Cast and Cure

DVC Highlights Striking Foil Capabilities Using Cast and Cure™ and Cold Foil

March 15, 2023

edited by Erin La Row, editor, PostPress

A company’s success is tied to its employees telling the brand story and effectively showcasing capabilities to potential clients – something the crew at D’Andrea Visual Communications (DVC), in Cypress, California, knows all too well. The company began in 2005 as a lithographic printer. It has since expanded in-house with grand format printing and custom fabrication. Today, the company is a visual communications producer for Fortune 500 brands as well as start-ups.

Cold foil is a DVC hallmark – the company needed a visual way to demonstrate its capabilities to clients. Using previously designed graphics the company had on hand, designer Franz Dreikorn, prepress/pressroom manager at DVC, got to work designing a sample booklet.

“We needed to show what we can do as far as foil and Cast and Cure™,” Dreikorn said. The result: an eye-catching booklet that pops with color and shine – showing potential clients the DVC team knows how to help their businesses get noticed and excite customers. Dreikorn said 100 lb. book-weight stock was used. “We wanted to show the difference between cover stock and book-weight stock,” he added.

The Cast and Cure film was supplied by Breit Technologies and the cold foil was supplied by Univacco Foils Corporation. The machinery used in the production of the booklet included a KBA Rapida 106 press with an Eagle Systems cold foil unit. The six-page booklet took home Best Use of Film Casting (Cast and Cure) from the Foil and Specialty Effects Association’s 2022 Gold Leaf Awards.

“I was pretty happy,” Dreikorn said about the award.

The inside pages of the DVC booklet include an example of cold foil only, showcasing its ability to do both larger solids and reversed-out type. Another page demonstrates reversed-out 4-color litho with a Cast and Cure clear holographic background, and the middle of the booklet includes a beautiful two-page spread of a city skyline with a pass of silver cold foil that then was overprinted with 4-color litho – all inline on the KBA press and Eagle cold foil unit. The last two pages showcase a color chart of CMYK colors available for printing or overprinting with silver foil.

The DVC booklet includes a reversed-out, 4-color image with a Cast and Cure™ clear holographic background.

Cast and Cure is a decorative process that uses UV/EB varnishes and specialty films to create diffractive surfaces that produce unique finishes for the printing and packaging industries. It forms a consistent high-quality surface that can incorporate ultra-high gloss, matte and holographic finishes on a variety of substrates.

“It gives you a better sheen,” Dreikorn said. “It’s brighter – more of a mirror effect.”

Tim Cain, president of Breit Technologies, Overland Park, Kansas, said, “D’Andrea understands that the Cast and Cure process is more of an overall effect and not just a highlight. Many people use foil as an accent. Due to the reusability of the casting film, an overall Cast and Cure effect can be applied to the whole piece for the same cost as a traditional foil highlight.”

Cain added, “One of the undiscussed benefits of the Cast and Cure process is the enhanced gloss level. The casting film works to calendar the coating to a consistent level, enhancing the gloss level and offering an additional boost with the holographic effect.”

Breit Technologies is credited with introducing Cast and Cure in North America. PostPress previously sat down with Cain to talk about the Cast and Cure process. Cain said it is used in everything from liquor and beverage labels, printed collateral and direct mail to magazine and book covers, and even food and pharmaceutical cartons.

“Brand owners find the clear holographic patterns are an excellent way to grab the consumer’s attention when they’re applied to a carton or label,” Cain said.

The process has many benefits. Since the Cast and Cure film works as a type of mold for the cured UV coating (the film is not actually applied to the substrate), it can be used up to a dozen times – sometimes more – and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are eliminated with the use of UV/EB varnishes. Less money is spent on shipping fees and warehousing compared to other decorating methods, and the casting films are recyclable.

When asked about clients’ reactions to the booklets, Dreikorn said, “Everybody loves them!”

Laminate, Coating or Cast and Cure™: Which Type of Soft-Touch Application to Use … and When

September 15, 2022

By Kim Guarnaccia, Huzzah Marketing

soft-touch, laminate — Nobelus®’ Karess® soft-touch laminate provides a luxurious tactile feel while also protecting the contents and package from damage during transit or on the store shelf. Photo provided by Huzzah Marketing.

An elegant matte appearance with a rich, suede-like feel, soft-touch finishes have become popular over the last decade with print and packaging designers and are now applied to a wide range of substrates, from paperboard and plastics to even aluminum.

For luxury, high-end brands, a soft-touch finish serves to emphasize their premium appeal. For other companies, soft touch makes the unboxing experience memorable, protects packaging against damage in high-traffic environments, and even helps increase sales.

But to complicate things, there are numerous ways to achieve a soft-touch effect, from lamination to coatings and even Cast and Cure™. Below is a summary of each of these processes.

Laminates

One of the most durable ways to achieve a soft-touch feel on a printed piece or packaging is to laminate board with a matte, biaxially oriented polypropylene (BoPP) film that offers a soft-touch surface during the finishing process.

Soft-touch laminates are commonly applied just after printing offset or digitally to add haptic (tactile) value. They also are compatible with other embellishment technologies, add scuff resistance and rigidity to a package’s structure, and will not impede a package from being diecut, stamped, spot-varnished or overprinted.

However, there are a few challenges to consider. Since soft-touch laminates will cause a slight shift in color, they tend to make printed inks appear more muted. Moreover, the plasticized film can make packaging more difficult to recycle, albeit modern recycling facilities, especially those in metropolitan areas, can accept laminated paper and board into their processing streams.

In terms of cost, soft-touch laminates tend to be a bit pricy. This is sometimes offset, however, by less expensive operational costs.

Coatings

Set off a circular pattern in by a high-gloss UV varnish, the soft-touch Cast-and-Cure application on this promotional shampoo bottle is elegant yet masculine. The coating’s tactile nature also makes the surface easier to handle in a bath’s wet, soapy environment. Photo provided by Huzzah Marketing.

The most common way to apply soft touch is via a specialty coating. Since soft-touch coatings do not require an extra press pass and often can be applied inline on press, it’s usually more cost-effective than a laminate. And provided that the coating is water-based or UV-cured, it will not affect the recyclability of the underlying substrate. Nor will it mute the color of any printed inks.

Moreover, since soft-touch coatings do not appreciably add to the overall structure thickness, it can accept folding, scoring, diecutting, embossing, overprinting and stamping. And by using different anilox rollers or a screen mesh, coatings can be applied heavily or lightly, depending on the amount of soft touch desired.

However, since coatings are difficult to deliver via inkjet, they are best applied via screen printing or flexography.

Cast and Cure

Unlike most soft-touch coatings, Cast and Cure™ (Breit-Tech.com) can be applied inline and is a standard feature on many digital, flexo and offset presses. This, combined with the fact that the Cast-and-Cure film can be reused up to a dozen times, makes this application one of the least expensive and most sustainable soft-touch options in the marketplace.

With the Cast-and-Cure process, a UV varnish is applied, after which a special film is “cast,” or overlaid, embedding a special matte effect into the varnish. The varnish is then UV-cured and the used film rolled onto a new core, so it can be reused. Finally, a specially formulated soft-touch ink is applied to the UV-cured varnish.

Since the process is essentially a simple application of a UV varnish and overprinted ink, this finish can be applied to just about any substrate, from paperboard, flexible cartons, plastics, labels and aluminum. And like coatings, Cast-and-Cure soft touch can be applied heavily or lightly, depending on how much of a soft-touch feel is desired.

Since varnish and ink is recyclable, the Cast-and-Cure soft touch application will not affect the recyclability or compostability of a substrate. Nor will it impede any specialty effects, such as embossing/debossing, folding/creasing or spot varnishing.

Author’s note: My grateful appreciation to Kevin Camblin of UV Specialties (uvspecialties.com); Laura Blake of Nobelus (nobelus.com); and Dan Plash of Breit Technologies (breit-tech.com) for generously providing input in their areas of expertise.

An appreciator of packaging that utilizes colorful special effects, Kim Guarnaccia provides copywriting, design and marketing to the print, packaging and paper multiverse. For more info, visit www.HuzzahLLC.com or email [email protected].

Cast and Cure Finds Niche for Many Applications

March 22, 2022

Although film casting, known as Cast and Cure™, is not a new print technology, many industry veterans still misunderstand how the process actually works. PostPress sat down with Tim Cain, president of Breit Technologies, to discuss Cast and Cure, the best applications, and the advantages and disadvantages of the process.

Cast and Cure has been available for a while now, but how does the process work?

Cast and Cure is a process in which users can create a decorative, clear holographic pattern on all types of printed substrates. First, a UV coating is applied to the substrate (labels, paper, paperboard or flexible plastic). Then the casting film is nipped in contact with the wet varnish. UV light passes through the casting film and cures the varnish while the film holds the varnish in the desired shape, much like a mold. The film then is delaminated and separated from the printed web or sheet and is carefully re-wound so it can be used again. The Cast and Cure process leaves behind a beautifully micro-embossed shape in the coating’s surface that can be holographic, matte or a texture.

What are some of the most popular applications for Cast and Cure?

Cast and Cure is used in everything from liquor and beverage labels, printed collateral and direct mail to magazine and book covers, and even food and pharmaceutical cartons. Brand owners find the clear holographic patterns are an excellent way to grab the consumer’s attention when they are applied to a carton or label. Since Cast and Cure is clear and transparent, the printed graphics and text are not affected and remain readable by the consumer.

What is the best way to design for Cast and Cure?

Designing for holography in general can be tricky. For instance, when a holographic metalized PET (H-MPET) substrate is used for a carton or label, it most commonly requires designing multiple opaque ink layers to mask those areas where the holography should not bleed through. Since Cast and Cure is applied over the UV varnish, masking specific areas is not needed. Rather, the designer can create a spot varnish layer on the artwork where it should be applied.

Although bold, solid-colored backgrounds showcase Cast and Cure holographic effects the best, the process also can be used to create the illusion of movement over photographs and more busy backgrounds. Ultimately, however, there is no wrong way to use Cast and Cure holography or textured effects.

For most applications, Cast and Cure works best with a full coverage of the clear pattern over the printed image. It can be used in specific areas of a design, but full coverage provides the most impact and attention. In those cases, the designer needs to create a separate layer of solid black where the UV coating and casting film should be applied.

What are some of the benefits of Cast and Cure?

As discussed earlier, the Cast and Cure micro-embossed film works as a type of mold for the cured UV coating; as such, the film is not actually applied to the substrate, so it can be reused up to a dozen times (and sometimes even more). This provides a significant cost savings in terms of the amount of film needed for any given job. There is less spent on shipping fees, warehousing and waste disposal compared to other decorating methods, such as hot and cold foil. Moreover, since the film can be reused over and over, it is more sustainable than other processes.

What are the disadvantages?

Since Cast and Cure is applied to the surface of a UV coating, it reduces the effectiveness of any desired security features. Traditional security holograms are embedded sub-surface to make them difficult to copy, so Cast and Cure usually is not used solely for security.

There also are limitations to the type of substrates it can be applied to. Since it’s applied to a coating of UV ink, a coated, smooth stock works best. An uncoated or textured stock will absorb the coating and not allow the process to work as well.

What are some of the on-press challenges with Cast and Cure, and how can they be overcome?

The most common on-press challenge is poor tension control when winding the film back onto its roll. Once a wrinkle is introduced to the roll, it’s almost impossible to eliminate. Fortunately, if press operators follows proper tension guidelines, they will be able to start and splice the film without wrinkles, ensuring that the film can be reused over and over again.

Applying the UV coating correctly before the casting film is introduced also is essential for the successful application of Cast and Cure.

Are there any new applications for Cast & Cure?

Recently, the shrink sleeve and gift-wrap markets have started to embrace Cast and Cure, which is truly exciting. Brand owners with long-run jobs also are starting to use the technique, as the process can be applied now at close to 1,000 feet per minute.

We also are working to combine Cast and Cure with a monochrome inkjet system so a variable varnish application can be applied (such as unique security features, names, etc.) to individual printed pieces.

Tim Cain is the president of Breit Technologies, LLC, the global provider of Cast and Cure™, a low-cost, sustainable decorating printing process for paper, paperboard, pressure-sensitive labels, films and plastics, metal and shrink wrap. Breit also provides inline and offline equipment solutions, as well as stock and custom casting films. For more information, visit www.breit-tech.com.

Embellishing with EB

December 9, 2021

By Sage M. Schissel, Ph.D., PCT Ebeam and Integration, LLC

From glitz and glam to texture and realism, embellishment can provide an added layer of pizzaz to any package. When competition for the consumer’s attention has never been so fierce, embellishment can be the differentiator that makes a package fly off the shelf – figuratively speaking, that is. Embellishment has not quite yet risen to the level of magic, though what some producers have created is nothing short of remarkable!¹ Whether it be Cast and Cure™, cold foil transfer or spot embellishments, often these techniques are achieved with UV, but did you know that they also can be accomplished with electron beam (EB)?

A popular embellishment, Cast and Cure™, uses a specialty film to emboss a pattern into an overprint varnish (OPV).² The film is temporarily laminated to the OPV while still wet, allowing the surface of the OPV to conform to the features of the film. Then, the OPV is polymerized with EB, freezing the pattern into the coating. Finally, the film is removed and rewound separately for future use. Using Cast and Cure™ in combination with EB brings a holographic ‘wow’ to photoinitiator-free, indirect-food-contact-safe, EB-curable OPVs. According to Tim Cain, president of Breit Technologies LLC, “We think there are significant opportunities to expand Cast and Cure™ within the EB market. We have had success with the food markets, and this is an area that could see a great deal of expansion.”

Need a metallic finish? Cold foil transfer is the process of transferring a metallic foil from a carrier web to the packaging substrate.³ A laminating adhesive is applied to the substrate and the foil nipped to the adhesive. The system is exposed to the beam, polymerizing the adhesive and adhering the foil, and finally, the carrier web (with any remaining foil) is removed and rewound separately. Since EB has no trouble penetrating through the opaque foil, the adhesive does not need to be activated prior to being nipped to the foil. The location of both Cast and Cure™ and cold foil transfer embellishments can be controlled by selective placement of the OPV or laminating adhesive, respectively.

The equipment requirements for both types of embellishment are identical. Both require a secondary unwind and rewind for the addition and removal of the embossing film or foil carrier web. Moreover, a laminating nip is required before the beam entrance, and another adjustable web-guiding roll is needed after exiting the beam to ensure the proper release angle of the secondary web. Any ebeam line with these capabilities is, by default, also capable of laminating and curing coatings (or inks), and thus considered a 4-in-1 line. To accommodate the thickness of the secondary web, the maximum accelerating voltage of the EB is generally 150 kV.⁴ Since nitrogen inerting is only required for coatings, the beam also can be set up for both inerting and ozone exhaust.⁵

Want an embellishment that can be both visual and tactile? Spot embellishment might be the solution. This broad term encompasses multiple methods to achieve the selective placement of coating or ink. The embellishment can be applied with a patterned flexo plate, or digital inkjet heads can be used so that the embellishment can be changed frame by frame to match a digital print. Figure 1 shows an example of the latter method; indirect gravure was used to flood coat the HP Indigo-printed substrate with a matte OPV, then clear gloss inkjet ink was patterned over top in a wet-on-wet process.

Figure 1. (A) Web path for wet-on-wet spot embellishment using an indirect gravure coater and digital inkjet. (B) Examples of EB-cured spot embellishment on HP Indigo-printed substrate (left/middle, natural light and right, blacklight). Samples were flood coated with Ashland matte and embellished with Kao Collins clear gloss inkjet ink.

The contrast of the gloss between the embellishment and the flood coat is visually appealing, but also it resulted in a tactile effect from the contrasting coefficients of friction and the additional coat weight of the embellishment. Furthermore, the ink used in this example naturally fluoresces under blacklight, providing more creative opportunities. Voltage requirements vary depending on the thickness of the embellishment but most often fall between 100 and 125 kV for packaging applications.

When considering whether to use UV or EB for an embellishment application, it is helpful to review a few key aspects of the two technologies. Both UV and EB can be used to apply embellishments on a variety of substrates for a variety of different applications; however, the fact that EB doesn’t need an initiator gives the technology an advantage when used in sensitive applications, such as pharmaceutical or food packaging. No photoinitiator in the formulation eliminates any worry of photoinitiator-fragment migration.

Elizabeth Leeper, technical developer at Daybreak Technologies, said, “The photoinitiator (PI) package has to be carefully curated around the application. Different PIs absorb light at different wavelengths, and certain films, like those used for cold foil, can block portions of the UV spectrum. Also, by weight, PIs typically are the costliest component of any UV or UV-LED formulation.”

Another difference between EB and UV is the mechanism that governs depth of cure.⁴“In UV, the bulb’s spectral output coupled with the PI’s screening of the light makes for cure gradients. This can result in poor adhesion properties,” according to Leeper. Attention must be given to UV lamps as the bulbs decay over time and reflectors become dirty, since these factors influence the spectral output.

In contrast, the filaments that produce the electrons for EB equipment either function or don’t; there is no degradation in the interim. Electrons also are not influenced by optical clarity; rather, the depth of cure is determined by material density of the coating/film and the accelerating voltage (kV) of the machine. Monte Carlo simulations can be used to determine a voltage that avoids cure gradients. Additionally, working with color-blind electrons means more flexibility when it comes to embellishing with richly pigmented and/or metallic inks and coatings.

An area where UV technology excels in comparison to EB is cost. Historically, UV has been much less expensive than EB, providing new adopters a low barrier into the market, and, over time, establishing a broader base of users. Today, EB only makes up a small fraction of the radiation curing market. However, progress has been made in the last 15 years by efficiently scaling EB to the application. With the availability of units specifically designed with maximum voltages of 100 to 150 kV, there’s significant cost savings (and reduction in footprint) in comparison to the original low-energy electron beams, which can handle accelerating voltages up to 300 kV. Furthermore, as demand increases for faster line speeds and wider webs, the cost differences between UV and EB diminish. Where UV generally requires additional lamps as line speed increases, a single EB can accommodate line speeds up to 1,300 ft/min (400 m/min).

In summary, consider the advantages of EB the next time a package calls for embellishment! Whether it’s Cast and Cure™, cold foil transfer, spot embellishment or maybe even a new embellishment technique, EB can help push the bounds of possibility.

References:

2021. FSEA Gold Leaf Awards Celebrate UV Curing. UV+EB Tech. (3).
DeDonder, M., 2015. Cast and Cure: A Game-Changing Decorative Application Process. UV+EB Tech. (3).
Embellishments: foil stamping process. https://www.labelsandlabeling.com/label-academy/article/embellishments-foil-stamping-processes
Schissel, S., 2021. EB Operation 101. UV+EB Tech. (1).
Schissel, S., 2021. Comparing EB and UV: Common Questions. UV+EB Tech. (2).