Flint Group Narrow Web has confirmed the global availability of EkoCure Ancora, a UV LED curable low migration ink series suitable for food compliant labels and packaging applications.
EkoCure Ancora, as previously reported here, is available in the full range of Pantone basic colours, 4-colour process set plus orange, green and violet for expanded colour gamut printing and opaque white, as well as a range of coatings, adhesives and metallics. The new product is part of the UV LED curable inks family, branded EkoCure, which includes UV LED curable inks include for flexo and screen printing, and a wide range of metallics, coatings and adhesives.
EkoCure Ancora is reported to offer very good colour strength and adhesion to a wide range of synthetic substrates. It has documented low migration properties achieved at print speeds in excess of 500 f/min, meets specific migration levels below 10 ppb, 50 ppb or SML, and is compliant to Nestle Guidance Note, Swiss Ordinance and FDA regulations. It has been tested using the food simulants of 95 percent Ethanol, Tenax, and Acetic Acid at 40 degrees C for 10 days.
Flint Group Narrow Web explained that EkoCure Ancora combines UV LED curing along with low migration food compliant chemistries. Together, the technologies enable food safe printing with the highest reliability and productivity due to stable curing at high press speeds and optimised UV LED ink chemistry. Guillaume Clement, Global Vice President for Flint Group Narrow Web, commented: ‘Fitting with our commitment to support food compliant labels and packaging, it is with great excitement that we commercialize this new product line. ‘EkoCure Ancora expands our Ancora low migration portfolio and enables converters to grow their business with short run flexible food packaging.’ Kelly Kolliopoulos, Flint Group Narrow Web global Marketing Director, added: ‘The innovative journey in developing UV LED curing products that was started four years ago by Flint Group is culminating in a milestone development – low migration UV LED curable inks.
‘We believe strongly in low migration UV LED technology. The combination offers all the economic benefits of UV LED curing, including better press uptime and productivity and reduced energy consumption; along with the peace of mind converters are seeking for food compliant packaging due to the assuredness of cure. We have finalized investments in our GMP production capabilities in Sweden and the US, and are now globally commercializing the industry’s first ever low migration UV LED flexo inks. We also recently completed an intense period of beta tests with selected converters, lamp and press partners who collaborated with us on this ground breaking development.’
EkoCure Ancora was presented at Labelexpo Americas 2016, where it was running on Bobst and Mark Andy presses running on the show floor. Bobst was showcasing the Revo process utilizing a 7-colour process with EkoCure Ancora. Mark Andy was demonstrating up to 1000f/min on its LED flexible packaging press also showcasing extended colour gamut printing with EkoCure Ancora.
Greg Palm, executive vice president for business development at Mark Andy, continued: ‘LED printing will greatly change our industry forever; it is a paradigm shift. With LED curing, converters no longer have to accept the unnecessary downtime associated with mercury lamp failures, inefficiencies, and hazards. We ran a narrow web flexible packaging job at 1000f/min with excellent cure performance using EkoCure Ancora low migration LED inks and Mark Andy ProLED at 20 W/sq cm.
‘The combination of LED low migration inks and highly efficient printing presses will become an unbeatable combination to address the increasing demand for shorter and shorter run lengths in the flexible packaging market.’
