Paper Packaging Printing Trends: Five Shifts and 11 New Technologies to Watch

Modern technology continues to move deeper into packaging and printing, trimming steps from many processes and making them more logical. Looking at paper packaging printing today, several new directions stand out:

First, material structures are moving from single-layer formats to multi-layer constructions;

Second, offset, gravure, flexo and screen printing will continue to coexist, with flexographic printing expected to grow at the fastest pace;

Third, production is shifting from sheet-fed to web-fed formats and from standalone machines to inline lines, moving toward complete equipment supply;

Fourth, computer-aided design, digital tools, laser processing, new materials and other related advances are being combined to keep optimizing the production system;

Fifth, tightening environmental and hygiene standards are placing greater constraints on the sector.

Post-press handling is also becoming more scientific and practical, changing packaging performance and visual results. In surface treatment, for instance, wax coating and film lamination are gradually giving way to surface gluing (spray gluing); anti-counterfeiting packaging has moved from partial printing or fabrication to full-surface, large-area printing and production. Today, computer technology is used in prepress and postpress, new equipment upgrades production factors, and postpress innovation is reshaping the industry structure, product-mix adjustment logic and commercial behavior of packaging printing.

The 11 new technology products recently announced by the American Printing Technology Association could have a real impact on packaging printing in the future. They include: a PDF-based prepress production system; a halftone dot technology designed specifically for flexo; a Polar cutting system using a CIP3 workflow; an offset rotary press; a process system that successfully uses laser technology to engrave gravure cylinders; professional digital photography technology; a new drying technology (formed inline in one pass); a new pressure-sensitive label printing technology; a software package (prepress system); a scanning software system; and a printing system for the on-demand printing market.

Several key technical challenges must be addressed for the paper packaging industry to advance:

1. Recycling and reuse of paper packaging materials and containers, covering core technology and equipment research;
2. Systematization and intelligentization of paper packaging design;
3. Research and development of paper packaging containers;
4. R&D of key manufacturing technologies and major equipment for paper packaging materials;
5. Integration and application of paper packaging technologies;
6. Development and research of paper products packaging machinery;
7. Assurance testing technology and system integration research;
8. Packaging technology for household appliances and transport packaging;
9. Key technologies and new equipment for packaging decorative printing;
10. Packaging technology for military goods.

In addition, paper products packaging is heading toward low grammage, high strength and lightweight formats, with goals of standardization, serialization, multiple varieties, multiple substrates and multiple uses. Over the next 10 years, paper media printing is expected to develop significantly alongside broadband. CIP digital printing presses will also help traditional processes become more rational and labor-saving.

Source: China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362129.html