From the perspective of human health, the footprint of a typical printing plant cannot create a good environment for people. In addition to the risks that can be avoided, such as crane overload and computer radiation, the air quality inside the factory and the atmospheric environment—the air that everyone has to breathe—is currently not classified as “avoidable riskâ€â€”it will also be subject to The influence of many factors, among which three main factors are: temperature, humidity, and airborne pollutants.
Prevent paper curling
Temperature and humidity are two closely related factors: every temperature rise by 1°C, humidity drops by 2%, and printers rarely control the air temperature in the workshop because it is always subject to printing presses and post-press processing. The impact of the equipment. Humidity is not enough - a problem that has plagued printing companies in the UK for many years - it can cause a very big problem on paper: curling. Barker explained: “When you open the paper package and store it in a dry environment, their moisture will evaporate. But because the edge of the paper is drying faster than in the middle, curling occurs, and This will now have a very serious impact on production. "Printers who have problems with paper curling either slow down the production speed of the press, or have to stop the machine frequently to solve the paper jam.
Static electricity is another major cause of insufficient humidity in printing plants. This phenomenon often occurs in sheet-fed printing and delivery devices. Although it is a common problem for printing plants, if the humidity of the air can reach more than 50%, then the moisture contained in it is sufficient to allow the charge to fall back to the ground, thus avoiding the occurrence of static electricity. Some printers are willing to use a paper stacker with a blower to eliminate static electricity, or install an antistatic strip on their presses and finishing equipment. But a good humidity control system can also play the same role, and it will not appear faults in the production chain. The humidifier mainly sprays the pressurized pure water through the nozzle and depends on its evaporation to reduce the ambient temperature.
The Clarkeprint printing plant in Birmingham installed its first moisture control system three years ago. Their main purpose was to solve the problem of paper curling. The company's manager, Paul Clarke, said that they had taken over a lot of printed stationery and they would like to assure the customers that they can all successfully pass their laser printers, but the problem of paper curling is seriously plaguing them. In the end, it was the humidity control system that helped Clarkeprint solve this problem, and got them praised by customers.
In addition to humidity and temperature, the air in any printing plant contains above-average airborne pollutants. Common pollutants are mainly divided into two types: gases (such as VOCs and other solvents) and particulates (such as dust and antistatic dusting).
Solvent control
Typical hazardous gases in printing plants are VOCs (volatile organic compounds) emitted by inks and fountain solutions. Solvents can irritate the skin, eyes and lungs and cause headaches, nausea and dizziness. For large format digital printers using solvent printers, the VOC content in air may be higher. Although most digital printers have the ability to reduce or eliminate harmful gases, printers that do not have a comprehensive exhaust gas removal system still need to use third-party products to absorb VOCs in the air. PAT Technology’s CaptivAir is one such product: it absorbs harmful gases from the printing plant, purifies them, and then sends clean air back to the workshop. PAT has also developed a series of air quality processing systems that can eliminate dust and impurities while maintaining the ideal humidity of prepress equipment—especially CTP systems and digital inkjet printers.
Elimination of alcohol is also conducive to the improvement of air quality in printing plants. When waterless printing technology was first introduced in the 1990s, many printing companies in the UK are very willing to try this technology, but unfortunately, most people think it is difficult to produce a stable quality product. Subsequently, Beacon Company discovered an alcohol elimination system called Optimizer, which was jointly developed by German process control equipment giant Eurografica and Manroland. Using Optimizer technology allows Beacon to eliminate isopropyl alcohol and additives from the fountain solution, and this device can also help the company save costs associated with the purchase and processing of isopropyl alcohol. Richard Owers, Beacon’s sales manager, said that “it will not only reduce the factory's emissions, but also create a safer and more comfortable work environment for our employees.â€
keep improve
The improvement in air quality is not as simple as buying a new one. Greenhouse Graphics, based in Basingstoke, is very focused on reducing the use of isopropanol in the production process. The company's manager, Timi van Houten, explained that the company's sustainable printing policy will not only help them save a lot of money, but also provide employees with a better working environment. "Everyone can benefit from it, and it doesn't require much capital investment. It only takes people a certain amount of time."
The biggest environmental challenges that print shops currently face are airborne particulates—paper powder from printers and binders, and human-generated dust. Excessive use of antistatic powder can also cause dust contamination. Excessive particulate matter in the air can cause print quality problems and can even have a detrimental effect on employees' work environment.
Ventilation filters (so-called air purifiers) remove particulate matter from the air in the factory. Their size is relatively arbitrary, they can discharge all the air in the factory through a pipeline to a central filter, and then let the filter release the clean air to the factory. However, some environmental experts believe that air purifiers can also cause environmental pollution, because some large particles are still allowed to circulate in the factory before being sucked out of the air, which means that the operator of the equipment may inhale the particles, or Ventilate pollutants into wider areas when opening windows and opening doors.
In addition, the filter device can also remove those invisible air pollutants - including: pollen, fiber, bacteria and smoke. Filters used in all filtration systems are consumables, so regular cleaning is required to ensure unobstructed ventilation - and those printers that install these systems also have to pay for filter replacement and system maintenance. cost.
Although improving the environment can bring many business benefits to the company, it also requires people to pay a certain price. Take employees for example, employers are responsible for providing employees with a high quality atmosphere. At present, there are two laws and regulations that clearly define this point. The Workplace Health and Safety Act of 1974, which was supplemented by the Health, Safety, and Welfare Regulations promulgated in 1974, stipulates that employers are responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy air quality, which was promulgated in 1994. The Hazardous Substances Control Act requires industrial employers, including printers, to carry out risk assessments to ensure that indoor air quality meets standards. If employers cannot strictly abide by these laws and regulations, they will be punished by the law; if employees feel that the air quality in the workshop is not up to the standard, they have the right to sue the employers and ask them to carry out rectification.