Sun Chemical unveils new product ranges at Labelexpo Europe

Five zones on the stand include: Core Product Offerings, Digital, Functional and Effects, Brand Protection and Color Management.

Sun Chemical has developed the Brighter Ideas for Labels Guide that can be collected from its stand or downloaded here. 

Sun Chemical’s Labelexpo highlights include the launch of SolarFlex LED, its new range of UV LED flexo inks for surface printing on flexible films and labels for migration-compliant food packaging.

Visitors can also see the new UV flexo technology platform for food and non-food applications, a smartphone authentication system in partnership with Document Security Systems, Sun Chemical’s color management toolkit, SunColorBox, and its range of SunInspire special effect inks.

Product offerings for narrow web labels and flexible packaging

Sun Chemical is introducing SolarFlex LED, a range of migration-compliant, UV flexo 4-color process inks, which thanks to its patented M-Cure photoinitiators allow for rapid curing, ensuring full cure at high press speeds. The range is fully compliant with regulations for food, pharmaceutical, tobacco and cosmetics packaging (see separate release for more information).

Visitors can also see the launch of Sun Chemical’s UV flexo technology platform for food and non-food applications. Complementing this will be the further extension to its UV flexo white range with the addition of a new upgraded sleeve white for high performance sleeve production.

Flexible packaging is a strong growth area in narrow web and, as part of its offering in this area Sun Chemical is showing its new coated films in partnership with acpo, a premier coater of flexible films, which use SunBar Aerobloc oxygen barrier coatings.

For the broader packaging market an upgraded migration-compliant portfolio is available, including new EB curing inks for flexible packaging and lamination as well as a new compliant UV coatings range.

Also on the stand is Sun Chemical’s laser-marking coating SunLase that enables the addition of information to both secondary and primary packaging for practical supply chain purposes or as a late-stage pack differentiator.

Digital

In this zone, SunJet, the global inkjet team of Sun Chemical, is highlighting the capabilities of its joint development projects with OEM partners, system integrators and printhead manufacturers through the presentation of its latest breakthrough ink chemistries and digital technologies for a broad range of substrates. SunJet is also presenting its range of migration-compliant inkjet products for printing onto the non-contact side of primary and secondary food packaging applications.

Also showcased in the digital area is Aquacure, SunJet’s functional aqueous inkjet ink.

Sun Chemical’s digital team is also demonstrating its range of digital coatings, SunEvo, in partnership with HP Indigo.

Brand protection

The main focus in the brand protection area is a smartphone authentication system that incorporates the AuthentiGuard smartphone validation application from anti-counterfeit technology specialists, DSS (Document Security Systems).

Also on display is SunTag, an integrated sensor-taggant system for cartridges and refills, which provides interactive, point-of-use authentication and identification and helps protect product quality and safety.

Sun Chemical is also showing its range of overt, covert and semi-covert brand protection products, including UV responsive and infrared inks and taggants integrated within spot colors or varnishes, hidden images embedded into existing packaging designs and smartphone authentication.

Color management

Sun Chemical is showcasing SunColorBox, a ‘toolkit’ that comprises a comprehensive set of applications and services aimed at supporting converters to produce consistent brand colors, anywhere in the world, within a fully optimized digital process.

Tools in SunColorBox include: 

·       MyColorCloud, by Sun Chemical, a cloud-based system to manage converters’ private databases of bespoke spot colors and make them available digitally throughout the supply chain and production cycle

·       SunConsulting, the first stage of Sun Chemical’s process involving onsite audits and consultations resulting in a proposed digital color workflow implementation plan

·       SunCMYK and SunECG for the color management of process printing

·       SunDigiGuide, a color standards book

·       SunMatch, for full digital color communication between ink supply and customer networks

·       SunDigiProof, which produces quick onsite, on-demand color accurate proofs

·       SunColorQC, which enables measurement controls to be put in place to monitor production

·       PantoneLive, which underpins the color offering, together with color management hardware and software from X-Rite Pantone

Sun Chemical has strengthened its collaboration with Esko in the field of expanded color gamut printing. Visitors to Labelexpo can see how SunECG, which includes Esko’s Equinox system, enables customers to set up a process for efficient printing with more press uptime and accurate and repeatable color.

Functional and effects

In the functional and effects area, Sun Chemical is presenting its range of SunInspire speciality inks and coatings for label applications.