United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Research and Development
EPA/6QQ/SR-97/113 November 1997
of to the
of
in
Printing
Jill B. Vitas, C. Jeff Harris, and William L. Blake, Jr.
In support of the Source Reduction
Review Project (SRRP), maximum
achievable control technology (MACT)
standards development, and the Pol-
lution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA),
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA's) Air Pollution Pre-
vention and Control Division (APPCD)
is investigating the current industrial
use and barriers to the extended use
of radiation-cured coatings in SRRP
and MACT categories. This report pre-
sents the results of a study to investi-
gate and identify the technical,
economic, and educational barriers to
the use and implementation of radia-
tion-curable coatings (primarily ultra-
violet (UV) curable inks) in the wide-web
flexographic printing industry. Some
important barriers identified are: the
damage to thin film substrates and ex-
pansion of press components caused
by the heat generated by UV lamps,
foaming caused by the higher-viscos-
ity UV-curable flexographic inks, the
industry perception that UV systems
are not cost-effective, and the misper-
ception that a substrate with UV-cured
ink is less chemically resistant.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Air Pollution Prevention and
Control Division of the National Risk
Management Research Laboratory, Re-
search Triangle Park, NC, to announce
key findings of the research project that
is fully documented in a separate report
of the same title (see Project Report
ordering information at back).
Section 4(b) of the PPA requires EPA
to "review regulations of the Agency prior
and subsequent to their proposal to deter-
mine their effect on source reduction." In
support of the PPA, EPA established the
SRRP to focus this review on pending
regulations (and anticipated regulated in-
dustries) under the Clean Air Act Amend-
ments of 1990 (CAAA), the Clean Water
Act (CWA), or the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA). A goal of the
SRRP tasks is to ensure that source re-
duction and multimedia issues are consid-
ered during the development of upcoming
air, water, and hazardous waste standards.
An important set of regulations under
the CAAA, and a focus of SRRP, are the
standards for MACT to reduce emissions
of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Pro-
mulgation of these regulations began in
1992 and will continue throughout the de-
cade and into the next century. The MACT
standards offer EPA an excellent opportu-
nity to use SRRP to incorporate pollution
prevention measures into the upcoming
standards for specific source categories.
Pollution prevention efforts may offer eco-
nomic, health, and ecological benefits to
many sectors of society that are not avail-
able through traditional pollution control
methods.
In support of the SRRP Program, MACT
standards development, and the PPA,
EPA's APPCD of the Office of Research
and Development's (ORD's) National Risk
Management Research Laboratory
(NRMRL) is investigating pollution preven-
tion opportunities for product and material
substitutions that help industry to reduce
waste. The specific objective of this project
was to investigate the current industrial
use and barriers to the extended use of
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radiation-cured coatings in SRRP and
MACT categories. Wide-web flexographic
printing (a part of the Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) 2759, Commercial
Printing, Not Elsewhere Classified), an in-
dustry facing upcoming MACT standards,
was selected as an industrial segment for
study. When the MACT standards are de-
veloped, EPA will have a better under-
standing of which coating technologies are
feasible pollution prevention alternatives
for the industry.
The report gives results of a study to
investigate and identify the technical, edu-
cational, and economic barriers to the use
and implementation of radiation-cured
coatings in wide-web flexographic print-
ing. The project involved preparing cat-
egory analyses, identifying and classifying
the use and implementation barriers, evalu-
ating and assessing the environmental
impacts, and identifying pollution preven-
tion and source reduction research oppor-
tunities in the flexographic printing industry.
In addition to conducting literature
searches, contacts were made with indus-
try and pollution prevention experts in the
Flexographic Technical Association (FTA),
RadTech International, the Flexible Pack-
aging Association (FPA), and equipment
and ink manufacturing firms.
In addition, information was compiled
during several site visits. Copies of the
site visit reports are included in Appendi-
ces A through D of the report. Together,
these information-gathering efforts pro-
vided the background needed to identify
the barriers and source reduction research
opportunities in the wide-web flexographic
printing industry. To further identify and
develop research opportunities that can
be conducted by EPA, a focus group meet-
ing was held in Durham, NC, on June 29,
1995. Representatives from equipment
manufacturers, ink manufacturers, convert-
ers, trade associations, and EPA attended
the meeting.
Initial work into the UV-cured wide-web
flexographic printing industry indicated that
U.S. companies were very proprietary
about their use of UV technology and were
generally unwilling to share information
on their progress, for fear of losing a com-
petitive advantage. After contacting sev-
eral press manufacturers, a German
manufacturer of UV-cured wide-web flexo-
graphic printing presses agreed to allow a
site visit. Moreover, the press manufac-
turer also arranged a visit to a printer
using the UV-cured presses in full com-
mercial operation.
The site visits provided most of the in-
formation contained in this report. Consul-
tation with the German firms demonstrated
that UV-cured wide-web flexographic print-
ing is a commercially viable process. Ex-
isting technical barriers, primarily in the
areas of press temperature control and
ink delivery, have generally been over-
come. The remaining barriers are prima-
rily perceived economic barriers and some
product quality issues in specific applica-
tions.
The report divides the barriers to imple-
menting UV-curable inks and coatings into
three categories: technical, economic, and
educational barriers. Separate chapters
examine the three barrier categories.
This document suggests projects for
EPA that could help overcome technical,
educational, and economic barriers identi-
fied. Some of the opportunities discussed
include the following:
Investigation of methods to segment
the industry to better address pol-
lution prevention/control technology
options for specific segments of the
industry. Segmentation options
could include categorizing by end
products, substrates, or processes.
Investigation of migration and po-
tential toxicity for all types of inks.
Industry also suggested that EPA
assist in the transfer of existing in-
formation on migration to the print-
ers.
Investigation of substrates which
could lead to more effective and
economical use of currently avail-
able alternative inks.
The industry also discussed the ap-
parent need for a success story
(e.g., a printing facility that has con-
verted to UV-curable inks and has
improved product quality and/or re-
duced costs). EPA could address
this issue in two ways: (1) assist in
a demonstration by providing fund-
ing, protocol development, testing
capabilities, and risk assessments;
and (2) provide technology trans-
fer.
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Jill B. Vitas, C. Jeff Harris, and William L. Blake, Jr., are with TRC Environmental
Corp., Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
Carlos M. Nunez is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Evaluation of Barriers to the Use of Radiation Cured
Coatings in Wide-web Flexographic Printing," (Order No. PB98-106412 Cost:
$31.00, subject to change) will be available only from
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at
Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
EPA/600/SR-97/113
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