Colour Change Technology Debuts At Pack Expo

Edited by the Printingtalk editorial team Jul 30, 2004

Colour-change specialist Sherwood Technology will be making its debut at Pack Expo 2004, McCormick Place, Chicago (USA).

Colour-change specialist Sherwood Technology will be making its debut at Pack Expo 2004, McCormick Place, Chicago (USA).

It will be showing its Datalase colour-change system that combines chemistry, substrate conversion and low power laser energy for the high speed printing of images on stand S3017, level 3 in hall A.

Pack Expo runs from November 7-11.

Sherwood will present some of its wide-ranging applications at the show.

The company said Datalase has been adopted as a viable alternative to traditional printing methods for precise date-coding, bar-coding and graphics solutions in a number of sectors, including pharmaceutical, food and beverage and product security.

Datalase is suitable for metal decoration, flexible packaging, paper, board and plastics.

An 'edible composition' is also available for high speed marking of pharmaceutical tablets, confectionery, and other foodstuffs.

The company believes that Datalase is a non-contact alternative to traditional printing methods and provides a customisable solution to a company's imaging needs.

It is a non-toxic and environmentally friendly ink, coating or substrate additive that produces a positive image when marked by a low power CO2 laser.

The ink, coating or additive undergoes a chemical colour-change and creates an image that is stable and has high contrast.

Compared to more traditional imaging processes, it also has a higher fidelity.

The material to be marked can be treated either by direct doping of the additive into the substrate or its existing surface coating, or by a separate coating or printing operation.

The subsequent laser imaging process does not require any ink or ribbons and is virtually maintenance free, claimed Sherwood.

Sherwood said it would also showcase possibilities for future developments.

A number of those are at the early stage of development and would be likely to be available for licensing.

The company said it would welcome discussions with Sherwood interested prior to the show to book appointments.

All Sherwood's colour change products will be available through a series of application licensing agreements and strategic partnerships.