This year’s FESPA will take place in Berlin from 15 to 18 May – and ink manufacturer Marabu will be among the exhibitors travelling to the German capital. It will be highlighting its current portfolio of screen, digital, and pad printing inks, plus a number of new products. Berlin is the venue for the 2018 FESPA trade fair. At stand B30 in hall 1.2, Marabu will be presenting its proven portfolio of inks, plus many new solutions in screen and pad printing for food packaging, operator control panels and glass. It will also showcase a number of digital printing solutions – including its versatile new GBL-free solvent-based inks and an expanded range of UV-curable inkjet products. Moreover, it will spotlight the advantages of digital water-based options.

Food packaging has to perform a variety of tasks: it should present the product to catch the eye and encourage consumers to make a purchase – and, above all, it has to protect its contents. For this reason, inks for food packaging are subject to strict quality audits to verify that they are not susceptible to migration (i.e. the transfer of substances from the packaging material to the foodstuff). Marabu’s new Ultra Pack UVFP is the first officially approved (by Swiss Quality Testing Services, SQTS, a certified institute) for migration-sensitive PE/PP plastics – the materials most widely used for packaging foodstuffs. Moreover, the very high reactiveness of UVFP inks ensures rapid drying and printing speeds of up to 4,000 containers per hour.

Marabu is adding two ink ranges for diverse glass applications. The single-component Mara® Tech MGO baking ink is ideal not only for glass, but also for screen and pad printing on metal where high resistance to chemicals is crucial. The ink contains silicone, and is therefore suitable for both first and second surfaces, in particular for container and flat glass. As a single-component product, it ensures highly reliable printing processes. This makes Mara® Tech MGO the perfect choice for sensitive goods, such as baby bottles, drinking glasses and medical accessories. Marabu will also spotlight its two-component Mara® Glass MGLA. This ink was developed for second surfaces on flat glass items, for example smartphones, input systems (touch panels) and outdoor user interfaces – including control units for ships and boats, and digital map terminals in Berlin and other major cities.

Capacitive touch interfaces are found in a wide variety of appliances, including washing machines, driers, dishwashers and ovens – and even coffee machines and microwaves. The latest devices are equipped with state-of-the-art front panels and integrated touch panels. Marabu’s Mara® Panel MPA, a new range of specialty decorative inks, features an outstanding opaque white, plus a deep, non-conductive black developed for printing on the back (second surface) of popular PMMA or PC plastics. Mara® Panel MPA displays very high electrical resistance to avoid interference with the input system’s functionality. Furthermore, the range has been tested for resistance to water vapour and to common cleaning agents from leading manufacturers. In many cases, household appliances feature plastic panels within a metal housing. Marabu offers solutions for the entire device, even if individual components are made from differing materials, i.e. plastic, metal or glass.

Product safety is the top priority at Marabu. This year, for instance, the company is launching a new generation of GBL-free solvent-based inks for digital printing in wide formats. Marabu customers will be able to choose between existing solutions and new, highly versatile GBL-free versions.

Marabu’s UV-curable inkjet inks can be employed in a variety of situations, and are compatible with all common printer heads. The offering includes flexible Ultra Jet DUV-A inks for wide formats, and the Ultra Jet DUV-C range for printing directly on flat glass and on containers made from glass or PET. There is also an alternative line of inks for Océ Arizona printers, Ultra Jet DUV-GR, plus LED-curable Ultra Jet DLE-A products. Moreover, Marabu’s UV-curable portfolio now includes two new lines: Ultra Jet DUV-MF is very versatile, and was developed especially for wide-format graphical applications. These products belong to a new generation of highly reactive inks that enhance roll-to-roll and hybrid printer productivity. Furthermore, Marabu has a new specialty ink for both indoor and outdoor POP/POS applications. It features an especially glossy finish and a wide colour gamut.

Water-based inks for digital printing are in greater demand than ever, and the market is keen for new solutions. A key focus is digital products that come into contact with human skin or foodstuffs. Working closely with the printing industry, Marabu has created water-based inkjet inks for flexible food packaging, cardboard, toys (in line with the EN 71/3 standard), and digitally printed wallpapers. In general, these inks are ideal wherever eco-friendliness and product safety is critical, or where the advantages of water-based systems outweigh other considerations.