Breakthrough in cationic photoinitiators with Irgacure 270

BASF has announced the development of Irgacure 270, in what it describes as a technological breakthrough in cationic photoinitiators for packaging inks.  For the first time, it is now possible to combine fast UV curing with very low emissions.  It claims the new product is very versatile, and its applications include both UV-curable printing inks and clear overprint varnishes.
 
Photoinitiators are substances that form free radicals when they are exposed to UV light, and these radicals initiate polymerization reactions.  Irgacure 270 is a new high-molecular-weight sulfonium salt that fulfils the high standards that UV-curable inks for food packaging are required to meet.  Extensive tests have shown that emissions and migration are both very low.
 
Irgacure 270 is mainly employed in UV-curable applications that demand low-emissions.  These include clear overprint varnishes, flexo inks, screen inks and inkjet inks for printing food packaging made from a variety of substrates such as paperboard, plastics and metal.