Flint Group has announced a new dual-cure UV LED ink system for shrink sleeves, which will arrive in Australia and New Zealand in a few months pending compliance information.
The EkoCure XS flexo ink series is suitable for high printing speeds, and will offer the full Pantone range plus opaque white. They can be fully cured by using either UV-LED or mercury lamps.
Kelly Kolliopoulos, global marketing director for Flint Group narrow web, said the ink uses the latest chemistry including new binders to ensure adhesion is 'fool-proof', especially after post-shrink processing. “We knew from interviews with clients specializing in the short run shrink sleeve market, that they want a UV dual-curable ink with better adhesion and increased curing speed to boost productivity and reduce yield losses.
"Our experience in LED and conventional mercury curable ink system technology, combined with our understanding of the shrink market, enabled our R&D team to develop this best-in-class system," she said.
The system has been launched globally, but there is as yet no set date for when it will become available in Australia and New Zealand. Nishan Gunasekara, narrow web business manager for Australia and New Zealand at Flint Group, says it should be here within the next few months. "We can’t confirm when it will be here until we’ve gone over compliance information, which we’re waiting to receive from Europe. I’d say it will be another couple of months," he told Print21.