In response to the increasing need for improved sustainable print solutions, Flint Group Narrow Web is introducing a series of ink technologies for UV LED curing under the EkoCure brand. These inks will be the first commercially available inks designed for combination print formulated specifically for UV LED curing.
Available in both UV flexo and UV rotary screen, the ink is developed using specially selected photoinitiators that match the narrow and targeted wavelength area that is typical for UV LED lamp output. It was tested using Phoseon Technology’s FirePower curing system on a Mark Andy 4150 press at the Flint Center for Technical Excellence in Plymouth, Minnesota.
Niklas Olsson, global brand manager, said, ‘The UV flexo ink series we have developed is based on bio-renewable resin technology as an added effort to address sustainability. Bio-renewable resins for UV products are a new development that will increase in use in the future; by combining this aspect with lower energy consuming UV LED lamps, it was a natural fit to brand this technology as EkoCure.’
He continued, ‘With this launch, we are following our historical track record of many innovations in being first in the market. We have taken this initiative and believe that UV LED printing is the future technology as it offers so many positive attributes.’
UV LED curing offers both economic and environmental benefits in the form of energy savings, reducing manufacturing space needed and low maintenance.
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