In early 2009 Motion Company switched to a phthalate-free, eco friendly plastisol printing ink. To establish a true phthalate-free production environment cross contamination had to be avoided, therefore the existing ink inventory was be removed prior to bringing in the new phthalate-free ink inventory. The cost of replacing the existing ink inventory was well into the tens of thousands of dollars, but we consider it an investment for the future on many levels. Additionally, the process was very labor intensive. Here’s how we did it…
The first step was to remove our existing inks. Existing inventory was documented and packaged for safe removal prior to cleaning and before our new inventory arrived, this was done to avoid any possibility of cross contamination. Approximately 6,000 lbs. of ink was packaged for removal, that's 3 tons!
Every inch of our Ink Department was meticulously cleaned to avoid cross contamination.
It took an entire day for our team to thoroughly clean the Ink Department. We have heard many times throughout the years that our operation is the "cleanest in the industry", even so the work had to be done to avoid cross contamination.
Existing squeegee blades were removed, squeegee holders were thoroughly cleaned to avoid cross contamination.
New squeegee blades were installed to avoid cross contamination.
Emptied and clean shelving was now ready for new inventory.
New eco-friendly inks and additives were brought in subsequent to the removal of existing ink inventory. New inks were documented and inventoried.
Claira™ Matte Base is one of many bases we utilize from the Claira™ EB System. Different bases are used for different applications or to create unique effects, concentrated pigments are added to desired base for Pantone® color matching.
With the Claira™ system fully implemented, Motion Company is proud to say that we are now a Phthalate-Free printing facility in compliance with CPSA Standards. This is