Toyo Ink Features Expanded Flexo Ink Lineup and More at Pack Expo Las Vegas 2009

Toyo Ink Mfg. America, LLC, a member of the Toyo Ink Group, will showcase an expanded lineup of packaging products and materials at this year’s Pack Expo Las Vegas, Las Vegas Convention Center, NV from Oct. 5-7, 2009.

At the Toyo Ink booth S-5101 in the Lower South Hall, showgoers will be able to see firsthand the performance benefits of two new flexographic ink products – retort-stable AquaLiona and the UV PowerFLEX series – and a whole host of flexo and gravure packaging inks and coatings designed specifically for value-added performance and environmental advantages.

Toyo Ink today launched the new AquaLiona series of water-based flexographic lamination inks for conventional and retort pouch packaging. Toyo’s new AquaLiona ink prints on various substrates ranging from BOPP, PET, PVDC coated films to nylon and works well with a wide array of lamination adhesives such as solvent-based, water-based and solvent-less types. In addition, the new series can be used for retort food packaging applications with the addition of a hardener that enhances resin durability. As a result, the new AquaLiona series is able to withstand temperatures up to 250ºF, making it the world’s first water-based flexo ink to achieve this performance benchmark.

Debuted at Print ’09 last month, Toyo’s UV PowerFLEX series of flexo ink combines the printability, efficiency and stability for which Toyo inks are acclaimed with the energy savings associated with UV curing. Specifically designed to be a solid, all-around UV-curable ink series, UV PowerFLEX performs extremely well over a wide range of flexographic printing applications. The low-viscosity ink affords excellent transfer, good adhesion and low dot gain on both plastic and paper substrates. The quick-curing properties enable faster turnaround times on print projects.

“Toyo Ink will be introducing a number of exciting, new products this year as we expand our footprint in the US packaging sector,” remarked Shingo Harako, Toyo Ink Mfg. America’s packaging inks marketing manager. “Products such as retort-stable AquaLiona are part of our commitment to serve our customers with a broad range of innovative product and service options. And with the 2008 opening of our new polymers and packaging inks manufacturing site in Texas, we’re able to bring our manufacturing operations are closer to our US customers, allowing us to better optimize our supply chain and meet the diverse needs of our expanding customer base in the region.”

Other products Toyo Ink will feature at Pack Expo are:

• Gravure Lamination Inks: LioValue Series and AquaEcol Series

Retort flexible packaging has been perfected for eco-friendly food applications that can conserve natural resources and energy while reducing waste. The Toyo Ink solvent-based LioValue and water-based AquaEcol are Toyo’s best gravure inks for this purpose. Both toluene- and MEK-free, LioValue is formulated to meet the performance demands of general-purpose flexible packaging through boil and retort packaging, providing excellent lamination on a wide range of plastic films, particularly transparent barrier films.

Water-based AquaEcol is also capable of printing on an array of substrates for flexible packaging use, including OPP, PET, nylon and PVDC-coated film. AquaEcol maintains its color and viscosity for longer periods providing better print quality under long-run printing conditions.

• Flexo Lamination Inks: IroFlex Series and AquaLiona Series

Toyo’s flexographic inks are suitable for various different uses, offering superior printability and high strength lamination. Toyo’s solvent-type flexographic lamination ink, the IroFlex series excels at high-speed production, easily standing up to press speeds of 900 to 1,200 feet per minute. It promotes superior adhesion on OPP, PET and nylon, while minimizing solvent retention.

AquaLiona delivers reliable image quality for snack packaging. It can be printed on various types of film, such as OPP, PET and nylon and is formulated for printing high-resolution images. Like AquaEcol for gravure printing, AquaLiona provides a green choice for flexo printing. This water-based ink allows printers to satisfy high-speed printing applications and reduce their impact on the environment.

• Laminating Adhesives: DynaGrand Series

DynaGrand series of high-performance, highly durable laminating adhesives for food and industrial purposes is ideal for materials such as film and foil, and is heat, moisture, acidity, and alkali resistant enough to be used outdoors. Toyo’s high performance adhesives are custom engineered to meet a wide range of performance characteristics for virtually any application.