BASF, the German chemical company, says with Irgacure 270, it has made a technological breakthrough in the development of cationic photoinitiators for packaging inks.

“For the first time, Irgacure 270 now makes it possible to combine fast UV curing with very low emissions. This new product is very versatile, and its applications include both UV-curable printing inks and clear overprint varnishes,” BASF said in a statement.

Photoinitiators are substances that form free radicals when they are exposed to UV light, and these radicals initiate polymerisation reactions. Irgacure 270 is a new high-molecular-weight sulfonium salt which fulfills 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. A complete registration package has been put together.

Irgacure 270 is mainly employed in UV-curable applications that demand low-emissions. These include clear overprint varnishes, flexographic inks, screen inks and inkjet inks for printing food packaging made from a variety of substrates such as paperboard, plastics and metal.

The product range of BASF’s Pigments & Resins business unit includes effect pigments, pigment preparations and dyes, light stabilisers, photoinitiators and additives as well as specific masterbatches in Europe. The products are manufactured and marketed worldwide.

BASF’s portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner,  BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility.