Labelexpo Europe review : Ink and curing innovations

Inks 
Domino launched UV95, its new 7-color food packaging compliant UV digital ink set available for use within its N610i digital label press. UV95 is for use within non-direct food contact applications and has been formulated for many non-direct food packaging applications and, under the right conditions, is migration compliant. 

Flint Group introduced Dual-Cure capability to its UV LED ink and food packaging compliant portfolios. The Dual-Cure technology means that converters who have presses with both mercury and LED lamps need only one ink series for both kinds of cure.

GSB Wahl released a low migration UV series 172 MA waterless offset ink, which meets guidelines of Swiss Commodities Ordinance and the Nestlé list for waterless UV offset printing. A low-migration UV flexo white was also developed for the overall system. 

INX offered INXhrc, a flexo ink formulated to increase ink mileage with less resources and waste. They contain fewer chemicals compared to traditional inks, thereby reducing regulatory risk. The company also offered a range of products for conventional and digital printing, including inks for UV LED curing, EB inks for the Fujifilm Dimatix Samba print head and Uteco’s Gaia printer, as well as water-based inks.

Pulse Roll Label Products offered a new version of its PureTone UV flexo printing inks that were reformulated to comply with the latest EuPIA guidelines. The reformulated PureTone process inks and mono-pigmented mixing bases enable cleaner, brighter colors. Pulse also featured new PureBright Silver and Gold UV flexo metallics inks, a revamped range of PureWhite opaque white inks and new PureFinish UV flexo cold foil adhesive and UV flexo primers.

Siegwerk exhibited the new Sicura LithoNutriEco and Sicura Low Nrgy. The company also showed water- and solvent-based inks that are compostable, and the Sicura Litho NutriEco ink series, claimed to be the first low migration UV ink range for cosmetics and food applications. These inks are safe for recycling processes.

Sun Chemical introduced new ink for food compliant UV flexo products within its SolarVerse system, called SolarFlex Zero. It achieves low odor and migration characteristics in food compliant label and packaging applications. It also showcased its latest range of UV LED curing SolarWave flexo and SunWave offset inks. The fully EuPIA compliant SunWave Lumina offset inks are suitable for use on all sheet-fed UV LED press types, including those equipped with low energy mercury lamps.

The company launched its SolarVerse range of highly pigmented, low viscosity, multipurpose UV flexo base concentrates. 

Zeller+Gmelin presented its new Uvaflex Y80 ink series for UV flexo printing. Due to optimized flow behavior the inks spread evenly in both chambered and open systems and show no ink spitting even at high speeds, including at above 100m/min. 

Curing systems 
GEW launched its next generation LED system. The new LeoLED cassette is fully compatible with GEW’s ArcLED hybrid system. It delivers electrical power at 88W/cm and an intensity of 25W/ cm2, with minimal light loss due to the direct UV path. The new lamphead with water-cooling system allows the use of a conventional UV arc lamp or LED array on the same print unit. Both arc and LED cassettes are compatible with the same power supply and fit in the same housing. 

Integration Technology offered its Pincure Z semiconductor technology, an air-cooled UV LED pinning system. This is designed for high-speed pinning between printheads. Additionally, the company showed the air-cooled UV LED Z Series, which offers 6W/sqm MZ and is designed for inter-color curing or high-speed pinning and the C Series water-cooled UV LEDs. 

IST Metz unveiled its modular and compact LED system that can be adapted to offset and flexo printing and retrofitted to existing presses. The company supplies the LEDcure SCR as a package including cables, power supply, control and chiller, full light shielding, and interlocking installed by IST technicians.

Phoseon Technology introduced the FireJet FJ645 UV LED self-contained, air-cooled curing lamp for flexo applications. The FJ645 provides longer UV exposure time and greater dose, improving through-cure and adhesion of difficult to cure materials, especially over-print varnishes and dense blacks. 

ProPhotonix displayed its UV LED curing systems including the new Cobra Cure Mini. It is a compact UV LED curing lamp for high-speed single and multi-pass printers where installation space is restricted and weight is a concern. 

Uver showed a cartridge-based UV LED module which can swap out lamps for different wavelength combinations without removing the cooling hose.