Reduce IPA (alcohol)

Are you planning on reducing the use of IPA (alcohol) in your printing company? Your suppliers can assist you in this and even help with taking it a step further so that your company becomes totally alcohol-free. We will gladly help you in reducing the use of IPA. This makes your working environment healthier and fulfils your legal obligations.

IPA (Alcohol)

Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is used as a solvent in offset printing because it has a positive effect on the printing process. However, IPA has major disadvantages; it is a poison causing brain, liver, and kidney damage, and is toxic to the environment. Both employers and employees within the printing industry have signed a covenant pledging to reduce the use of IPA. Currently, IPA is added to the print water. This lowers the surface tension and increases the viscosity. This results in a thinner, more stable film of water coating the rollers. Printing without the use of IPA leads to immediate production problems unless other changes are also made to the process.

Reversed Osmosis and IPA Reduction

As previously mentioned, IPA ensures that the moisture balance is kept at the optimum, essential for high quality printing. If IPA usage is to be reduced, it is imperative that this is somehow compensated, and reversed osmosis is the starting point. Reversed osmosis ensures stable, bacteria free, and almost fully demineralised water as the basis for the print water. Unlike tap water, this water is stable and of good quality. By adding hardening agents, the water produced is ideal for the presses.

The Cumro Express

The Cumro Express is our answer to the market demand for a complete, integrated water treatment specifically for printing companies. The unit is equipped with all the components required to deliver stable water to the printing presses. Starting with a backflow protector, a water softener, water filters, and reversed osmosis unit, and ending with Dosatron dosing pumps to control the level of the chemicals added for hardening the water. This way a ‘plug and play solution’ has been created, producing stable printing water, and enabling you to take the first steps towards IPA reduction.

The Advantages of Reversed Osmosis

• Healthier working conditions
  
• Optimal ink/ water balance
  
• Better pixel reproduction resulting in clearer print
  
• Less paper wastage
  
• Lower ink usage
  
• Faster drying of ink
  
• No bacterial growth in pipework and buffers
  
• Extended lifetime of the water rollers
  
• ISO 12647 colour management as standard
  
• Less pollution
  
• Improves your company image