Underwriters Laboratories, an internationally recognised company that tests technology to determine if it’s safe to use, has certified Mark Andy’s Digital Series ink for its inkjet narrow web label presses on Avery Dennison substrates.
The advantage of this is that when converters are asked to produce a UL certified label they can reference the UL approved list and choose the combination that best fits their application without having to develop and test their own substrates.
UL ran the standard* Mark Andy Digital Series inks through a series of tests, including scratch, exposure, ten-day oven, outdoor weathering, indoor fade tests and various other stress tests to submit the materials to the harsh conditions they would face in the real world. A broad range of substrates were tested and approved, including white PET, clear PET, and chrome PET for outdoor usage, as well as white BOPP and synthetic paper for indoor use. In many of these tests there was no laminate used, meaning that converters can avoid the cost of laminating and still reach the required standard.
UL has been operating since 1894. The company works with a broad range of manufacturers and retailers, as well as consulting with governments, to verify that products are safe to use. This ensures that all products in the supply chain comply with all the relevant regulations in the regions they will be used in. The company also helps governments create safety regulations.
*Several sites will have reported that specially formulated inks were used for these tests but that’s due to awkward phrasing on Mark Andy’s original press release, and should have read that the standard inks for the Digital series machines are themselves specially formulated for Mark Andy.
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