Tired of UV Matte Coatings that thicken when you run them?

Runability is one of the most important characteristics of an ink, coating or varnish.  Particularly if you finally got the customer to commit to that long run you have been asking for!  The last thing you and your operators want to do is stop the press because the coating or varnish isn’t running properly.  It is imperative that the press run at top speed and without interruptions.

At Magnum Ink & Coatings, we have recently discovered a Matte coating runability issue.  Have you ever noticed that as you run your UV Matte coating on longer runs the coating tends to build up and thicken in your chamber or coating pan?

The cause of this is generally found in one of the components of the matte coating itself – the matting agent. Matting agents are often made from fumed silica. The silica is suspended in a coating and the particles deflect light giving off a matte appearance instead of gloss. The challenge comes when after running for some time your matte coating begins to thicken.

The cause of the thickening is that the doctor blade is shearing or separating the matting agent from the coating vehicle. You may not notice it but the coating you are laying down is also not as dull as it was intended to be because less matting agent is getting applied to the substrate. The matting agent is simply collecting in the coating chamber or pan. The remainder is a thick gelatinous-like sludge that becomes unusable.

Magnum Inks & Coatings’ specially formulated UV Matte coating eliminates this phenomenon.   No longer will you have to stress over low press speeds and press downtime due to adjusting the coating unit.  For more information please visit the Magnum Inks & Coatings’ product page and contact a member of the team for a sample!