UV Ink Safety

[jnataros]

Hey guys,

Been working with our new UV flatbed (WP Digital Virtu RS 25) for a couple of months now and I looked at one of the ink cases and it reads "May cause birth defects or Reproductive system damage"

How safe is UV ink? We were educated that it was virtually harmless unless ingested or coming in contact with it uncured. Are the fumes on UV Inks themselves hazardous? We use Triangle P2V ink here.... I don't think I would have done any damage to my body after dealing with the printer for about 70 days so far; but I would like to know if I'm setting myself up for future medical issues breathing UV Printer fumes all day....

Thanks,
Josh

 

[rjssigns]

Request the MSDS for the ink then see what the recommendations are regarding PPE.(Personal Protective Equipment) That will tell you a lot.

Fume related, but not with UV. I have been wondering how green the HP latex printer is. The latex ink may be inert, but what about out-gassing when you heat vinyl to 200+ degrees? Nobody has an answer or are unwilling to talk about it.

 

[10sacer]

UV ink is not harmless. The inherent misting that occurs to keep printheads clear can vaporize in the air system and has cuased skin reactions in some people. Every now and again when we have been printing heaviuly, I get an eye irritation from all the mist floating around and we even have an Island Air scrubber recirculating and "cleansing" the air. Obviously wear gloves and goggles when adding ink to your reservoir tanks. Curing UV ink causes an ozone reaction that will dissipate at about 20 feet - but it ain't great to breathe that crap over a LONG TERM.

Machines with specifically designed hoods and ventilation systems are the best at minimizing the mist and vapors. All these units that have exposed heads and lamps - you have to be more careful and diligent. Obviously - don't even tink of looking at the lamps for more than a second while they are on. Its not fun dealing with scabs on your corneas.

Way back when - we had a safety and awareness document we had at DuPont. i'll see if I can find it and post it or you can just Google "UV ink safety" and you will get several good documents. Doesn't matter if the main doc is about flexo or screenprinting, the message is the same for all UV methods.