Sun Chemical is launching Sunlase, a colour-change ink designed for inline patch printing and subsequent marking with laser technology.

　　The ink range is claimed to enable application through various print processes and opens up opportunities to add value to customer printing requirements for displaying variable data on packaging.

　　According to Sun Chemical, the printed patch of Sunlase provides flexibility to enable a high-definition variable output on a number of substrates using the latest laser technology.

　　Packaging products can be nominally patch printed, reducing SKUs considerably, and then marked and coded as required with characters and graphics, without resetting any consumables, providing quality at very high speeds.

　　Sunlase inks and coatings, which contain the Datalase pigment, are formulated to be sensitive to specific low-energy laser emissions, while also utilising CO2 absorbers and polymer technology, allowing different substrates to be marked inline with laser technology, according to Sun Chemical.

　　The company said materials that were not usually fit for marking now become suitable through the use of Sunlase and can even allow corrugated boxes to become fully recyclable.

　　Tony Palmer, Sun Chemical's packaging business director, said: 'This colour-change ink range will allow our customers to have improved output, efficiency and cost reduction.

　　'This is the ideal product for businesses looking seriously at packaging innovations and environmental issues,' he added.