PACE Industries, Inc. Member of Primex Plastics Corporation

“Leading Plastic Extrusion Specialist for the Graphics Industry”

BIOGRAPH.ics™ On Front Cover of GAM

 

             HOW'D WE PRINT THIS?: Printing on   Plastic Made from Plants

The cover tip-on is as green as it gets: biodegradable and compostable bioplastic.

By Mark Vruno -- Graphic Arts Online, 3/1/2008

The tipped-on plastic substrate for this month’s front cover was provided by Pace Industries of Reedsburg, WI, a green manufacturer and EPA Green Power Partner dedicated to renewable resources. For 22 years, Pace has specialized in plastic extrusion manufacturing of traditional polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene to the graphic arts industry. Its newest product development, BIOGRAPH.ics, was introduced this past December.

 

BIOGRAPH.ics is a custom sheet and roll product that is Earth-friendly, starting with a non-petroleum, agricultural-based polymer extruded by Pace using renewable energy. The bioplastic substrate processes much like traditional plastic while demonstrating superior ink receptivity over its petroleum-based counterparts. As compared to earlier attempts at bio-based materials, BIOGRAPH.ics offers a noticeable improvement in areas of heat resistance and impact strength. It’s also water-resistant.

 

This project employed Flint Group’s new ArrowStar UV 7310 process inks, an extension of the energy-curable set introduced in 2004. The high-adhesion formulation is ideal for non-porous substrates, says Flint, and ArrowStar doesn’t emit ozone-depleting VOCs.

 

An eco-friendly sheetfed press was chosen for the job: the KBA 6-color, 41´´ Rapida 105 featuring an inline coater and UV hybrid technology, including Peak UV P2 modules and IR/hot-air combo dryer from Air Motion Systems (AMS). The six modules on this UV system, which KBA calls VariDry, can be interchanged by a single operator (under three minutes per module) across nine positions—six across the print units and three in delivery. The speed at which UV lights can be moved around on press can save hours of production time every year, says AMS, especially where the job mix consists of variable substrates and shorter runs. The Rapida also supports VOC-free inks and biodegradable UV coating.

 

After receiving the BIOGRAPH.ics substrate last month, Unicorn Graphics let it warm up for 24 hours prior to running on press. The 23-year-old, $7-million dollar commercial printer installed the new KBA seven months ago. The commercial printer and calendar publisher expanded in 2007 to a new, 30,000-sq.ft. facility in Garden City, Long Island, NY, one of its three operations. (Unicorn’s other U.S. plant is situated in Pico Rivera, CA, near Los Angeles, with a sister, calendar-printing company in Seoul, Korea.)

 

A biochemical transformation

Degradable products dissolve chemically, whereas biodegradable products undergo a biochemical shift to organic components. While Pace offers both options (its Absolve products degrade), the cover tip is biodegradable, allowing for a conversion from the crop-based substrate to an end creation of soil and water. Natural ingredients, such as cornstarch or vegetable oil, are added to the plastic so that it breaks down when exposed to microorganisms. The material in BIOGRAPH.ics is certified through an independent laboratory as compostable per ASTM International standards (6400-04), says Pace.

BIOGRAPH.ics is made to order in thicknesses from .010´´ (see cover) to .040´´ in white opaque color with matte/matte finish. Sheet sizes range from a 20×20´´ minimum to a 50×96´´ maximum, and the minimum order is 2,500 lbs.

 

To encourage recycling, Pace offers customers material credits for returning

 packaging as well as their plastic scrap. The firm’s programs divert more than 3 million pounds of plastic annually from landfills.