About Our Client

Customer is a well-established label stock manufacturer in Russia, supplying high-quality materials for demanding printing applications.

Client’s Pain Points

For many years, being dependent on importing European high-solid primers, believing higher solid content is essential for strong adhesion and good printability. Gradually, rising material costs and day-to-day production issues with high-solid primers began to affect efficiency, consistency, and overall cost.

• Difficult Application on the Shop Floor: - High-solid primers had high viscosity, making them harder to apply consistently.
  • Required higher spray pressure and larger nozzles
  • Demanded tighter control of application parameters
  • Small variations often caused orange peel, poor leveling, or sagging
  This increased the risk of quality defects, especially during long production runs.
• Inconsistent Surface for Printing: - Although adhesion was acceptable, surface quality was not always uniform: Defects became visible after printing and More rework was needed to meet customer quality standards.
• Higher Real Cost Than Expected: - Even though high-solid primers were positioned as “premium”:
  • Material losses during spraying were high
  • Rejection rates increased when parameters drifted
  • Storage issues like settling required frequent agitation
  The actual cost per usable, defect-free roll was higher than anticipated.

Our Solution

Optima Coating recommended a 22% solid-content primer, designed to deliver performance through application efficiency, not just high solids.

Easy and Reliable Application - Lower viscosity allowed smooth application with existing equipment and better atomization and wetting ensured uniform coverage.

Cleaner, More Consistent Surface - Excellent levelling produced a smooth, defect-free film. Uniform coating thickness improved print consistency. Reduced issues such as pinholes, runs, and surface texture faster throughput and lower operating cost.

• Faster flash-off and drying
• Higher line speed
• Less rework and fewer rejected rolls

Most importantly, the total cost per finished product decreased, despite the lower solid content.

Client’s Benefits

• 20–30% reduction in coating-related defects
• Noticeably improved print surface quality
• Higher and more stable production speed
• Reduced material waste and rework
• Lower overall coating cost per roll