Flexible Packaging Arena

With an omnipresence throughout the show and in all zones, Xeikon is pleased to participate in the Flexible Packaging Arena and present its new fleXflow for pouch production. Designed to create new business opportunities for label converters, fleXflow is one of four of Xeikon’s full production lines at the show. Xeikon’s powerful X-800 Digital Front End printing will drive the pouch production line on a Xeikon CX500 dry toner, an industrial digital press with inline thermal lamination on a Xeikon LCoat500 and inline packaging construction. As well as participating in the Flexible Packaging Arena and the Sustainability Insight Café, Xeikon will be announcing new applications, new partnerships and new online advisory tools on its largest stand yet 5C28 as part of Flint Group.

Filip Weymans, Vice President of Marketing states: “This is an opportunity for our customers and visitors to see live demos of full pouch production on our Xeikon CX500 press using dry toner technology with full food safety compliance. Xeikon is at the forefront of digital printing technology continually monitoring the trends and guiding our customers towards new revenue streams to create new business. We have developed Xeikon fleXflow for stand-up pouch production to answer the growing consumer trend for ‘on-the-go’ consumption of food and drinks. Xeikon continues to address the converters’ needs for profitable short runs and fast turnarounds, variable data printing in full colour and a wide application range. Brand owners looking for a diversity of containers for their products are drawn to the pouches’ ability to stand and stack, their lightweight and their sustainability. This new application development is taking digital production to the highest levels.”

Pouch production

Pouch production is a perfect fit for label converters looking to expand their business. This is a growing and dynamic global market with huge potential. Brand owners are aware that pouches are not only a value added and sustainable alternative to rigid packaging, flexible pouches stand out on the shelf and communicate much better with the consumer, as each pouch can be unique with an option of full variability and the highest image quality. Xeikon’s CX500 digital press with ‘Cheetah’ dry toner technology delivers the highest image quality with CMYK and on-pass opaque white at 1200dpi. In the Flexible Packaging Arena, Xeikon will demonstrate the full process where the text and graphics are digitally printed onto the thermal laminate, preparing the outside layer ready for the construction of the pouch with a series of barriers before the manufacturing process. Advantages for the printer are the ability to print variable data information in both single and full colour and a faster turnaround time.

A pouch is essentially a laminated bag made from several layers of material. It can have a variety of different shapes depending on the size, end use application and functionality. Marketers see a lot of value in this kind of packaging for a variety of reasons such as product presentation as well as functionality for the consumer. Pouches can also be sustainable: a pouch has a so-called "product-to-package" ratio of 35:1 which essentially means it can carry up to 35 times its own weight, resulting in less energy consumption to produce and to transport. Many brands are transitioning from rigid types of packaging to more flexible versions such as pouches.

Weymans concludes, “Xeikon continues to develop new innovations for diverse markets to meet today’s challenging and fast moving world of consumerism. Our fleXflow pouch production line using our dry toner technology will deliver assurances on food safety, consistency and give an equal finish to offset (am screen) and to flexo when colour matching is required. Xeikon is dedicated to providing its customers with only the very best products and services.”

Labelexpo Europe

Demonstrations will take place three times each day (11am, 1pm & 3pm) in the Flexible Packaging Arena in Hall 11 Stand A50 when Xeikon will show the exceptional capabilities of its fleXflow pouch production solution alongside a Bobst M6 press for UV Flexo printing.