Xeikon Launches TITON Technology for Packaging, Addressing Sustainability

To meet industry needs for sustainable printing methods and environmentally friendly packaging production, Xeikon America, Inc., a division of Flint Group,  announced TITON technology. TITON is a new toner formulation offering all the benefits of UV inks without the disadvantages.

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

TITON builds on the core value of Xeikon 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, according to the company.

TITON toner 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. A substantial feature is the ability to 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.

As brand owners continue to convert film-based packaging to paper, TITON can be em-ployed to print many types of flexible packaging for food products. It can be used for pa-pers 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.

Allowing brand owners to move to recyclable paper-based packaging puts TITON technology in a position in the digital printing landscape, and it gives printers the opportunity to expand their capabilities into applications that could not previously be addressed with digital, complementing their conventional flexo presses.

“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.

The first digital press model to run TITON technology will be the Xeikon CX500t, a new member of the Cheetah series. Adding extra capabilities to the successful 508mm (20 inches) wide machine, with the new toner technology, allows converters to broaden their reach and enter new market segments.

Visitors to the Xeikon Café in Lier, Belgium, on April 26–28 can experience TITON technology in action during the live press demos.