Arctube LT 150 UV Overprint Varnish for Laminate and Plastic Tubes
Arctube LT 150 is a UV-curing overprint varnish for printed ABL and PBL laminate web and for extruded polyethylene and polypropylene tubes decorated on the mandrel, in gloss, matt and soft-touch finishes. It protects the print, sets the finish and flexes with the tube without cracking.
Grade Arctube LT 150 | Range Tube, Aerosol and Aluminium Bottle Coatings | Technology UV-curing overprint varnish, 95 to 100 per cent solids
Technical Data Sheet
Arctube LT 150
Issue 2026.09
1. Product description
A UV-curing overprint varnish for printed ABL and PBL laminate web and for extruded polyethylene and polypropylene tubes decorated on the mandrel, supplied in gloss, matt and soft-touch finishes. It protects the print, sets the finish and resists the product smeared on the tube in use, including creams, gels and toothpaste, and it has to flex with the tube without cracking. Where printed laminate is reeled after printing, set-off onto the product-contact inner layer is a migration route, so a low-migration version is specified for oral care, food and pharmaceutical tubes. Under-cured, it smells, sets off in the reel and scuffs.
2. Features
- Gloss, matt and soft-touch finishes
- Resists creams, gels and toothpaste smeared on the tube in use
- Low-migration version for oral care, food and pharmaceutical tubes
- Grades matched to mercury or LED UV lamps
3. Recommended uses
Overprint varnish for laminate tubes printed on the web and for extruded PE and PP tubes decorated by dry offset or screen, for cosmetic, oral care, food and pharmaceutical packs.
Substrates. Surface-printed ABL and PBL laminate web, and extruded single-layer or co-extruded PE and PP tube sleeves after flame or corona treatment.
4. Typical properties
| Property | Typical value | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | UV-curing overprint varnish, 95 to 100 per cent solids | Formulation |
| Appearance | Clear gloss, matt or soft-touch film | Visual |
| Non-volatile content | 95 to 100 per cent by weight | ASTM D5403 |
| Supply viscosity | 200 to 3,000 mPa.s at 25 degrees C, according to finish and application unit | Rotational viscometer at a stated shear rate, ISO 3219-2 |
| Specular gloss | 75 to 95 GU at 60 degrees for gloss; 5 to 40 GU at 60 degrees for matt; below 5 GU at 60 degrees for soft-touch, with 85 degree readings for finishes below 10 GU at 60 degrees | ISO 2813, on flat printed web or flat film coated alongside the trial |
| UV cure | Lamp dose agreed at trial for the lamp type and press speed | Radiometer at the substrate plane, supplier protocol |
| Adhesion | No varnish removal by tape on finished tubes | EN 15386 on finished tubes |
| Side-seam weld, laminate tubes | Side-seam strength within the converter's specification with the varnish in place | EN 15387 on finished laminate tubes |
| Flexibility | No cracking when the finished tube is squeezed and flexed | Customer or supplier protocol |
| Cure state | No set-off onto the reverse of the web in a reel or stack test and no tack after cure, at the lamp dose agreed at trial | Customer or supplier protocol |
Typical values, not a specification. Values for each batch are given on its Certificate of Analysis.
5. Application
| Parameter | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Application method | Flexo, letterpress or offset coating unit on the web press, or the varnish station of a dry offset or screen tube decorator |
| Surface preparation | Surface-printed ABL or PBL web with the side-seam overlap kept free of print and varnish; extruded PE or PP sleeves flame or corona treated before decoration |
| Dilution | Supplied at application viscosity; adjust only with the diluent Arctic specifies for the grade, and for the low-migration version only with its matched low-migration diluent |
| Applied film | Set at trial for the coating unit and finish |
| Cure | Mercury or LED UV lamps matched to the grade, to the dose agreed at trial; under-cured varnish smells, sets off in the reel and scuffs |
| Next step | Laminate web reeled, slit, formed into a sleeve and side-seam welded; extruded tubes to capping and filling |
| Qualification and low-migration use | Adhesion and side-seam weld checked on finished tubes after a trial on the customer's line; for oral care, food and pharmaceutical tubes the low-migration version is specified and declarations are issued on request against the product supplied |
Process. Flexo, letterpress or offset coating unit on the web press, or the varnish station of a dry offset or screen tube decorator, cured under mercury or LED UV lamps matched to the grade. Adhesion and side-seam weld are checked on finished tubes, and a trial on the customer’s line is required.
6. Storage and handling
Store in the original, closed, opaque containers in a cool, dry place away from daylight, UV lamps and heat, and do not return used varnish to the original container. Shelf life is stated on the label and Certificate of Analysis; handling guidance 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.