News Article Business Solutions

Langenhagen, Germany, June 2010

Konica Minolta’s Simitri polymerised toner celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Produced since 2000, it is now available in its third generation, Simitri HD+. Simitri HD+ toner is used by the latest Konica Minolta digital printing systems, among them the new bizhub PRESS range. Research and development were focussed from an early stage on environmentally aware emulsion polymerised technology. A significant reduction in energy consumption and emission testify to Konica Minolta’s successful efforts. As the only toner in the industry, Simitri HD may even be used for printing food labels: paper printed with this toner was certified to comply with the criteria catalogue for food contact.

We are proud to say 'Happy Birthday' to our polymerised toner," says Olaf Lorenz, General Manager Marketing Division at Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe. "It is proof that environmental sustainability, advanced technology and major benefits for our customers go hand in hand. Confidence in the product and its health and safety standards is one of the most important ones: Our toner may even be used for printing food packages, food labels or price tags in your local supermarket." Just recently, paper printed with Simitri HD toner was successfully tested to comply with the criteria catalogue for food contact. German TÜV Rheinland LGA Products GmbH awarded this certificate to Simitri HD toner after having tested the bizhub models C220, C280, and C360 as well as the bizhub PRO C5501 and PRO C6501. All tests were conducted using the Simitri HD toner in conjunction with Nautilus Universal 80 gsm paper by Mondi. Konica Minolta’s Simitri HD is the sole toner in the industry to hold this certificate.

Known as Simitri HD+, Konica Minolta’s third generation polymerised toner celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. It combines a decade of reliability, experience and success with advanced, innovative technology. It first went on sale in 2001. In the following year, the toner was manufactured in all four colours. In 2006, the more advanced Simitri HD toner, offering low temperature fusing with higher image quality, was launched. The current Simitri HD+ is made of an ultra thin-film core shell structure featuring small particles, a uniform shape, and contains wax. Thanks to this structure, the toner brings together two seemingly contradictory properties: It enables low fusing temperatures while featuring extraordinary heat resistance at the same time. Simitri HD+ is used in the new bizhub PRESS models.

From the outset the toner, based on emulsion polymerised technology, was researched and developed to minimise impact on the environment throughout its lifecycle. Thanks to a polymerisation process that uses less energy during production, emissions such as CO2, NOX and SOX were reduced by a third. Less energy is required when polymerised toners are used during printing. This is due to an upgraded polymerisation technology and a low-melting, oil-free ester wax* kernel that allows fusing at much lower temperatures. The special wax is used in around 10% of Simitri and Simitri HD toners.

Since their launch ten years ago, Konica Minolta polymerised toners have consisted of almost 10% biomass, i.e. plant-based material. From a carbon neutral viewpoint, emissions during disposal of the toner were reduced significantly thanks to its plant-based contents. Carbon neutrality refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon emitted with an equivalent amount absorbed. As biomass contents of polymerised toner absorb CO2 before becoming raw materials, the amount of CO2 emitted will be equal to the amount bound.

Today, Konica Minolta is the industry leader** in producing polymerised toners with a reduced impact on the environment. More than 99% of all colour toners and more than 96% of monochrome toners produced are polymerised toners. The industry average is 57.2% for colour toners and 13.3% for monochrome toners. Konica Minolta’s digital printing systems, both colour and black and white, in office as well as in production printing, operate with polymerised toners.

_{* Wax is an essential ingredient for toners as it has the ability to spread on the uppermost layer of the toner during thermal fusing, preventing the paper from winding itself around the fusing roller and preventing the image from deforming.
** The estimated toner production for 2009 from the 2009 Toner Market Directory by Data Supply Inc.}

Product images are available at www.konicaminolta-images.eu.

Terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

Contact

Olaf Lorenz
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH
Phone: +49 (0)511 7404-378
Olaf.Lorenz(at)konicaminolta.eu

Claudia Bitzer Ketchum
Pleon GmbH
Phone: +49 (0)711 21099-416
KonicaMinoltaTeam(at)ketchumpleon.com