Flint Group Narrow Web has received a 2017 FTA Technical Innovation Award for EkoCure ANCORA, a UV LED low migration ink.

“We are deeply honored to receive this prestigious award,” says Global Vice President Flint Group Narrow Web, Guillaume Clement. “This is a result of the innovative journey in developing UV LED curing products that we started five years ago.”

“EkoCure ANCORA is the newest innovation in our industry, combining groundbreaking technology of UV LED curing along with low migration food compliant chemistry,” adds Mike Buystedt, Vice President Narrow Web North America.

Kelly Kolliopoulos, Global Marketing Director Flint Group Narrow Web, comments, “We believe that low migration ink combined with UV LED flexographic printing technology is a revolution for the flexible food packaging industry. We know from several converters involved in our beta tests that Low Migration, UV LED technologies are a fundamental process to produce short run flexible food packaging cost effectively. The revolution means that printers are able to address brand owners’ growing demands for shorter and shorter runs with as quick as 24 hour turnaround.  This innovation from Flint Group opens up a new market for narrow web converters, with a very compelling business value proposition.”

Buystedt and Kolliopoulos accepted the award on behalf of Flint Group Narrow Web, when the company received the Flexographic Technical Association’s Technical Innovation Award in the category of Prepress-Graphics during the gala awards banquet at the FTA’s Annual Forum April 30 in Phoneix, Arizona.

The new low migration technology made available in EkoCure ANCORA delivers low migration properties, suitable for the most stringent food label and packaging applications, at very high print speeds, in excess of 150 m/min or 500 fpm.

An additional benefit is the ensured cure aspect over the lifetime of LED lamps.  Consistency and assuredness of cure, at the highest levels, provides peace of mind to converters and their customers. Buystedt elaborates on environmental and business aspects, saying, “UV LED technology offers lower energy consumption with greatly improved productivity. Providing overall energy savings. From a business standpoint, it is a well-documented fact that UV LED curing improves pressroom uptime and offers lower total applied cost in UV flexo printing.”

Flint Group’s EkoCure ANCORA is available globally in a full range of colors and a wide array of coatings.