Xeikon has terminated its Trillium liquid toner development project because of what it calls “several challenges” in bringing it to market.
“Changing market dynamics but mainly ongoing technical issues in developing the liquid toner technology, including press uptime issues, encouraged us to take this difficult decision,” said Benoit Chatelard, president and CEO Digital Solutions, Flint Group.
Since the unveiling of its Trillium liquid toner technology at drupa 2012, Xeikon had been working to commercialize the first digital press using Trillium technology and presented the new Trillium One four-color press at drupa 2016.
The technology, first demonstrated at drupa 2016 in the Trillium One press, has encountered several challenges in bringing it to market as a commercial product, said Xeikon in a statement. As a result, the decision has been made to re-focus resources and efforts where the company can add the most value and leverage its strengths in delivering exceptional customer solutions.
Chatelard said that Xeikon has positioned itself as "a technology-agnostic provider," advising customers as to the most appropriate technology for their needs.
“We continuously review our portfolio and we are confident the segments we operate can be well served with our current dry toner technology and the newly launched Panther UV inkjet technology,” he said. “With our dry toner technology, we will continue our focus on both the packaging and document businesses, as well as specialty segments where we bring significant value including security printing and wall décor.”
In 2015, Xeikon - a leader and innovator in digital printing technology - joined Flint Group to create a new Digital Printing Solutions division for the packaging and print media industries. Flint Group develops and manufactures an extensive portfolio of printing consumables, including a range of conventional and energy-curable inks and coatings, pressroom chemicals, printing plates and equipment, printing blankets and sleeves, and pigments and additives for use in inks and other colorant applications.