alternative solvent instead of Ethyl Alcohol

[ED33]

Hi everybody;
One of the my friend asked me a question that , I would like to share with you to learn your ideas .
He is working printing industry and producing cigarattes packaging for Philip morris, BAT etc. They are using Ethyl alcohol and water mixing to dilute varnish which is applied top of the printed area. The operation is tifdruck process and machine is Lemanic.
Does anybody knows that, instead of Ethyl alcohol, What type of solvent can be used to dilete varnish.
There are some restrictions usage of Ethyl alcohol in industries process some Alternative solvent is required.
Thank you for your valuable suggestions.

 

[Eltron]

There are plenty of solvents that will do what you ask, but your friend will have to do a cost-benefit analysis for each one. Isopropanol, acetone, and methanol all come to mind. They will all have different issues with material compatibility, hazardous waste disposal, cost and storage. Plus he won't just be able to fill up his flask anymore to have a couple of nips when he goes out back for a smoke break...

Hope that helps.

 

[jmw]

I visited a certain tractor manufacturing plant some years ago where the project was to automate the windscreen wash botle filling.
The big question was whether to use ethyl or methyl alcohol solution.
The fire safety officer and the health and safety officer decided they could handle the fire hazards more easily than the health hazards associated with workers drinking the stuff.
They settled for ethyl alcohol in the mix.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[moltenmetal]

Don't worry- commercial ethyl alcohol is well and thoroughly "denatured"- it'll do you some serious harm if you drink it. Less harm than drinking straight methanol, but enough that I guarantee you don't want to risk it. If you want it without denaturant added to keep your workers "safe" if they drink it, you'll need to pay the beverage taxes on the material when you buy it. That'll change your mind in a hurry!