Flint Group brings VarioLam AB LEC to the EMEA market

Available across the EMEA region, this single ink system is free of a cross linker, nitrocellulose (NC), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC binder). It enables the printing of high definition graphics that can withstand the moisture, heat and pressure of the retort process which is used to ensure the extended shelf life and safety of filling goods. 

VarioLam AB LEC technology offers the following main characteristics:

•             Mono pigmented at maximum color strength, very clean shades for widest gamut;

•             Low odor and formulated using ingredients with high migration limits only, therefore specifically recommended for food and pet-food applications;

•             Free of migrateable substances and monomeric plasticizers (> 1.000D);

•             Retarder-based halftone version with low EtOH content (< 9 percent);

•             Excellent printability (finest halftone printing from 100-0 percent, and smooth/solid full tone;

•             Very good resolubility and ink transfer, low dot gain;

•             Extremely low solvent retention supporting production at high speed

Flint Group also noted that VarioLam AB LEC provides very high bond strengths on a wide range of film structures, and is ‘universal for every lamination structure imaginable’, so supporting  a lean production, continuous improvement process, as well as an enhanced overall equipment efficiency.

Careful raw material selection and superior lamination performance lead Flint Group to claim that this advanced ink technology meets all of today’s technical requirements and strict legal regulations as well as the upcoming challenges of the modern packaging industry.

Thomas Strohe, commercial product director for the EMEA region at Flint Group Flexible Packaging, explained: ‘PU-based inks have been used by Flint Group for many years, mainly for whites and in conjunction with NC- and PVC-based inks. This latest technology, however, is NC- and PVC-binder free and available as colored inks. This enables maximum flexibility for a wide range of end-use applications.’