Siegwerk has introduced Cirkit Oxybar White, a product that combines oxygen barrier performance with white ink in a single layer.
The development changes how packaging structures can be designed, with barrier performance incorporated into the ink rather than added through a separate material layer.
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Siegwerk said standard packaging formats typically rely on different layers for oxygen protection and white opacity, which add materials and processing stages.
Cirkit Oxybar White is intended to combine those functions into a single inline-applied ink.
According to the company, the ink can be applied in one pass using standard printing processes, allowing converters to reduce the number of layers in a structure.
Siegwerk said the product forms part of its Barrier Inks category.
It noted that the first product in this category was Cirkit Greasebar White, which combined grease barrier and white ink functionality in one layer.
This allows converters to use backing white as a functional layer and apply barrier properties inline during printing without additional process steps.
Siegwerk said Cirkit Oxybar White can be used in place of conventional oxygen barrier materials such as metallised films in applications that do not require added water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) barriers.
The ink is designed to work with existing gravure and flexo equipment while offering visual inspection of coating coverage because of its white pigmentation.
The formulation is designed to support higher press speeds than standard water-based coatings and may lower overall applied costs by reducing layers, passes and materials, added the company.
Siegwerk circular economy coatings head Gilles Le Moigne said: “With Cirkit Oxybar White, we are redefining what an ink can do.
“By combining oxygen barrier and white ink performance in a single layer, we eliminate complexity and open new possibilities for circular packaging design.”
Last month, Siegwerk introduced Cirkit Novaseal, a dedicated line of heat-seal lacquers under its Cirkit coatings range.
The line is intended for fibre-based packaging and certain flexible packaging formats, with use by brand owners and converters working on changes linked to sustainability.
