Colour Change Technology Wins Innovation Award

Datalase, the colour change product from Sherwood Technology, has been named a winner in the Photonics Spectra Circle of Excellence awards.

Datalase, the colour change product from Sherwood Technology, has been named a winner in the Photonics Spectra Circle of Excellence awards.

The awards honour the 25 products that have been adjuged to have been the mosttechnically innovative products of the year.

Combining chemistry, substrate conversion and laser energy, Datalase uses very low power laser light for the high speed printing of images.

Sherwood said that it developed Datalase to meet the need for a clean, high speed, universal, high quality method for applying virtual labels, anti-counterfeiting measures, codes and other graphics to materials at full production line speeds.

The company added that its innovation lies in the use of what it described as a robust, inert, inorganic additive that forms a positive image once exposed to low level energy emitted from an industrial CO2 marking laser.

It is claimed that Datalase chemistry can be added to inks, coatings, processed plastics and packaging and printing materials such as paper, board, foil and metals.

Sherwood believes that Datalase is a facilitating technology that extends and enhances the use of laser marking and imaging for the photonics industry.

According to the cmpany, Datalase's use not only overcomes many of the deficiencies associated with alternative methods from outside the photonics sector (for example, inkjet, thermal transfer and impact printing) but also extends the use of existing laser marking devices into new areas.

For example, the ability to incorporate a laser markable and responsive layer between the plies of a laminated material offers the potential to create bespoke security features claimed the company.

Sherwood said that Datalase has already achieved a high level of recognition within the photonics industry, with leading laser vendors such as Domino Amjet, Markem and Videojet specifying Datalase's use in high-speed applications on substrates where conventional laser 'ablation' has proved unsatisfactory.

In the company's opinion, for the past 16 years the photonics industry has looked to the Circle of Excellence awards as the benchmark for innovation.

The competition has earned that respect as winning products are carefully assessed for excellence, innovation and achievement by a panel of knowledgeable peers.

Steve Kelly, Sherwood's managing director commented: "This award is particularly meaningful as it has come directly from our peers in the photonics industry who have recognised the innovation and wide ranging applications of this groundbreaking product." He continued: "DataLase can be deployed for solutions such as virtual labelling, anti-counterfeiting and graphics printing, and offers many benefits to both the end user and the converter who can introduce Datalase by either a patch printing or flood coating process.

Our goal is to find printers and packaging suppliers who are prepared to work with us to integrate this technology into their conversion processes and offer a wide range of applications to the end user.".

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