Flint Group has announced the global launch of EkoCure Ancora, a narrow web UV LED curable low migration ink series suitable for food compliant labels and packaging applications.

EkoCure Ancora combines UV LED curing along with low migration food compliant chemistries. Together, the technologies enable food safe printing with high reliability and productivity due to stable curing at high press speeds and optimized UV LED ink chemistry.

As highlighted by Guillaume Clement, global vice president for Flint Group Narrow Web, “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, global marketing director for Flint Group Narrow Web states, “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,” adds Kolliopoulos. “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.”

Tom Hammer, North American product line director, Flint Group Narrow Web explains, “We at Flint Group were very pleased to partner with two press suppliers at Labelexpo Americas in Chicago as both Bobst and Mark Andy were running EkoCure Ancora live at the show. Bobst was showcasing the REVO process utilizing 7-color process with EkoCure Ancora. Mark Andy was demonstrating up to 1,000 fpm on their LED flexible packaging press, also showcasing extended color gamut printing with EkoCure Ancora.”

“LED printing will greatly change our industry forever; it is a paradigm shift,” says Greg Palm, executive vice president, business development at Mark Andy. “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 1,000 fpm with excellent cure performance using EkoCure Ancora low migration LED inks and Mark Andy ProLED at 20 W /cm2.  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.”

EkoCure Ancora delivers: Documented low migration properties achieved at very high print speeds (excess of 150 m/m or 500 fpm); suitable for stringent food label and packaging applications; and very good color strength and adhesion to a wide range of synthetic substrates.

EkoCure Ancora is available in the full range of Pantone basic colors, 4-color process set plus orange, green and violet for expanded gamut printing, opaque white as well as a range of coatings, adhesives and metallics.

EkoCure Ancora is part of the UV LED curable inks family, branded EkoCure.  EkoCure UV LED curing inks include flexographic inks, screen inks, and a wide range of metallics, coatings and adhesives.