The Sheffield, Yorkshire-based manufacturer and supplier said it hoped to meet customer demand for more environmentally focused products with the debut of the PVC-, phthalate- and halogen-free product.
Green Power took 18 months of rigorous development and testing to complete, and the company has had the backing of Canon. The material is suitable for use with UV, Latex, and eco-solvent inks.
Jon Denton, general manager at Magnetic Solutions, said: “This is by far the greenest option on the market as far as we know.
“It is the first time we have been able to do something like this and it is genuinely exciting to introduce a 100% PVC-free magnet, both from a business and environmental point of view.”
The material is factory fitted with 1m of paper at the beginning and end of the rolls, so no magnetic material is wasted during set up and print.
PET is used for the printable surface, while the thickness of the material has been reduced so that it is almost half the weight of its traditional alternative, while retaining the same holding forces.
The addition of a green UV reflective backing enables the material to work with the Colorado’s sensors. This also means that Colorado users will be able to print Green Power vehicle grade magnet, which comes in at 0.5mm, rather than the traditional 0.85mm.
The magnetic kit, which Magnetic Solutions helped Canon to develop and which is available from Canon as a retrofit item, will need to be fitted to the user’s Colorado for the magnetic material to run smoothly.
“We have put a lot of thought into how we could make this as environmentally friendly as possible because it was something our customers were asking about,” said Denton.
“Magnets and magnetic materials by their nature are not green products to create so anything we can do to produce a greener alternative is a step in the right direction.”
Magnetic Solutions, founded in 2005, has two-year exclusivity on Green Power through its partner manufacturer based in China.
The company is set to offer this as a replacement on two of its product lines; display and vehicle grade.
“In terms of costs, there is only a small increase on the Green Power material but in the main this is offset by the reduction in wastage, reduction in changeover times with the longer rolls and the potential for lower transport costs, due to the material being lighter,” said Denton.
Magnetic Solutions is part of Dutch company Sanders Group, which manufactures and distributes flexible magnetic materials. Sanders will be exhibiting at the Fespa Global Print Expo, at Messe Munich from 23-26 May, on Stand B2, Hall A19.
Green Power will be available to purchase from both Sanders and Magnetic Solutions. Sanders has recently received its first containers of the new material while Magnetic Solutions’ first container is expected to arrive on or around 18 April, but it has some 3m sample rolls available for testing.
Magnetic Solutions will be selling the material as full rolls, so one roll will be the minimum order quantity.
Munich-bound: Printweek will be producing the Fespa Daily at the upcoming Fespa Global Print Expo in Munich from 23-26 May. Contact us about any Fespa-related matters at fespa.daily@markallengroup.com.
