Cancelled: the Trillium One won’t be coming to market as Xeikon refocuses
Xeikon has announced that it has abandoned the Trillium liquid toner project, citing ‘several challenges in bringing it to market as a commercial product’.
First presented at drupa 2012 and shown again last year, the Trillium One was a 500mm width web press that was intended to be able to print at 60m/min on uncoated stock, aimed at high volume high quality applications in direct mail and catalogue printing.
Xeikon has now decided to terminate the project and focus its efforts on its established dry toner line and on the recently-launched Panther UV inkjet technology.
‘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,’ commented Benoit Chatelard, president and CEO Digital Solutions, Flint Group.
Mr Chatelard elaborated on the decision to cancel the liquid toner project: ‘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.’
Sean Smyth, technical editor of Digital Printer, commented, ‘The issue was always time to get to market. A five year delay was always going to mean the initial benefits were eroded by inkjet improvements. Electrophotography is complex; the six stages needed are not easy to control and simplify. New liquid toners add further complexity and a small market opportunity makes the profitability questionable.
‘I suspect the new management team who have come in were not so wedded to the developments. [This] should be good for Xeikon. Not enough companies are brave enough to admit their technology won’t make it.’
Another abandoned liquid toner development was the Océ Infinistream, dropped in 2016 after several years’ effort: ‘Liquid toners are not easy,’ added Mr Smyth.
