Xeikon has launched Titon technology, a new toner formulation that it said offers the benefits of UV inks without the drawbacks.

The Belgian manufacturer said Titon builds on the core value of its dry toner technology which, due to the absence of any liquid (mobile) components, “is the most food-safe technology in the digital landscape, even with only paper as the main functional barrier”.

As it is also completely odourless and tasteless, it will not affect the customer experience when the product is consumed, Xeikon added, meaning the toner can be used for a broad range of applications with indirect and direct food contact.

“The flexible packaging market is moving towards more sustainable paper-based solutions in response to strong consumer demand for plastic-free alternatives,” said Xeikon market intel and senior product manager Frank Jacobs.

“With the new Titon technology, Xeikon is offering a sustainable solution for an unexplored and wider variety of applications to fully support brand owners, designers and printers wishing to increase their use of paper-based packaging for food products.”

Xeikon said Titon also offers “excellent” resistance to scuffing and scratching, water, sunlight, high temperatures, and a large set of liquid chemicals, without any type of protective layers such as varnishing or lamination.

It can also withstand heat sealing temperatures of up to 220-260°C (428-500°F), which is crucial to maintaining the pack’s integrity and protecting the product.

Titon can be used to print many types of flexible packaging for food products; including for papers that are coated on one side for bags, pouches, and sachets, or on both sides for wrappers such as baked goods, confectionery, sugar, flour, herbs and spices, and coffee and tea.

“With the migration towards paper-based packaging printing, the demand on the print technology has become more stringent in terms of being food safe without a plastic functional barrier or plastic lamination to protect the print itself,” said Jacobs.

Titon can also print directly on paper substrates without varnishing or lamination, either inline or offline.

Unveiling the new technology during a webinar yesterday afternoon (30 March), Xeikon vice-president of marketing Filip Weymans said: “With this solution people will be able to address the short to medium run length, specifically in paper-based flexo packaging. Think about pouches, potentially also blister packs, paper baking cups, or paper cups where you don’t have to apply any protective varnish.

“That is already a unique benefit that Xeikon is providing, giving you the capability to step into that field, but on top of that it will also improve in existing markets the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) by avoiding the need for that varnish or lamination which is creating a downtime and a setup time, and also by avoiding, by liquid toner for example, the cumbersome priming processes.”

The first digital press model to run Titon technology will be the Xeikon CX500t, a new 508mm-wide member of the Cheetah series.