Mara® Glow GW
Mara® Glow GW is a solvent-based phosphorescent ink for screen printing. It has two phosphorescent duration qualities, is low odor, and is matt. It is suitable for PVC, PS, paperboard, and cardboard.
Product families
- Screen Printing Inks
Other characteristics
- Brand
- Mara
- Features
- Low Odor, Matting, Outdoor Durability
- Compatible Substrates & Surfaces
Paper, Plastics, Polystyrene (PS), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
- Range
To protect the phosphorescent ink against fading, the entire surface must be over-varnished. Therefore, the varnish Libra Print LIP 910 can be used.
- Markets
- Industrial
- Printing & Packaging
- Shelf LIfe
Shelf life depends very much on the formula/ reactivity of the ink system as well as the storage temperature. It is 2 years for an unopened ink container if stored in a dark room at a temperature of 15-25°C. Under different conditions, particularly higher storage temperatures, the shelf life is reduced. In such cases, the warranty given by Marabu expires.
- Product Type
- 1K (1 component) Ink
- Gravure Ink
- Screen Printing Ink
- Solventborne Ink
- Technology
- Ready-to-Use Products
- Characteristic
The basis of the long-term phosphorescent ink is an extremely hard pigment with a very high specific gravity as well as the high pigment content. The ink, therefore, must regularly be stirred homogenously before printing and during production. The pigment content in the printed ink layer will otherwise be reduced and the phosphorescent duration required by DIN 67510 will not be met. Due to the hard pigment quality, the stencil abrasion during production is quite significant. We recommend that the emulsion is only applied to the print side of the screen, and a hard squeegee with rounded edges is used. The drying rate as well as the block resistance are dependant upon the chosen mesh count and the drying conditions. Processing GW 361 The ink containing the short-term phosphorrescent pigment quality, GW 361, can be processed with a mesh of up to 48-55, analogous to other screen printing inks. Processing GW 760 and GW 761 Both products require printing with a very coarse mesh (e.g. 27-120) due to the pigment size and the high ink film thickness necessary in order to comply with DIN 67510. This slows down the drying speed considerably and makes passing through the hot air channel and subsequent rack drying a necessity. To achieve quick solvent evaporation, we always recommend using a hot air tunnel dryer. Pad Printing suitability The color shade Mara® Glow GW 760 also features limited suitability for pad printing. We recommend using a thick steel plate (10 mm). Recommended etch depth: 25 - 30 µm. Phosphorescent pigments are very hard and therefore have a very strong abrasive effect on the cliché, doctor blade, and ink cup. Common photopolymer clichés do not resist this strong abrasion and become unusable after a few prints. Opacity To achieve a maximum phosphorescent effect, Mara® Glow GW should only be printed onto white substrates due to the low opacity of the ink. Light storage saturation All ink qualities produce a maximum storage with wave lenghts of 380-400 nm, present in both daylight and neon light. If only incandescent lighting is available, even prolonged charging will result in only a reduced phosphorescent effect. Phosphorescent duration The phosphorescent quality GW 361 produces, if fully charged and properly processed, a phosphorescent effect of approx. 30 minutes. The long-term phosphorescent qualities GW 760 and GW 761 achieve and exceed when properly processed, and provided that pigments are spread evenly, the values of DIN 67510 (20 mcd/m² after 10 min; 2.8 mcd/m² after 60 min; at least 0.3 mcd/m² after 340 min), so that it glows for several hours. Fade resistance All three phosphorescent inks are made without the use of phosphor, lead, and radioactive materials. We recommend a protective overcoat with a suitable varnish for long-term indoor and outdoor use and as an additional protection against humidity.
