Product Watch: Hubergroup’s Gecko 2 component varnish for BOPE films

Hubergroup Print Solutions offers sustainable, high-quality inks, varnishes and printing auxiliaries for flexo, gravure and offset printing and related services. It also provides ink solutions — water-based and solvent-based systems — that can be used on a variety of substrates.

Hubergroup’s product portfolio includes varnishes designed for mechanical protection, ensuring durability and resilience of the packaging. It also offers specialised varnishes such as Paper Touch, matt or gloss varnishes, which are highly popular because of their ability to enhance tactile or visual effects.

“One of our standout products is our Paper Touch varnish, which has been a remarkable success story as it provides a unique feel and look that resonates well with consumers. Our latest innovation is our Gecko 2-Component Varnish 70GL426590 that increases the heat resistance of BOPE films from 120 degrees Celcius to 160 degrees Celcius. Thus, it opens up new possibilities for the processing and application of this sustainable packaging solution,” says Dr Hancke.

Hubergroup also offers varnishes for food packaging, pharmaceutical, personal care and toy packaging. The varnishes have been formulated to be used in flexographic, offset and gravure printing. 

The company offers specialised barrier varnishes for films that provide UV and oxygen barrier properties. The oxygen barrier coating protects packaged food from oxygen and thus enables recycling-friendly mono-material packaging based on PE or PP.

Additionally, Hubergroup provides water and water vapour barrier varnishes for surface printing on paper applications. The barriers protect against water and water vapour and thereby omit the otherwise necessary lamination of a polyethene (PE) film for many moisture-sensitive applications, from food packaging to non-food packaging such as cement packaging.

Depending on the specific varnish, Hubergroup provides gloss varnishes that enhance clarity and visual appeal, and matt varnishes that offer a sophisticated, non-reflective finish. Sealable varnishes are designed to ensure strong adhesion and reliable sealability, making them ideal for packaging applications that require secure closures. The company also offers heat-resistant varnishes.

The Gecko 2-Component Varnish improves heat resistance, increasing the temperature tolerance of BOPE films from 120 degrees Celsius to 160 degrees Celsius. This opens up new possibilities for processing and application, making BOPE films more versatile and efficient.

The varnish also provides deep freeze resistance, ink adhesion, scratch resistance, water resistance, a high gloss finish, rub resistance, and high solvent resistance. These features ensure that the varnish meets the stringent requirements for food and beverage packaging, while also being NC-free and future-proof concerning current and upcoming regulatory requirements. 

“Our varnishes are designed to be applied inline during the printing process. This means they are seamlessly integrated into the printing workflow, allowing for efficient and effective application without the need for post-print treatments,” adds Dr Hancke.

A minimum treatment level of 38 dynes per centimetre for polyolefin films is advised. This surface tension is essential to ensure proper wetting of the film and optimal ink adhesion. Maintaining this treatment level helps to enhance the performance and durability of the printed material, ensuring that the colours remain vibrant and securely adhered to the substrate. 

Hubergroup inks and varnishes enable the production of packaging that complies with the EU Plastics Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011 and the Swiss Ordinance on Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (SR 817.023.21).

Hubergroup offers certain ink series certified for industrial compatibility with compostable film substrates, such as nitrocellulose-free printing inks with the Gecko Platinum series, drinking solutions, barrier solutions, and printing inks like the water-based Hydro-X ink system (HYDRO-i) for film and paper packaging.

The company offers technical support through field service teams that provide on-site assistance to ensure production processes and print performance.