The inks are designed to help manufacturers reduce their use of MEK-based solvents while maintaining reliable printing, strong adhesion and fast drying times. They address longstanding challenges associated with alternatives to MEK, which can struggle to match the performance of traditional formulations.
Although there is no globally unified regulation restricting MEK use, manufacturers in some regions face additional administrative and monitoring requirements when using MEK-based inks.
“Choosing alternative solvent bases can alleviate this workload, but historically alternatives have often included performance trade-offs,” said Karen Davey, product manager for fluids at Domino.
The new formulations use alternative pentanone-based solvents to deliver adhesion and drying performance close to that of conventional MEK-based inks. The range includes options for industrial applications and food packaging, including formulations designed to support compliance with the German Printing Ink Ordinance, subject to final migration testing of the finished packaging.
Domino said customer field trials had demonstrated reliable performance across various manufacturing environments
Available products include general-purpose black ink for metal, glass and some plastics, alongside specialist formulations offering resistance to alcohol, oil and retort processing. Domino said customer field trials had demonstrated reliable performance across various manufacturing environments, including freezer-grade flow-wrap packaging.
The inks are also intended to support sustainability targets by reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and solvent consumption. According to Domino, its MEK-free inks can reduce make-up fluid usage by up to 35%.
Further reductions are possible with solvent recovery technology. Domino’s Green Pack add-on, available for Ax350i and Ax550i printers, can reduce make-up usage by up to 50% by recovering condensed solvent for reuse. The Ax560i features Enhanced Solvent Recovery, while its CleanAssist function recycles make-up fluid during automated printhead cleaning to reduce wash-solvent consumption.
Domino said its product compliance team monitors regulatory developments and works with ink developers to respond to changing customer requirements.
The new range is available for Domino’s Ax-Series printers.
