Xeikon | 49Mighty TitonAt its latest Print Café event, Xeikon unveiled a new press and Titon toner system optimized for printing on paper-based fexible packaging. Andy Thomas-Emans reportseikon has revealed details of its Titon toner technology program, complete with a new press, the CX500t, and the frst beta installation at fexible packaging specialist ACM Xin Italy. First previewed at Labelexpo Americas 2022, Titon is a new class of dry toner technology. It is resistant to heat, chemicals and mechanical (scratch/scuff) resistance without the need for additional varnishes or lamination, while remaining food compliant and odorless. ‘This all leads to higher [overall equipment effciency] and less waste compared to a standard print and varnish/laminate workfow,’ says Frank Jacobs, senior product manager at Xeikon.The key to Xeikon’s Titon technology is a high molecular weight resin and a very low concentration of a solid initiator system used to make the dry toner, and an extra inline LED-UV curing stage Xeikon CX500t Titon pressafter the toner has been fused to the substrate. The LED-UV radiation cross-links the polyester-based toner particles to form the “We see brands are looking to fnal, extremely tough Titon toner layer. Because of the additional heat generated by the curing process there is a cooling roller on the shift from flmic stand-up pouches LED-UV curing station.‘This is the best of both worlds, combining our toner and LED-UV to paper pouches for reasons of inkjet technologies,’ says Jacobs. In order for the cross-linking process between polymer chains to sustainability and to reduce the work, the fused toners must remain at a high enough temperature to make the crosslinking happen. This is why the LED-UV curing use of non-recyclable multi-layer stage has to be in-line on the new CX500t press – and why the curing station cannot be supplied as a retrofttable bolt-on unit. plastic materials”Xeikon sees paper-based fexible packaging – typically stand-up pouches and sachets - as the key opportunity for the Titon previous dry toner systems would simply have melted during the toner system. heat-sealing process. ‘We see brands are looking to shift from flmic stand-up pouches These pre-Titon toners were also vulnerable to chemical attack, to paper pouches for reasons of sustainability and to reduce the use as was demonstrated at the Café event by removing them with nail of non-recyclable multi-layer plastic materials,’ says Jacobs. ‘Paper polish remover. The new Titon toners were fully resistant.packaging printed with Titon toners is fully recyclable.’ Jacobs says competitive digital technologies have challenges Specialty paper mills are meanwhile busy researching new grades printing on paper fexible packaging, requiring different of barrier-coated technical papers optimized for fexible packaging. combinations of primer, water-based varnish or lamination. The The high level of mechanical resistance in the Titon toner challenges are not just in terms of potential ink component prevents damage to the print on the pack processing line. Titon’s migration, but also in terms of the heat-sealing stage of pouch heat resistance is critical during the heat-sealing process — Xeikon’s and sachet production. Pasta moves to paperSwitzerland-based pasta brand Bschüssig accept that. We are the frst pasta brand has been fully committed to moving in Switzerland to change to paper and from clear flm to paper packaging since we avoid 35 tonnes of plastics per year. January 2021. There is no coating of the paper at all, The 160-year old company has a the kraft paper is strong enough. We strong commitment to sustainability cannot place it in a wet place, so that is in its products, for example only using the only limitation.’free range eggs, so turning to paper Jäck says it was quite a tough process packaging appeared a natural next to switch materials. ‘It took us around BSchuessig paper pasta bags Titon printedstep, according to Linus Jäck, marketing a year to change over. When we looked manager of the Bschüssig brand at Pasta at how to realize small quantities of Premium AG. special pasta using digital, we found ‘Our organic pasta is a brand new ‘Our customers really like the paper that the color was partially destroyed by product and we printed six different packaging –they want to go away from heat sealing until Xeikon came with this packages of 5,000 packs each digitally plastics. Of course you cannot see the groundbreaking technology. So Titon to introduce to the market. If that pasta inside, but now most people do was perfect for us. succeeds, we will move it to fexo.’ Jan - Mar 2023