03.25.19
Xeikon announced its partnership with Kotkamills Oy.
Visitors to this year’s Xeikon Café will have the opportunity to see the first demonstrations of the Xeikon 3500 dry toner digital press printing on Kotkamills ISLA Duo paper cup stock. This sustainable and plastic-free food packaging solution carries the potential for paper cup converters to create new business opportunities.
Xeikon’s digital printing method using food-safe dry toner technology together with Kotkamills’ plastic-free, recyclable, and biodegradable board produces a digitally printed paper cup that answers consumer demand for sustainable paper cups to be used for drinks on the go.
"During testing, we saw a match between our food safe dry toner technology and the ISLA Duo board characteristics," said Sébastien Stabel, market segment manager Carton Packaging at Xeikon. "We tested printability, productivity, and toner adhesion. The results were excellent and consistent."
Xeikon printed the Kotkamills ISLA Duo on a roll-to-roll Xeikon 3500 series with dry toner technology. Following the results, Xeikon added the ISLA Duo to its print media list as a Xeikon validated substrate.
“We are convinced that our roll-to-roll dry toner engine set-up offers a perfect technical fit for paper cup converters and has the potential to create new or alternative business opportunities," Stabel said.
The barrier properties needed for the paper cups are produced with water-based dispersion, making it a plastic-free alternative. Unlike traditional PE coated paper cups, the water-based dispersion barrier layer of the ISLA Duo does not become charged by static electricity.
“The suitability of our material for digital printing provides cup producers with the possibility to offer individual and smaller, customized batches of plastic-free paper cups that are easy to recycle within any paper or board waste streams," said Saila Kettunen, director Barrier Boards at Kotkamills Oy. "... [W]e are proud to have been nominated as one of the winners of the NextGen Cup Challenge, the global innovation initiative that took place at the end of February 2019.