Compliant with indirect food contact regulations thanks to exceptional curing under both UV-LED and mercury UV systems, this flexo ink series enables a phased transition to UV-LED technology. This, in turn, brings improvements in productivity, cost savings and sustainability without disruption, remarks Catharina Aaroe, product and continuous improvement manager for the narrow web market.
EkoCure ANCORA Dual Cure assures thorough ink anchorage and identical colour quality results under both LED and mercury lamps, as well as low migration results on both unsupported film and label substrates. These properties have led to its compliance with the Nestlé guidance note on packaging inks (2018), current good manufacturing practice (GMP), the Swiss Ordinance on Materials and Articles (SR 817.023.21) and the EuPIA Exclusion policy, The Plastic Regulation (EU) No 10/2011.
The compatibility of EkoCure ANCORA Dual Cure with both UV technologies enables converters to make a gradual switch to LED, for example by upgrading the press one curing lamp at a time, lowering the financial risk and limiting downtime for refurbishment.
According to the Flint Group, switching to UV-LED curing with EkoCure ANCORA Dual Cure inks brings improvements in both sustainability and efficiency. ‘It reduces energy costs by at least 50% compared with using mercury lamps on press. Also, the elimination of mercury and ozone and the reduction of ambient noise means safer working conditions as well as a smaller environmental footprint,’ Catharina notes.
UV-LED curing offers increased production time as lamps require no warming or cooling before and after operation. Speed increases of up to 25% are possible, thanks to faster curing times.
‘Additionally, for brand owners, the assurance of an effective migration barrier, made possible by the ink in combination with the substrate, may facilitate the move to lighter, easier-to-handle packaging. For example, a change from glass to film, such as pouches or blister packs, may deliver significant supply chain savings,’ she states.
‘There is no doubt that switching from mercury to UV-LED curing yields cost and production benefits throughout the production process,’ says Catharina. ‘The addition of EkoCure ANCORA Dual Cure inks makes these benefits accessible to food-contact and pharmaceutical value chains, combined with the assurance of compliance to the highest safety standards.’
EkoCure ANCORA Dual Cure inks are formulated at the same strength as their pure mercury-curable counterparts, making colour matching simple when switching to the new ink. Furthermore, according to the Flint Group, it is possible to run the Dual Cure inks inline with existing pure mercury-curable inks in different positions on the press for the same job without compromising quality. This reduces inventory waste when switching to the new ink, as existing stocks can continue to be used in the normal way until they are ready to be replaced with the Dual Cure inks.
Catharina points out that the series comprises an extensive offering of flexo shades, metallics and coatings. These include yellow, transparent yellow, orange, red, violet, blue and an opaque white screen ink, gold and silver, as well as gloss and matte varnishes that provide resistance against yellowing.
Flint Group’s Dual Cure ink series is available for almost all narrow-web applications. Others include EkoCure F for printing on almost all film and paper labelstocks as well as cartons and tags, and EkoCure XS for shrink sleeve labels.
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