Ink manufacturers are now signaling that production and processing costs will be further increased due to the significant increase in raw material costs. This is mainly due to the shortage of a range of chemical agents worldwide, which are key raw materials in the production of inks. As of now, the rising prices of crude oil and petrochemical derivatives are the main reasons for the rise in ink prices. But even if the oil price falls, because the ink industry is hit by the shortage of chemical raw materials, especially raw materials such as nitrocellulose, acrylic acid, acetic acid and titanium dioxide, the price of ink will only rise.
All inks will withstand the high price of pigments caused by the price increase of petroleum derivatives. Thermoset inks, coldset inks, and traditional sheetfed inks will be affected by significant price increases for mineral oils and vegetable oils. However, packaging printing inks such as solvent inks, water-based inks, uv-curable inks, and varnishes may be subject to the pressure of rising raw material prices.
With the implementation of the tobacco advertising ban, cigarette packs have become an important channel for cigarette manufacturers to communicate with smokers. Cigarette manufacturers are paying more and more attention to the design of cigarette packaging, the choice of health warning patterns and the protection of the intellectual property rights of cigarette brands, all of which have led to an increase in demand for packaging inks. At the same time, raw materials such as the soaring prices of crude oil and natural gas and the shortage of certain key ingredients such as acrylic acid and pigments have also led to higher ink prices.
Ink market development characteristics in the next few years
EB ink is favored by the majority of users for its non-volatile solvent, no VOC, low health hazard to operators, low odor, no need for photoinitiator, direct drying on the line, and on-line operation. Compared with UV inks, EB inks do not require photoinitiators, cure faster, cure more thoroughly, and have less odor, which further increases the development space of EB inks, so EB inks follow the raw materials of EB inks. The price reduction of supporting equipment and the further maturity of the design formula will become practical and economical inks that can be promoted. EB inks are now on the rise in flexible packaging printing. The superior performance and high production efficiency of EB inks provide a broader market. It is believed that the application range of EB ink will be further expanded and become an important variety in the future of new environmentally friendly inks.
In 2006, the global passive component market increased its growth rate to 18% due to the increase in downstream demand. In 2007-09, due to the high base period, the growth rate will return to the previous level, but it will remain above 10%. Due to the steady growth of the passive component market, the market demand for ink materials is expected to continue to increase.
From the status quo and development of China's ink application industry, publishing and commercial printing industry, packaging and printing industry, circuit board manufacturing industry, offset printing ink still dominates. The market share is about 45%, and the demand for gravure ink market is general. In the smooth, the letterpress printing ink market will drop significantly, but the flexographic printing ink is on the rise, the screen printing ink is steadily rising, digital printing, inkjet printing ink will develop rapidly. With the increasing global environmental awareness and diversified needs, water-based inks, uV-curable inks, and anti-counterfeiting inks will develop at an alarming rate.
Offset ink
Tianjin Dongyang Hangzhou Hanghua, Taiyuan Gaoshi, Shanghai Peony, Shanghai DlC, Shanghai Yulian, Shenzhen Shenri and other major companies still lead. Xiikebai, Flint, Sakata, Taniguchi and other foreign companies are not small, plus The strong development of products such as Suzhou Dadongyang, Guangdong Meining, and Beijing Shida will inevitably increase the competition in the offset ink market. In the sheetfed offset printing ink, rosin resin type bright and fast drying ink still occupies a considerable amount due to the influence of printing machinery, and the environmentally friendly offset printing ink represented by soybean oil based modified grass seed oil base will Gradually, I Shida, the application of waterless offset inks is on the rise, the development of UV offset inks and hybrid inks is getting better. In the aspect of rotary ink, petroleum resin and its cold-solid inks will gradually fade out of the market. The rosin phenolic resin type ink will be very active, and the promotion of soybean oil-based inks will take time. Newspaper companies will participate in the news ink, and the situation may increase. The use of thermoset rotary offset inks will follow The development of education has steadily increased. In terms of printing iron ink, the development of Shunde Jinlong ink seems to indicate what is going on, and the further shrinkage of the total demand for printing iron ink is a foregone conclusion. But the product will not disappear.
2. Flexographic printing ink
With the strengthening of the concept of green packaging. The flexographic printing, which is known for its application in water-based inks, will surely follow the development of developed countries. It is rapidly growing in China to produce ink-based inks in China. For example, Zhaoqing Tianlong and Dongguan Yingke, Zhongshan Yingjie, Foshan Dongfang, etc. are developing at a faster rate. Throughout the current water ten-color flexographic printing ink market, the low price of modified rosin-based water-based ink for corrugated box printing affects the profits of enterprises. Acrylic-based water-based inks are compared with others in terms of printing machinery and printing effects. It seems that there is no other advantage besides environmental protection, although the development and promotion of UV flexographic printing inks is going straight. But to really promote the flexographic printing ink market. The development must be supported by relevant national laws and regulations and the introduction of environmental protection requirements.
3. Gravure ink
The gravure ink is mainly solvent-based ink, and its manufacturing process is relatively simple compared to offset ink. In the past few years, gravure printing inks have also risen sharply due to the rapid growth of plastic packaging. The high-grade tobacco packaging has further stimulated the gravure ink market. However, due to the small and medium-sized ink companies that have been launched in the past two years, other types of ink manufacturers have also stepped into the solvent ink market, making the competition in this field very fierce. Shanghai DIC, Zhejiang New Oriental, Zhongshan Yeshi, Zhuhai Letong, Shunde Shengchang, etc., although still the front runners, but the price war of some products has become more and more hot, these large enterprises are overwhelmed. Due to the relevant packaging laws that restrict VOC emissions, the promulgation of regulations and the introduction of policies, traditional gravure inks containing harmful organic solvents such as toluene and methyl ethyl ketone are gradually replaced by alcohol-soluble inks. However, the ink system based on the three major resin systems of polyamide, nitrocellulose and chlorinated polypropylene will not be easily changed, but the tobacco industry, which has an important position in the paper gravure printing, is not strong, and the laws and regulations are introduced. In order to achieve ink uV, it will take time to water-based. Therefore, in the short term, whether it is plastic packaging gravure or paper gravure, it is a wise to use benzene-free polyurethane resin ink and alcohol-soluble ink as a transition. Initiative.
4. Screen printing ink
Since the wide range of substrates to which screen printing is adapted is incomparable to other printing methods, the market for screen printing inks is equally broad. Some successful screen printing inks, represented by Wuxi Chunguang, Shenzhen Miramar, and Zhongshan Zhongyi, are actively looking for their own market space, division, and special effects of UV ink screen printing, which will definitely occupy a place on the packaging. The mass production of various optical discs and the like has also greatly promoted the development of UV screen printing inks, and European screen printing ink manufacturers have also increased investment in UV screen printing inks in China. In terms of circuit board ink PCB, the joining of Taiwan-funded enterprises has greatly improved the pace of development of domestic printed circuit board technology. At present, the ink giant US Sun Ink has also set up a factory in Suzhou I, and the era of PCB ink competition has begun. At the same time, soft circuit board screen printing ink is being paid attention. In addition, China's printing ink is shortening the technological gap with developed countries in the world.
5. Inkjet and printing ink technology
Non-contact printing methods, represented by inkjet and printing technologies, are gaining results in more and more applications. The inkjet printing industry in the past is transforming from the previous home and office inkjet printing to the labeling and bar code making, CAD and large-format image printing, from the traditional solvent dye type to the water-based pigment type, 8-color inkjet Printing has been oriented to the market, and digital proofing based on inkjet printing equipment is close to offset quality, becoming a key technology to support CTP workflow. It will replace traditional offset proofing. Occupy the printing proofing market, cater to the printing digital and networked development trend of inkjet Printing will penetrate into the broader market in the near future, injecting new vitality into the modern printing industry. The superiority of uV inkjet ink is that it not only has the advantages of traditional uV technology in economy and technology, but also has outstanding advantages in use and operation. Some traditional inkjet manufacturers in China. For example, Zhuhai Baojie and Shenzhen Boya are actively developing new UV inkjet technologies and products. Textile digital inkjet printing technology has the advantages of high printing pattern, small footprint, no sewage discharge, and the ability to achieve single piece, etc. It is regarded as the key technology of the textile industry revolution in the 21st century. Digital inkjet printing nano pigment Ink has come out. The application of digital UV inkjet technology to circuit board printing is more conducive to solving the distressing environmental problems. This is not far from the development of traditional ink varieties. At the same time, some special inks with different application fields are used for security. Ink has quietly emerged, and the high-tech anti-counterfeiting ink represented by the North Deli is growing.