Flint Group Archives | Market Krystal

Flint Group unveils dual-cure white ink for shrink-sleeve packaging at trade show

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Flint Group Packaging Solutions is showing its EkoCure Fast Cure Ultralow COF Shrink White, a dual-cure last-down white ink for low to moderate shrink-sleeve applications, at LOUPE Americas 2026 in Booth 5821. The company is also demonstrating its UV LED ink systems as a lower-risk transition path from conventional UV, and Flexocure LEAP, a UV conventional technology for food packaging designed to reduce photoinitiator migration risk. FlintLink B2B portal and VIVO Colour Solutions are also highlighted.

Key facts

Companies	Flint Group Packaging Solutions, Flint Group
Chemicals	EkoCure Fast Cure Ultralow COF Shrink White, Flexocure LEAP, EkoCure, UV LED ink systems, VIVO Colour Solutions, FlintLink
Location	LOUPE Americas 2026, Booth 5821
Timing	2026-10-02
End uses	shrink-sleeve packaging, food packaging, label and narrow web printing

Market context

Printing inks of this kind carry color and graphics onto packaging substrates, and UV-curable formulations are widely used in label, narrow web and flexible packaging printing because they cure quickly and suit high-speed presses. Shrink sleeves are plastic film labels that wrap tightly around bottles and containers, and white ink is a key component because it provides opacity and a base for bright graphics on clear or colored films. Demand for these inks is driven mainly by beverage, personal care, household and food packaging brands that need decorative, tamper-evident labeling. Food packaging adds a regulatory dimension, since photoinitiators used in UV inks can migrate into packaged food, which is why low-migration chemistries are gaining attention. Shifts toward UV LED curing are also reshaping the market, as LED systems use less energy and avoid mercury lamps, though converters must weigh equipment and ink reformulation costs. Product launches like these signal competition among ink suppliers on curing speed, migration safety and ease of switching technologies.

Source: official release on flintgrp.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.

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Flint Group shortlists solventless UV ink for sustainable innovation award

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Flint Group Packaging Solutions has been shortlisted at the 2026 British Coatings Federation Awards, with its Flexocure LEAP ink system named one of three finalists in the Sustainable Innovation category. The solventless, 100% solids UV ink removes VOC emissions and avoids solvent evaporation waste, and offers improved migration safety for indirect food contact packaging. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Queens Hotel in Leeds on 12 November.

Why it matters

Recognition of a solventless, low-migration UV ink for flexible packaging signals growing customer demand for VOC-free narrow web printing inks in food packaging supply chains.

Key facts

Companies	Flint Group Packaging Solutions, British Coatings Federation
Chemicals	Flexocure LEAP UV ink system
Location	Queens Hotel, Leeds
Timing	2026 British Coatings Federation Awards, 12 November
Partners	British Coatings Federation
End uses	flexible packaging, indirect food contact packaging, narrow web printing

Market context

UV-curable inks are widely used in flexible packaging printing, where they dry through photopolymerization under ultraviolet light rather than by evaporating solvent. Solventless, 100% solids formulations eliminate the volatile organic compound emissions and solvent recovery burden associated with conventional solvent-based systems. Demand is driven mainly by food and consumer goods packaging, where printers and brand owners face tightening rules on emissions and on migration of residual ink components into packaged food. Low-migration chemistry is therefore a key purchasing criterion for indirect food contact applications. Narrow web label and flexible packaging printers are the main users of this technology, and their adoption shapes competition among ink formulators, who differentiate on cure performance, migration profiles and regulatory documentation rather than on price alone.

Source: official release on flintgrp.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.

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Flint Group explains how coatings and primers enable new packaging substrates

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Flint Group Packaging Solutions describes how performance, decorative and functional coatings and primers are used to help converters print on new substrates, including thinner films, mono-material structures and recycled papers. The company says the coatings provide barrier, heat-seal, anti-slip, release and abrasion-resistance functions. No plant, capacity, investment or counterparty is named in the text.

Why it matters

Growing reliance on coatings and primers to offset mono-material and recyclable substrates points to sustained demand for specialty packaging chemistries from converters and brand owners.

Key facts

Companies	Flint Group, Flint Group Packaging Solutions
Chemicals	coatings, primers, barrier coatings, functional chemistries
Timing	09 Sept 2026
Partners	converters, brand owners
End uses	packaging, e-commerce packaging, shrink sleeves, labels, lightweight structures

Market context

Coatings and primers are thin functional layers applied to packaging films, papers and board so that inks and adhesives bond reliably and the package performs as intended. Typical functions include barrier protection against oxygen and moisture, heat-seal capability, anti-slip behaviour, release properties and abrasion resistance. Demand is driven mainly by food and consumer goods packaging, labels, shrink sleeves and e-commerce packaging, where converters and brand owners are seeking lighter structures. Recyclability rules and sustainability targets are pushing the industry toward mono-material films and recycled paper, which are harder to print and seal than conventional multilayer laminates. Coatings and primers help close that performance gap without redesigning the whole structure. For buyers, this sustains steady demand for specialty packaging chemistries, while suppliers with formulation expertise for thinner and recycled substrates are positioned to compete on technical support rather than commodity price alone.

Source: official release on flintgrp.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.

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Flint Group outlines China’s tighter food-contact coating rules for packaging

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Flint Group Packaging Solutions highlighted China's GB 4806.10-2025 national food safety standard for paints and coatings used in food-contact materials, issued 25 September 2025 and effective 2 September 2026 after a one-year transition. The standard expands the permitted basic raw materials list from 105 substances to 346 and cuts the specific migration limit for bisphenol A from 0.6 mg/kg to 0.05 mg/kg. It also tightens epoxy derivative and primary aromatic amine controls and sets shared responsibilities for coating manufacturers and packaging converters.

Why it matters

Tighter BPA and epoxy derivative limits will push coating formulators and packaging converters in China to reformulate, shifting raw material demand toward newly permitted polymers and starting substances.

Key facts

Companies	Flint Group Packaging Solutions, China's National Health Commission (NHC), State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR)
Chemicals	Bisphenol A (BPA), BADGE (epoxy derivatives), Primary Aromatic Amines (PAAs), Printing Ink GB 4806.14
Location	China
Timing	25 September 2025, 2 September 2026
End uses	Food-contact materials and articles, Food packaging, Paper and board coatings

Market context

Coatings and inks used on food packaging rely on a range of resins, epoxy-based systems and additives, and their chemistry is tightly governed because migration of residual monomers and starting substances into food is a safety concern. Bisphenol A is a historic building block of epoxy resins and can-end coatings, while BADGE-type epoxy derivatives are formed when those resins are made and cured. Demand for these materials comes mainly from food packaging, including metal cans, flexible films and paper and board, so regulatory changes in a large producing and consuming market like China tend to ripple through formulators and converters. When permitted substance lists widen and migration limits tighten sharply, formulators typically reformulate products, qualify alternative raw materials and retest migration performance. This can shift purchasing toward newly listed polymers and starting substances, reward suppliers with compliant portfolios, and raise switching costs for smaller converters that lack testing capacity.

Source: official release on flintgrp.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.

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Flint Group outlines five pressroom trends for label converters at expo

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Flint Group Packaging Solutions maps five pressroom trends for label converters ahead of LOUPE Americas in Chicago, 15–17 September 2026. The company highlights de-inkable primer and varnish systems, dual-cure UV LED inks, and low-migration Flexocure ANCORA and Flexocure LEAP inks for food packaging. It also cites digital colour management through VIVO Colour Solutions and AI-assisted quality control as tools to cut waste and compliance risk.

Why it matters

Converters face rising demand for PFAS-compliant, low-migration and de-inkable label chemistries, which shifts ink and coating purchasing toward suppliers offering documentation and technical support.

Key facts

Companies	Flint Group, Flint Group Packaging Solutions, Flint Group Digital Xeikon
Chemicals	PFAS, BPA, dual-cure UV LED inks, de-inkable primer and varnish systems, Flexocure ANCORA, Flexocure LEAP, low-migration inks
Location	Chicago (LOUPE Americas expo venue)
Timing	08 Sept 2026, 15–17 September 2026
End uses	label printing, food packaging labels, food contact packaging, converters and brand owners

Market context

Printing inks, primers and varnishes are the functional chemistries that let label converters print on films and papers while meeting food-contact and recycling requirements. Narrow-web label printing serves food and beverage, personal care, household and pharmaceutical products, and food packaging labels are the most compliance-sensitive segment because migration of ink components into packaged food is tightly regulated. Demand is also shaped by brand owners who want labels that do not contaminate recycling streams, which has pushed interest in de-inkable primers and varnishes. UV-curable and LED-curable systems are gaining share because they cure faster and at lower energy than conventional solvent or thermal drying. Shifts toward low-migration and fluorine-free chemistries tend to favour suppliers that can supply declarations, test data and technical support alongside the product, and they can reshape competition among ink and coating makers as converters re-qualify materials.

Source: official release on flintgrp.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.

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Flint Group Digital Xeikon Partners with Xerox to Sell Digital Presses

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Flint Group Digital Xeikon (FGDX) has announced a strategic partnership with Xerox Holdings Corporation under which Xerox will offer digital presses under the Xerox brand based on Xeikon's digital printing technology. The presses will be sold through Xerox's established sales and service channels to help printers handle shorter runs, faster turnaround, versioning and high-value applications. Further details of the partnership will be shared later.

Why it matters

Xerox's commercial channels could widen customer access to Xeikon digital press technology, potentially accelerating adoption of digital print production across more printing market segments.

Key facts

Companies	Flint Group Digital Xeikon, Xerox Holdings Corporation, Xerox, Xeikon, Flint Group
Location	Lier, Belgium
Timing	2026-09-01
Partners	Xerox Holdings Corporation
End uses	digital printing, commercial printing

Market context

Digital printing presses use toner and dry-powder electrophotographic systems, along with the specialty polymers, pigments and charge-control chemistry that go into them, to produce printed pages and packaging without traditional printing plates. Demand is driven mainly by commercial printing, where short runs, quick turnaround and variable data or versioned content have become more valuable, as well as by labels, packaging and specialty applications. Adoption tends to depend on how widely digital presses reach buyers through established sales and service networks, since installed-base reach shapes consumable volumes such as toner and specialty media over time. For chemical buyers, a broader distribution channel for digital press technology can shift demand between conventional ink and plate-based processes and digital consumables, with knock-on effects for suppliers of toner resins, pigments and substrates. Market impact depends on volumes and terms that have not yet been disclosed.

Source: official release on flintgrp.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.

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Weigang Technology to distribute Xeikon Ecolyne dry-toner label presses in China

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Xeikon and Weigang Technology signed a Distribution Agreement giving Weigang rights to sell, service and support the Ecolyne dry-toner digital label printing platform in Greater China. The partnership also includes a Manufacturing and Sourcing Agreement covering Ecolyne production and a broader Contract Manufacturing Agreement providing a framework for future manufacturing cooperation. Ecolyne will be shown at All in Print China, October 12–16, 2026, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

Why it matters

Label converters in Greater China gain local distribution, engineering and service support for industrial-scale dry-toner digital label production, which could accelerate digital label capacity adoption in the region.

Key facts

Companies	Flint Group, Flint Group Digital Xeikon, Flint Group Packaging Solutions, Weigang Technology, Xeikon
Chemicals	Ecolyne dry-toner platform
Location	Greater China; Shanghai New International Expo Centre (All in Print China venue)
Timing	2026-08-26, October 12–16, 2026
Partners	Weigang Technology
End uses	industrial-scale digital label production, label converters

Market context

Dry-toner digital label printing uses electrophotographic technology, in which fine toner powder is fused onto substrates such as pressure-sensitive labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons. Toner formulations are typically based on polyester or styrene-acrylic resins combined with pigments and charge control agents, and the printed output feeds consumer goods, food and beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical labelling. Demand for short-run, variable-data and on-demand labels has grown as brand owners reduce inventory and add customisation, which is why converters are steadily adding digital capacity alongside conventional flexographic and offset lines. For a region as large as Greater China, the availability of local sales, engineering and service support tends to shape how quickly converters adopt new platforms, since uptime and consumables supply are critical for production-scale work. Agreements that pair distribution with manufacturing and sourcing arrangements can also influence regional supply of equipment and consumables, though the practical effect depends on how the partnership is executed.

Source: official release on flintgrp.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.

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