Xeikon says its new ICE toner, developed for use with its digital label presses, will open up "a whole range of new applications" for packaging involving heat-sensitive substrates such as polyethylene and thermal labels.
Part of the Xeikon Label Suite, ICE toner will run on all new and installed Xeikon 3000 Series digital presses, and has already undergone extensive tests in the field with a number of existing customers. The toner is based on Xeikon's "proven" QA technology, said to bring "top printing quality, high lightfastness, top opaque white quality and the ability to print on conventional substrates without the need of specific priming".
Lode Deprez, Xeikon vice president consumables & process group, says that up to now, dry toner technology was not expected to be able to work in labelling applications such as those used for squeezable plastics tubes and bottles, or bags that need to be pressed.
"Following requests from our user base, we pushed back the boundaries in toner development and digital label printing. ICE toner is undoubtedly again a real breakthrough in dry toner technology," he states.
The new ICE toner will be demonstrated at Labelexpo Europe in Brussels, 24-27 September 2013, and will be available for customers in Q4 2013.