Europe’s largest producer of optical discs and a leader in the covermount business, ODS is launching a new, DVD-5 capacity disc – the EcoDisc. Half as thick (0.6mm) as a normal DVD, the flexible disc utilises 50% less polycarbonate.

The “environmentally-friendly” tag is further enhanced by the fact it does not require the use of non-biodegradable bonder. Some 1.16 billion discs were distributed as inserts or covermount in 2005 in Western Europe. Over 18,000 tons of polycarbonate were used for the production of these discs.

ODS notes that CDs and DVDs can be difficult to integrate into the production process of magazines. The thin EcoDisc can easily run over production machines of print offices and finishers without being damaged or coming off the paper.

With a weight of 8 grams, postal charges can be reduced. The EcoDisc is suitable for machine packaging such as boxes or wallets or sleeves and can be screen printed to the inside rim.

ODS says it is not recommended to put the disc in computer slot-in drives, because of the special construction of these drives.

The EcoDisc is one of many product innovations that the research of ODS has brought to market. The replicator cooperates with the INP Institute for Low Temperature Plasma Physics e.V. in Greifswald, Germany, and the Institute for Telecommunication Systems, Communications Systems Group, of the Technical University Berlin in a research and development community for basic research and product development.
ODS has already applied for four patents on the new media.

Story filed 03.07.07