David Savastano, Editor09.01.22
After seeing the 2020 show cancelled due to the pandemic, the label and narrow web industry will be gathering at Labelexpo Americas 2022, which will be held Sept. 13-15 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. As always, ink industry leaders are preparing for the three-day show, which gives them the opportunity to showcase their newest products while also meeting with attendees.
In alphabetical order, here are some of the highlights that attendees can expect to see:
• ACTEGA (Hall A, Booth 711): ACTEGA will be showing labels and narrow web pouches printed with ACTEGA’s LED-UV and water-based flexo inks and coatings. Samples of haptic and visual effect coatings for shrink sleeves will also be highlighted, as well as Signite, ACTEGA’s decoration solution that is designed to reduce waste and improve sustainability.
Mary Burnell, global product marketing manager, labels for ACTEGA, noted that ACTEGA will unveil its latest line of low-migration inks at Labelexpo Americas 2022
“ACTEGA will be launching a brand-new line of low-migration inks at the show, so the unveiling of these new products when the show opens is definitely not to be missed,” said Burnell. “The new product range has been developed specifically for labels and narrow web pouches where low migration is required and certified for use across indirect contact food packaging, health and beauty, and nutraceutical applications. These inks are the latest innovation from ACTEGA and will answer many of the markets requirements for safe, certified inks that deliver high-quality results.”
Burnell said that getting back to a show floor is incredibly important for the industry.
“While we have all coped extremely well in recent years, our industry is a visual and tactile one by its very nature,” Burnell observed. “Now is the time to get together and see first-hand the quality applications achievable with our latest product lines and discuss, face-to-face, the many benefits of using these products. The ACTEGA team is excited to have this opportunity again and can’t wait to welcome our customers, prospects and industry peers to the booth.”
• CYNGIENT (Booth 1415) – CYNGIENT is planning for an active Labelexpo Americas, introducing new security label technology. The company is joining together with Imageworx to show security labeling and brand protection innovations the companies have jointly developed, including Micro Security Guilloche Labels, which combine high-definition inks from CYNGIENT and enhanced resolution printing plates from Imageworx.
“Security labeling which will be offered in 2023, which will have increased security then hologram,” said Andrew Wasserman, managing partner at CYNGIENT. “This technology will raise the bar with banknote quality while adding 3D effects within a micro label – samples will be available.”
Also on display are PUREmatte inks, lamination adhesives, HYPERcolor cold adhesive, Opti White UV/LED high opacity white flexo inks and a complete line of LED/UV products that are built for speed and performance.
“PUREmatte is a game changer to the beverage and shrink sleeve and prime label, being Nestle compliant, low gloss level, virtually no odor and abrasion resistance for outside of shrink sleeve applications,” Wasserman said.
“As for lamination adhesive, we are offering a full line of destruct bond adhesives designed for bonding various unsupported films. HYPERcolor is a newly developed pigmented cold adhesive that is a game changer to the shrink sleeve market, offering thousands of colors with reverse silver cold foil utilizing one print station. Opti White is a UV/LED high opacity white that can be run flexo, designed to simulate rotary screen opaque white at higher speeds while offering excellent opacity and great adhesion to film substrates.”
Wasserman said he is looking forward to seeing old friends and showing attendees the advances being made by CYNGIENT.
“Labelexpo is missed due to COVID, and now we have the opportunity to see friends and colleagues, being able as an industry to see all the developments that were missed,” Wasserman noted. “This is an exciting time for CYNGIENT, being able to showcase all of our product development and having the unique opportunity to partner with various OEM press manufacturers on product development. Label converter will have the opportunity to not only see our new technology but will also have printed samples for them to take back to their facility for evaluation.”
• FUJIFILM North America Corporation (Booth 931) – For Labelexpo Americas 2022, FUJIFILM will showcase multiple analog and digital sustainable printing solutions for its print service provider customers that are serving the label and packaging segment.
This includes its Illumina LED Curing System and 300 Series Inks, converting any traditional UV or water-based flexo press to the benefits of LED-UV curing; Flenex Water-Wash Plates & Processor, environmentally friendly with unmatched quality and productivity and 100% solvent free; ColorPath Sync Software, a cloud-based color management software for conventional, digital or both; and J Press FP790—Fujifilm’s new full color water-based digital inkjet press for flexible packaging.
Gregory Pas, marketing director, North America FUJIFILM North America Corporation, noted that Labelexpo has always been an important event to showcase and enhance Fujifilm as a label and packaging print industry go-to resource provider.
“With minimal in-person opportunities over the last two and a half years for exhibitions, the 2022 Labelexpo Americas event will be a great opportunity for our customers and prospects to see our products and services firsthand and allow us to listen to attendees’ feedback and address their needs,” Pas added. “We know that 92% of attendees visit trade shows to learn about new and exciting products and services, so getting back with customers in today's environment is crucial especially since this hasn’t happened since 2018.”
• Flint Group (Booth 5703) – Flint Group Narrow Web will highlight a wide range of new waste and cost-saving ink and coating products at Labelexpo Americas, beginning with its Evolution series of UV flexo coatings. Evolution allow the substrates they are printed on to be recycled without contamination, whether it is shrink sleeves or pressure sensitive labels on PET bottles .
Flint Group Narrow Web will also show its Dual Cure UV flexo inks, which can be cured using either LED or mercury lamps. Dual Cure Ultra Clear is a benzophenone-free UV flexo clear overprinted coating that does not yellow. Designed for pressure-sensitive label food contact materials, EkoCure ANCORA FCM PSL flexo ink contains no bisphenol-A. It is fully compliant with the latest versions of the Swiss Ordinance on Materials and Articles (SR.817.023.21) and the Nestlé Guidance on Packaging Inks.
Xeikon, Flint Group’s Digital division Xeikon, will also be on hand, showing its Xeikon CX500 dry toner press and Xeikon PX3300 UV-IJ hybrid press.
“At Labelexpo Americas, Flint will be focusing on the current hot topics of the industry: recycling, reducing energy consumption, increasingly stringent food safety legislation, and building a more sustainable future,” said Julian Cass, VP for North America at Flint Group, in announcing Flint Group’s plans for Labelexpo.
• INX International (Booth 129): INX International has introduced several innovative ink solutions that impact the label and packaging markets. For example, INXFlex Contour is a UV and LED dual cure flexo ink system for shrink sleeve labels, and is designed to address post-shrink adhesion loss and ink cracking.
INX will also highlight VerifyInk, a covert ink technology that helps identify counterfeit products. Developed in collaboration with VerifyMe, Inc., VerifyInk is designed for continuous inkjet printers.
“Our shrink sleeve inks are formulated so the labels stand out on store shelves and catch the attention of consumers,” said Renee Schouten, VP of marketing for INX International, in announcing INX’s plans for the show. “INXFlex Contour offers customers faster lead times and lower applied costs with a dual cure version. “The CIJ VerifyInk is a natural fit for our product line.”
In addition, INX will showcase INXShield UV flexo and GS Slip coatings, which are functional coatings created for packaging applications and incorporate BioCote antimicrobial technology.
“The BioCote brand is universally recognized as the true standard for quality, experience and credibility,” Schouten noted. “Our UV flexo coating is suitable for application over dry water-based and cured UV inks, with a uniform layer that provides excellent gloss, slip and general resistance properties. GS Slip is a solvent-based gravure coating for shrinkable film labels.”
On the digital side, the Triangle brand of XJL UV Curable Inkjet inks will also be highlighted, as will the NW350 UV Digital Label printers. The NW350 has a maximum printing width of 350mm or 13.78 inches, with single pass output of up to 160 feet per minute on any label stock.
Schouten said that Labelexpo Americas is a great opportunity to get together with colleagues in the label and narrow field.
“I’m hopeful that since this show was last held here four years ago, people will return like they have in the past,” said Schouten. “Printers looking for new products or equipment to increase their business or expand in the digital world will find what they need in our booth.”
• Nazdar (Booth 1245) – Nazdar Ink Technologies will present its portfolio of inks developed for narrow-web printing applications at Labelexpo Americas 2022. Nazdar will showcase UV and LED flexo, UV offset and UV letterpress inks, water-based flexo, UV and LED rotary screen inks, and UV and LED overprint varnishes and adhesives, incuding its latest LED curing Nestle Compliant inks, coatings, and adhesives and new water-based flexible packaging inks.
"Labelexpo Americas is a great opportunity for businesses in the label and packaging markets – and those considering moving into them – to meet us and discover why our inks and coatings are used across the world," said Mike Harjung, VP – Narrow Web at Nazdar.
• Sun Chemical (Booth 749) – Sun Chemical has a wide range of new products and services lined up for Labelexpo Americas.
Dennis Sweet, VP NWTL, Commercial, Rycoline and Distributors for Sun Chemical, highlighted the SunEco portfolio of solutions, SunInspire specialty inks and coatings for label applications, SunColorBox’s unique set of tools and services, special effect inks, and the coatings session during the Label Academy Masterclass: Digital Embellishment, which will feature Dr. Mohammad S. Farahat, director of R&D, novel device technology at Sun Chemical.
Among the highlights are the SunEco range. This includes SolarFlex CRCL UV flexo inks for shrink and non-shrink applications, which allows inks to be removed from PET film without a primer. The SolarFlex UV flexo ink series offers high adhesion without the use of a primer.
SunCure UV flexo coatings eliminate the lamination process. SunVisto AquaGreen are water-based inks which Sun Chemical noted has the highest level of bio-renewable resin content in the industry. For the UV LED segment, Sun Chemical is showcasing SolarWave UV flexo inks. SunInspire are specialty inks and coatings for labels.
Sweet noted that Labelexpo is very important to Sun Chemical.
“We feel this will enable our customers to meet with us and discuss their goals and objectives on a one-on-one basis,” Sweet added. “It’s been a long few years, and the pandemic has caused many of us to restrict access to only video conferencing. This will be a welcome renewal of face-to-face meetings.
• Wikoff Color (Booth 3210) – Wikoff Color will be highlighting inks, coatings and flexo plate technologies designed specifically for label applications during Labelexpo Americas 2022, and Mark Lewis – market manager, label for Wikoff Color, noted the company will also have representatives from X-Rite and HMJ Tech in the booth to demonstrate value-added ink room hardware and software. Experts from Wikoff Color, Wikoff Graphics and Wikoff Digital will be on-site and ready to answer all label questions.
“LabelExpo has always been a key event for the label industry, and we are thrilled to be back in person to network with our customer-base and showcase the products and services that we’ve developed especially for them,” added Lewis. “We’re looking forward to a great show.”
• Zeller+Gmelin (Booth 1015) – Brian Felts, national sales manager for Zeller+Gmelin, said that the company has a wide range of new products in store for Labelexpo this year.
“In terms of new products, we will unveil our newest development in UV/LED prime label opaque white inks at Labelexpo Americas 2022,” Felts reported. “The new ink formula was developed to provide advanced opacity, brighter hues, and smoother lay downs for dual-cure opaque white flood coat applications.
“We will also be promoting our new EarthPrint products, which are formulated to achieve the highest level of recyclability, embracing a more sustainable future,” he added. “Along with these new products, we’ll be talking with visitors to our booth about our proven high-performance UV, LED and WB inks and coatings, with systems designed for multi-purpose production of labels, flexible packaging, shrink sleeves, folding cartons, and other narrow web applications.”
Felts noted that it will be great to see the industry get together at Labelexpo Americas.
“Labelexpo Americas is our industry’s long-awaited opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with so many friends, customers, and co-suppliers with whom we’ve been forced to have limited face-to-face contact over these last couple of years, and everyone we talk to is so excited for the chance to see smiling faces, shake hands, and even share a few hugs,” Felts said.
“Virtual meetings and online webinars have served us all well in the last couple of years, but there’s just no substitute for sitting across a table and discussing first-hand the challenges for which a solution is available. We will have a knowledgeable, technically proficient team of Zeller+Gmelin professionals in our booth to answer questions and offer sound recommendations based on our cumulative years of industry experience.”
In alphabetical order, here are some of the highlights that attendees can expect to see:
• ACTEGA (Hall A, Booth 711): ACTEGA will be showing labels and narrow web pouches printed with ACTEGA’s LED-UV and water-based flexo inks and coatings. Samples of haptic and visual effect coatings for shrink sleeves will also be highlighted, as well as Signite, ACTEGA’s decoration solution that is designed to reduce waste and improve sustainability.
Mary Burnell, global product marketing manager, labels for ACTEGA, noted that ACTEGA will unveil its latest line of low-migration inks at Labelexpo Americas 2022
“ACTEGA will be launching a brand-new line of low-migration inks at the show, so the unveiling of these new products when the show opens is definitely not to be missed,” said Burnell. “The new product range has been developed specifically for labels and narrow web pouches where low migration is required and certified for use across indirect contact food packaging, health and beauty, and nutraceutical applications. These inks are the latest innovation from ACTEGA and will answer many of the markets requirements for safe, certified inks that deliver high-quality results.”
Burnell said that getting back to a show floor is incredibly important for the industry.
“While we have all coped extremely well in recent years, our industry is a visual and tactile one by its very nature,” Burnell observed. “Now is the time to get together and see first-hand the quality applications achievable with our latest product lines and discuss, face-to-face, the many benefits of using these products. The ACTEGA team is excited to have this opportunity again and can’t wait to welcome our customers, prospects and industry peers to the booth.”
• CYNGIENT (Booth 1415) – CYNGIENT is planning for an active Labelexpo Americas, introducing new security label technology. The company is joining together with Imageworx to show security labeling and brand protection innovations the companies have jointly developed, including Micro Security Guilloche Labels, which combine high-definition inks from CYNGIENT and enhanced resolution printing plates from Imageworx.
“Security labeling which will be offered in 2023, which will have increased security then hologram,” said Andrew Wasserman, managing partner at CYNGIENT. “This technology will raise the bar with banknote quality while adding 3D effects within a micro label – samples will be available.”
Also on display are PUREmatte inks, lamination adhesives, HYPERcolor cold adhesive, Opti White UV/LED high opacity white flexo inks and a complete line of LED/UV products that are built for speed and performance.
“PUREmatte is a game changer to the beverage and shrink sleeve and prime label, being Nestle compliant, low gloss level, virtually no odor and abrasion resistance for outside of shrink sleeve applications,” Wasserman said.
“As for lamination adhesive, we are offering a full line of destruct bond adhesives designed for bonding various unsupported films. HYPERcolor is a newly developed pigmented cold adhesive that is a game changer to the shrink sleeve market, offering thousands of colors with reverse silver cold foil utilizing one print station. Opti White is a UV/LED high opacity white that can be run flexo, designed to simulate rotary screen opaque white at higher speeds while offering excellent opacity and great adhesion to film substrates.”
Wasserman said he is looking forward to seeing old friends and showing attendees the advances being made by CYNGIENT.
“Labelexpo is missed due to COVID, and now we have the opportunity to see friends and colleagues, being able as an industry to see all the developments that were missed,” Wasserman noted. “This is an exciting time for CYNGIENT, being able to showcase all of our product development and having the unique opportunity to partner with various OEM press manufacturers on product development. Label converter will have the opportunity to not only see our new technology but will also have printed samples for them to take back to their facility for evaluation.”
• FUJIFILM North America Corporation (Booth 931) – For Labelexpo Americas 2022, FUJIFILM will showcase multiple analog and digital sustainable printing solutions for its print service provider customers that are serving the label and packaging segment.
This includes its Illumina LED Curing System and 300 Series Inks, converting any traditional UV or water-based flexo press to the benefits of LED-UV curing; Flenex Water-Wash Plates & Processor, environmentally friendly with unmatched quality and productivity and 100% solvent free; ColorPath Sync Software, a cloud-based color management software for conventional, digital or both; and J Press FP790—Fujifilm’s new full color water-based digital inkjet press for flexible packaging.
Gregory Pas, marketing director, North America FUJIFILM North America Corporation, noted that Labelexpo has always been an important event to showcase and enhance Fujifilm as a label and packaging print industry go-to resource provider.
“With minimal in-person opportunities over the last two and a half years for exhibitions, the 2022 Labelexpo Americas event will be a great opportunity for our customers and prospects to see our products and services firsthand and allow us to listen to attendees’ feedback and address their needs,” Pas added. “We know that 92% of attendees visit trade shows to learn about new and exciting products and services, so getting back with customers in today's environment is crucial especially since this hasn’t happened since 2018.”
• Flint Group (Booth 5703) – Flint Group Narrow Web will highlight a wide range of new waste and cost-saving ink and coating products at Labelexpo Americas, beginning with its Evolution series of UV flexo coatings. Evolution allow the substrates they are printed on to be recycled without contamination, whether it is shrink sleeves or pressure sensitive labels on PET bottles .
Flint Group Narrow Web will also show its Dual Cure UV flexo inks, which can be cured using either LED or mercury lamps. Dual Cure Ultra Clear is a benzophenone-free UV flexo clear overprinted coating that does not yellow. Designed for pressure-sensitive label food contact materials, EkoCure ANCORA FCM PSL flexo ink contains no bisphenol-A. It is fully compliant with the latest versions of the Swiss Ordinance on Materials and Articles (SR.817.023.21) and the Nestlé Guidance on Packaging Inks.
Xeikon, Flint Group’s Digital division Xeikon, will also be on hand, showing its Xeikon CX500 dry toner press and Xeikon PX3300 UV-IJ hybrid press.
“At Labelexpo Americas, Flint will be focusing on the current hot topics of the industry: recycling, reducing energy consumption, increasingly stringent food safety legislation, and building a more sustainable future,” said Julian Cass, VP for North America at Flint Group, in announcing Flint Group’s plans for Labelexpo.
• INX International (Booth 129): INX International has introduced several innovative ink solutions that impact the label and packaging markets. For example, INXFlex Contour is a UV and LED dual cure flexo ink system for shrink sleeve labels, and is designed to address post-shrink adhesion loss and ink cracking.
INX will also highlight VerifyInk, a covert ink technology that helps identify counterfeit products. Developed in collaboration with VerifyMe, Inc., VerifyInk is designed for continuous inkjet printers.
“Our shrink sleeve inks are formulated so the labels stand out on store shelves and catch the attention of consumers,” said Renee Schouten, VP of marketing for INX International, in announcing INX’s plans for the show. “INXFlex Contour offers customers faster lead times and lower applied costs with a dual cure version. “The CIJ VerifyInk is a natural fit for our product line.”
In addition, INX will showcase INXShield UV flexo and GS Slip coatings, which are functional coatings created for packaging applications and incorporate BioCote antimicrobial technology.
“The BioCote brand is universally recognized as the true standard for quality, experience and credibility,” Schouten noted. “Our UV flexo coating is suitable for application over dry water-based and cured UV inks, with a uniform layer that provides excellent gloss, slip and general resistance properties. GS Slip is a solvent-based gravure coating for shrinkable film labels.”
On the digital side, the Triangle brand of XJL UV Curable Inkjet inks will also be highlighted, as will the NW350 UV Digital Label printers. The NW350 has a maximum printing width of 350mm or 13.78 inches, with single pass output of up to 160 feet per minute on any label stock.
Schouten said that Labelexpo Americas is a great opportunity to get together with colleagues in the label and narrow field.
“I’m hopeful that since this show was last held here four years ago, people will return like they have in the past,” said Schouten. “Printers looking for new products or equipment to increase their business or expand in the digital world will find what they need in our booth.”
• Nazdar (Booth 1245) – Nazdar Ink Technologies will present its portfolio of inks developed for narrow-web printing applications at Labelexpo Americas 2022. Nazdar will showcase UV and LED flexo, UV offset and UV letterpress inks, water-based flexo, UV and LED rotary screen inks, and UV and LED overprint varnishes and adhesives, incuding its latest LED curing Nestle Compliant inks, coatings, and adhesives and new water-based flexible packaging inks.
"Labelexpo Americas is a great opportunity for businesses in the label and packaging markets – and those considering moving into them – to meet us and discover why our inks and coatings are used across the world," said Mike Harjung, VP – Narrow Web at Nazdar.
• Sun Chemical (Booth 749) – Sun Chemical has a wide range of new products and services lined up for Labelexpo Americas.
Dennis Sweet, VP NWTL, Commercial, Rycoline and Distributors for Sun Chemical, highlighted the SunEco portfolio of solutions, SunInspire specialty inks and coatings for label applications, SunColorBox’s unique set of tools and services, special effect inks, and the coatings session during the Label Academy Masterclass: Digital Embellishment, which will feature Dr. Mohammad S. Farahat, director of R&D, novel device technology at Sun Chemical.
Among the highlights are the SunEco range. This includes SolarFlex CRCL UV flexo inks for shrink and non-shrink applications, which allows inks to be removed from PET film without a primer. The SolarFlex UV flexo ink series offers high adhesion without the use of a primer.
SunCure UV flexo coatings eliminate the lamination process. SunVisto AquaGreen are water-based inks which Sun Chemical noted has the highest level of bio-renewable resin content in the industry. For the UV LED segment, Sun Chemical is showcasing SolarWave UV flexo inks. SunInspire are specialty inks and coatings for labels.
Sweet noted that Labelexpo is very important to Sun Chemical.
“We feel this will enable our customers to meet with us and discuss their goals and objectives on a one-on-one basis,” Sweet added. “It’s been a long few years, and the pandemic has caused many of us to restrict access to only video conferencing. This will be a welcome renewal of face-to-face meetings.
• Wikoff Color (Booth 3210) – Wikoff Color will be highlighting inks, coatings and flexo plate technologies designed specifically for label applications during Labelexpo Americas 2022, and Mark Lewis – market manager, label for Wikoff Color, noted the company will also have representatives from X-Rite and HMJ Tech in the booth to demonstrate value-added ink room hardware and software. Experts from Wikoff Color, Wikoff Graphics and Wikoff Digital will be on-site and ready to answer all label questions.
“LabelExpo has always been a key event for the label industry, and we are thrilled to be back in person to network with our customer-base and showcase the products and services that we’ve developed especially for them,” added Lewis. “We’re looking forward to a great show.”
• Zeller+Gmelin (Booth 1015) – Brian Felts, national sales manager for Zeller+Gmelin, said that the company has a wide range of new products in store for Labelexpo this year.
“In terms of new products, we will unveil our newest development in UV/LED prime label opaque white inks at Labelexpo Americas 2022,” Felts reported. “The new ink formula was developed to provide advanced opacity, brighter hues, and smoother lay downs for dual-cure opaque white flood coat applications.
“We will also be promoting our new EarthPrint products, which are formulated to achieve the highest level of recyclability, embracing a more sustainable future,” he added. “Along with these new products, we’ll be talking with visitors to our booth about our proven high-performance UV, LED and WB inks and coatings, with systems designed for multi-purpose production of labels, flexible packaging, shrink sleeves, folding cartons, and other narrow web applications.”
Felts noted that it will be great to see the industry get together at Labelexpo Americas.
“Labelexpo Americas is our industry’s long-awaited opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with so many friends, customers, and co-suppliers with whom we’ve been forced to have limited face-to-face contact over these last couple of years, and everyone we talk to is so excited for the chance to see smiling faces, shake hands, and even share a few hugs,” Felts said.
“Virtual meetings and online webinars have served us all well in the last couple of years, but there’s just no substitute for sitting across a table and discussing first-hand the challenges for which a solution is available. We will have a knowledgeable, technically proficient team of Zeller+Gmelin professionals in our booth to answer questions and offer sound recommendations based on our cumulative years of industry experience.”