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News Release from: EFI | Subject: Vutek Biovu inks
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 18 December 2006
First With Environmentally Friendly
Solvent Inks
EFI has announced the commercial availability of its Vutek Biovu inks, claimed to be the first environmentally friendly solvent inks made from totally renewable resources.
EFI has announced the commercial availability of its Vutek Biovu inks, claimed to be the first environmentally friendly solvent inks made from totally renewable resources Biovu is another of EFI's 'green' initiatives and part of the company's commitment to improving the environment and benefiting its global customers, said the company
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 13 Feb 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Guy Gecht, EFI's chief executive officer, said: "Unlike many new products, which are step change improvements, Biovu ink is a revolutionary advancement that will improve not only our customers' environmental footprint but also their bottom lines.
It represents our commitment to protecting an increasingly fragile Earth, one we hope others in the industry will follow." Scott Schinlever, vice president and general manager of EFI's ink division, added: "We have been testing the inks in the USA and Europe for nearly a year, with the final formulation in the field for the last 60 days.
The results have exceeded expectations and we are very excited about making this unique ink commercially available to the superwide format industry." EFI claimed that Vutek Biovu is the first solvent-based ink made from a renewable resource (derived from corn) and is the only ink recognised by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), thereby establishing an entirely new category of truly environmentally friendly inks.
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Biovu ink is made from food-grade ingredients, yet delivers the benefits of traditional solvent inks without the compromises inherent in eco-solvent and aqueous inks, added the company.
That includes the same colour gamut as traditional solvent inks, so that users can switch to the environmentally conscious inks with no workflow or pre-press process modifications.
In the company's opinion, like other solvent-based inks, Vutek Biovu provides durability, strong bonding to uncoated surfaces and resistance to UV light and mechanical wear.
But unlike other solvent inks on the market, Biovu inks are designed specifically to run in high-production environments and provide high print quality whilst delivering the best health and environmental profile in the marketplace.
Although water-based inks are also environmentally friendly, they have significant limitations in terms of the applications for which they can be used, according to EFI.
And other solvent-based inks claimed to be environmentally friendly still offer poor health and environmental profiles and contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
They are components deemed by the US EPA to have a particularly poor toxicological profile when released to the environment through evaporation.
Schinlever explained: "Each year, commercial formulators use millions of pounds of chemical ingredients that one way or another find their way in to the environment.
Our customers have made it clear that they want the ability to print superwide graphics without bothersome fumes, or expensive ventilation systems.
Our environmentally friendly Biovu ink, made from renewable resources, is the only ink that effectively addresses these concerns." One EFI customer, The Big Print of San Francisco and Seattle, was one of the Vutek Biovu test sites, whose founder and president, Jon Zinsmeyer, said: "In developing our Biographix environmentally friendly printing platform, we have sourced a variety of environmentally friendly materials, including fabrics manufactured in VOC-free factories and pressure sensitive vinyl alternatives.
Until now, the missing link has been environmentally friendly solvent inks for superwide format printers.
Vutek Biovu inks from EFI have filled that gap." Other claimed benefits of the inks include compartively low disposal costs since there are no hazardous materials (hazmat) as well reduced odour on final printed materials and a more comfortable working environment for employees.
In new shops or installations, no ventilation and burner systems are required to meet OSHA regulations, since there are no harmful VOC emissions.
The patent-pending, preferable chemistry inks include Vutek Biovu's in cyan, magenta, yellow, black and Biovu Light Cyan, Light Magenta, Light Yellow and Light Black for superwide format inkjet printing.
Biovu inks are manufactured for use on EFI's Vutek 3360 solvent printer.
EFI plans to extend Biovu inks to its currently offered superwide format solvent printer models next year.
In addition to the development of Vutek Biovu inks, EFI believes it has been leading by example with other environmentally conscious initiatives.
EFI Fiery digital print servers are said to be amongst the first to be available as compliant with RoHS (Restriction of the use of Hazardous Substances).
Additionally, EFI's 10-storey, 300,000 square foot headquarters is designed to harness the Earth's natural resources to aid in heating and cooling the space, said the company.
EFI said that its energy conservation measures save the equivalent of 783 kilowatts of energy per day, which is enough to power approximately 600 homes.
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