Direct Food Contact Inks & Coatings

 

 

 

DFC (Direct Food Contact) inks and coatings from Spring are non-toxic and developed for applications where direct food contact is inevitable or where there are significant risks of migration.
Available as either solvent-based or water-based systems, DFC direct food contact inks and coatings help ensure that your food packaging complies with all health and safety regulations. DFC inks also have numerous applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

The European Union has enacted the Directive EU 2019/904, known as the Single Use Plastics Directive.  Spring has developed a fully SUP-compliant coating that can be used to replace plastics in single use articles.  The coating is fully natural and compostable.

DFC inks are formulated to function under a broad range of food contact and usage conditions. Both inks and coatings provide excellent adhesion to film and paper, scratch resistance, moisture and grease resistance as well as thermal stability. The inks can be used with dry as well as fatty and greasy foods.

DFC inks and coatings can help achieve substantial savings in packaging materials by reducing, or even, eliminating the need for barrier layers. Also,  DFC opens up new opportunities in package communications and design that benefit the environment, consumer health as well as the bottom line of brand owners.

DFC inks are available in a broad palette of colors including process colors. DFC colors are not based on traditional pigments and, for this reason, they differ in shades from Pantone standards and vary in terms of their physical properties. A formulation guide is available to facilitate the blending of special colors.

Recycled and compostable packaging is an essential part of the product life cycle. Spring has been at the forefront of launching environmentally responsible inks and coatings.

Since every DFC project is unique, Spring works with its customers to help them ensure that the overall package meets regulatory requirements. Spring also has a network of certified Migration Test centers that are familiar with the formulations for fast and less costly migration analyses.

Successful Printing with DFC Inks & Coatings:

1. Determine the Print Method, Substrate, Food Type and Usage Conditions;
2. Spring chemists will run a pre-screening to identify the most appropriate DFC ink product and, in some cases, expose lab prints to simulated usage conditions.
3. Validate ink and coating system with a live print run.
4. Submit Statement of Composition and run migration tests for overall package compliance.

Contact Spring Technical Support

Discover 3 of our ranges