web UV flexo, 8.0 to 14.0 cm3/m2 anilox, light doctoring, dual cure under mercury-arc or LED at 395 nm.
6. Storage and handling
Store in the closed, opaque original container in a cool, dry place away from daylight, UV sources and heat, and stir gently before use to redistribute the flake without shearing it. Shelf life is stated on the label and Certificate of Analysis, and handling information is given in the Safety Data Sheet, issued on request. 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.